TheText Itself    by Thomas Newkirk  

Click on the title link above to read the article

Newkirk argues that the writers of the Common Core have adopted a sterile view of reading that does not…

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How many of you on this site have benefited from an NWP site or from someone associated with one (or read books on teaching writing by someone associated with one)? Here is a copy/paste from  www.nwp.org about the issue and how you can make your voice heard.

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I've been adding articles under My Page, but I'm wondering if I should be posting a blog post. I'm not sure anyone can see what I write.

Anyway, here are my article updates. I hope you find interest in my writing and enjoy what you have read.

http://discoverwriting.ning.com/profile/KimMitchell

I was grateful for the perfect blue sky and sunshine yesterday. It made for an enjoyable drive home from class. Unfortunately, the today's forecast calls for rain and gray skies. I guess it's better than the extensive snow fall we recently found ourselves buried under the past two months. I really feel the worst is behind us and March is turning out to be a glamorous prologue for a perfect springtime story.

I have been reading a lot of Elmore Leonard lately. My aging…

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Here's my first recorded assignment on the gradebook with a brief description.





Title: Student Reading Record 1

Window of Opportunity: 1/4-1/22

Category: Classwork

Description: The A student

* provides evidence of reading 30 minutes per day by updating

the reading record

* capitalizes the first, last,and important words in a title

* capitalizes the author's name

* proofreads for spelling errors

* notes the date a book is finished or… Continue

Now Playing»

Band: Afghan Wigs

Record: 1965



So, you say you have a reluctant writer? Don’t we all? Little ones, big ones, old ones, young ones, defiant ones––What do you do? Well, I’ve found that if you let those anti-writers compose within their “own” medium, they usually at least write. They are getting “black on white” (I forget you said that). It might be a comfort thing or a physical thing or just a plain old interest thing, but they are writing. Blogs, Wikis, Nings,… Continue

When Dissertation Troubles Surrounded Me:



This is an appreciative letter to thank the people who provided pin-point and professional UK dissertation writing help at the time when I was totally disappointed and had braced myself to meet the disaster regarding my PhD degree. It was the worst time of my life when I even thought of my dissertation disapproval.



I was busy working and handling my social life. You can say that I… Continue

Over eighty-five seventh graders participated in my AVID English Language Arts class last school year. On the first day of class, I drilled into them the gospel of great writing—a perilous and exhilarating thrill ride full of challenges, pitfalls, and triumphs. The image of a psychotic English teacher ripping apart a TAKS Exit Level exam in front of their eyes punctuated my message with an exclamation point. Since I’m a firm believer in hands-on learning, I ordered each student to snatch the… Continue

Thank you for the welcoming comment. Hopely I can contribute something here, but I am still a student, so perhaps I can say "thank you" a lot when I read members' comments on teaching writing to ELL.

Some of my favorite memories as a child were playing games with my family.



Saturday night in the summertime was the best. Dad would break out the snacks and Grandma and Grandpa would come over and play Scrabble, Boggle, or cards (Pinochle, Euchre, or Uno). I vividly remember playing games for hours on end because I often missed my favorite show line-ups of the evening: Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and The Twilight Zone.



In my eyes, Grandma… Continue

I've been giving the NJ ASK for nine years, and the ignorance of the state about how writing should be assessed never fails to leave me shaking my head. 8-year-olds having to write a story in 30 minutes is just ludicrous. Then the piece is scored by..."who?" And then given a label. Your child "not proficient," "proficient," or "advanced proficient." Labeled in 30 minutes. Are we making soup or teaching kids to think?

I'll save my best ranting for tomorrow.

We all know about " the Writing Process," as a general theory. We can even recite the stages, Prewriting, Webbing, Drafting, etc.. But what about your own private writing process (see Hemingway's below). Here is a place to post your personal tips and observations on how you write.…

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Hey DW Ningers. I am working on an alternative cover idea for my new version of Hooked on Meaning. This would be a second cover for the book that goes on the title page. I have this great idea using the Hulk photo. Trouble is the Hulk, who symbolizes testing and all the anxiety it brings, is about to crush me. I have to be thinking or saying something to augment the reality of the image and create both truth and humor and convey the message of the project: Imagination, fun and writing beats… Continue

Where do ideas begin? I like this question much more than its evil twin: "Where do you get your ideas?" I mean, how many times can you answer this question? I usually tell my students that ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. That usually clears things up. (wink)



In Stephen King's book, On Writing, Mr. King attempts to answer it. He states that most people think professional writers have access to a special "idea well" that just keeps spurting out ideas. He modestly and… Continue

The dictionary is just not big enough to say all the things we need to say. That is why we depend on creative thinkers like you to coin new lingo. In the clip below, Aaron, a sophomore in Gretchen Bernabei's class at Holmes High School makes up "Outstonishing" a cross between Outstanding and Astonishing. Or in other words: Outstonishing.



Here is your chance to make up your own new words to describe your life. Write the word and the definition as you would in a dictionary. Have fun… Continue

I know what you are thinking. The best writing prompt is anything you want to write about. Choice rules! But a great writing prompt can illicit amazing writing and stir up stagnant thinking. Photos and music can also fall under the heading writing prompt. This blog is a place for us to share our successes and failures with writing prompts.



Here is one of my favorites. It is in my book "The Healing Pen."



Write an express letter to some in your family or in your past. An… Continue