blog posts directly related to teachers and classrooms
Maps! And trees! I’m a fan of both! Here’s an activity to use with MY GRANDPA, MY TREE, AND ME by Roxanne Troup—ready to go for busy educators! Roxanne is offering a GIVEAWAY—a free 30-minute virtual visit! For a teacher, it can be a virtual author visit for a classroom. Or for a writer, a … More Especially for Educators: “Using Back Matter to Inspire Lesson Plans” by Roxanne Troup
Think back to when you were a child and dared to hold a wiggly worm or lifted rocks in search of fishing bait. Worms fascinate despite the EW factor. Marie Boyd’s JUST A WORM can be the beginning of an exploration for kids. Here she shared a nature walk to use with the book. Be … More Especially for Educators: “A Nature Walk Activity Inspired by ‘Just a Worm'” by Marie Boyd
As an educator, I always appreciated opportunities to connect learning objectives with real world action. And when those also connect to literature and an inspiring piece of history, even better! That’s why I was excited to hear that there’s a Forever Stamp campaign underway to honor Deborah Sampson. (And…we’re heading into Women’s History Month!) SPECIAL EDUCATOR … More Especially for Educators: “Write to Persuade the USPS—Deborah Sampson Deserves a Stamp!”
As a teacher, I always loved classroom projects like this! Thank you, Laura Perdew for sharing this terrific activity for educators and your brand new Biome Explorers series! AND thank you for offering a GIVEAWAY of a complete set of the BIOME EXPLORERS series! Just leave a comment below for a chance to win! (And … More Especially for Educators: “Using Picture Books to Create a Classroom Museum” by Laura Perdew
In the classroom, I found that mentor sentences and mentor texts provided opportunities for student writers to amaze themselves and tackle many forms of writing with confidence. Now, as an author, I analyze mentor texts for my own learning. Thank you, Annette Whipple for this post for educators on using your nonfiction series in the … More Especially for Educators: “Nonfiction Mentor Texts for the Classroom” by Annette Whipple
Here’s a great story of the birth of MIGHTY MAHI from Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw, a story that sprang from project-based learning with excited and engaged students. Authors will enjoy learning about the genesis of the book, and educators will surely find inspiration for their own classrooms. While Suzanne wrote the book as a result of … More Especially for Educators: “Climb Aboard the Yellow Submarine: A Study in Research and Activism” by Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw
We’ve got a really special post today on the collaboration between an author and students. Christy Mihaly shares how THE SUPREME COURT AND US sprang from this partnership. And to celebrate US History in the classroom, we’re teaming up for a special 2-BOOK GIVEAWAY for educators and librarians! There are multiple ways to enter the … More Behind the Scenes: “Collaborating with Kids in Writing a Nonfiction Picture Book” by Christy Mihaly
Julie Danneberg’s post has inspired me to add a NEW CATEGORY to my blog! From the start, my intent with this blog was to offer quality content for kid lit creators, and also for educators. So many of us kid lit people are/were educators inspired to write by our experiences in the classroom. Much of … More Especially for Educators: “A Treasure Trove for Teaching Writing” by Julie Danneberg
I firmly believe that picture books aren’t just for little kids. And also that they’re not just for Language Arts classrooms. As a teacher, I LOVED using picture books with a wide range of ages for a wide range of skills. Picture books are magical in so many ways and open the door to a … More “Not Just for Little Kids: Five Reasons to Use Picture Books with Older Students” by Carolee Dean
What a special treat I have for you today! Where does writing begin? With a voice. With ideas. With lines or letters. AND usually, with an encourager. How many of us trace our love of writing back to a teacher or multiple teachers? I know I do! In the beginning of February, Tina Barrett sent … More Special Feature: “Where Writing Begins” with Tina Barrett, Kindergarten Teacher!
Beth Anderson, Children's Writer 