#SOL22: Projects
Is it the planning?
Executing the plan?
Revisions along the way?
Successful completion?
The “Thanks” upon receipt.
A brief review of the last few quilts.
Graduation 2022
Quilts of Valor
And a baby gift!
My Perspective:
It’s all about the gifting!
Just some of my 2022 creations.
What are you creating? What part of the process is your favorite and why?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this weekly forum.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOL22: Real Life!
Do I remember our first meeeting?
A park bench outside Thorndike. Early morning. One in running clothes and me with all my gear for the day: canvas tote filled with devices, electrical bar, and books. Pounds of resources to last the day. Goal: to have an initial face to face contact before the week was up.
What about the funniest meeting?
A message to meet up at Starbuck’s. Arrival. Waiting. “I’m here.” But nary a sign. Further messages. Who knew. Three possible Starbuck’s in a 5 block radius. The first try was unsuccessful.
Which was the most unexpected?
I was fan-girling. Excited to meet up in real life. “Fran, it’s so good to see you,” as I was greeted with a hug. Only a Twitter friend. Real life exceeded my dreams as we quickly chattered like decades long friends.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Through TWT, TCRWP, ILA and NCTE I’ve met many folks in real life. I thanked many during the March SOLSC, but I want to return to two very special authors and friends: Christina Nosek and Melanie Meehan. Their talents are exceptional!
#G2Great chats highlighted their most recent books the last two weeks.
Literacy Lenses – Reading link Literacy Lenses – Writing link
Please check out the Table of Contents of both books from the links with the book covers above.
Check out the free chapters and resources.
Check out the Literacy Lenses posts (Reading by Dr. Mary C Howard and Writing by me).
What is your level of confidence in your knowledge and skills about Reading? Writing? What about your level of competence? How do you know? What questions have you answered lately?
Both of these titles would be great for a faculty book study!
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this weekly forum.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOL22: April
April could be . . .
The 5 letter daily Wordle
Sunshine
Warmth
Full of green growth
Budding flowers
But instead
April is
Snow
Wind
Snow Again
Wind
Tornadoes
Weather alerts
Severe storms
Slow to warm
Only one crocus
Daring to bloom
Wind roaring
Coats required
April
This fourth month
Unseasonably cool
Slowly greening
One third gone
Unsettling
Fleeting seconds of joy
Amidst gloomy, grey and dreary days.
Where is spring?
Will it be a short spring? What will nature bring? What weather patterns will you see in April?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this weekly forum.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOL22: And then . . .
Slicing every day in March.
31 consecutive days of writing
AND publishing.
I’ve written every day this year.
Short, long, and varied formats.
It’s a great habit.
But there was a hole
when I didn’t publish
for four days.
I could have.
But life kept me busy
And I didn’t.
I did write a #G2Great post (here) that I published
Three book reviews
But nothing on Resource-Full.
It’s great to be back
But the energy has dissipated.
Who will continue to write?
Who will be to busy?
Who will make time?
Why do you write?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this weekly forum.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 27
Day 27 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge 2022.
Who Am I?
What stories do you know about me?
I have no idea why the “cloud creator” added an “s” to teachers and books lovers? That doesn’t make sense. However, what does make sense is that these are a few of the words that describe Erika.
Thank you, Erika Victor, for your love of family whether it’s your family in the US, your family at your international school or the family of readers and writers that you navigate here!
How have you stayed connected with your family (personal or professional) the last couple of years?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 26
Day 26 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge 2022.
Today it’s a format that will lead to the reveal of an educator.
Six Word Stories
Best Maine guide for clam chowder.
Sparking writing and student literacy.
Using quick writes to improve literacy.
Midwesterner transplanted Maine literacy teacher coach.
Thank you, Paula Bourque, for your books, your passionate coaching, and your instructional expertise.
What formats help you determine the “most important information” to share? How do you know the format is effective?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 24
It’s day 24 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge for 2022. (one week remains!)
One highly researched and effective reading intervention is Reading Recovery. I’ve calculated the cost savings when one student is successful in Reading Recovery and does not enter into special education.
I’m going to use $4900 as the per pupil allotment for each resource student in Iowa. It’s a rounded number for illustrative purposes.
If Reading Recovery helps one student be successful in reading, the student saves:
- grade 2 $4900
- grade 3 $4900
- grade 4 $4900
- grade 5 $4900
- grade 6 $4900
- grade 7 $4900
- grade 8 $4900
- grade 9 $4900
- grade 10 $4900
- grade 11 $4900
- grade 12 $4900
Cumulative savings from grade 2 through grade 12 = $53,900.
Of course there are costs associated with Reading Recovery, but if two students are successful each year, Reading Recovery has paid for itself in savings.
A teacher leader in Reading Recovery leads professional development, teaches behind the glass, and observes teachers teaching. In some ways that work is similar to a consultant’s work: PD, demonstration teaching and classroom observations.
Yay, commonalities.
Our lives also intersect on Twitter, sometimes in chats, or also just some random retweets!
We’ve participated in multiple book studies: Including What Readers Really Do as well as online groups.
We’ve attended institutes where we’ve enjoyed the sights and sounds of The Big Apple.
We’ve shared stories of our families.
We love to learn.
Thank you, Sandy Brumbaum, for helping me strive for both joy and balance in my personal and professional life.
How do you find both joy and balance at work? At home? Who do you use as sounding boards?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 23
Today is Day 23 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
As I started writing this post, I wondered if I needed a chart to mark similarities and differences between the honorees for this March blog series. I quickly discovered MANY similarities.
Blogs? Check
Presents at NCTE? Check
Have personally presented with her? Check
Numerous zoom sessions? Check
An author featured on #G2great? Check
So many ideas were swirling in my brain, but I had already decided on “Supporting Writing” as my focus.
Today’s “Thank You” goes to an author who shares similar thoughts about students leading their own writing seminars for their fellow students. We’ve tweeted about this often. We promote student independence as much as possible.
Current books:
Available later in March, 2022 . . .
Drum roll . . .
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Thank you, Melanie Meehan, for your expertise as a writer and as a teacher of students and supporter of writing teachers,
What questions do you have about writing? What writing do you support? What writing do you do yourself?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 21
Today is Day 21 of the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
In a book group, we respond to the text. We use words, colors and pictures. We read. We talk when physically together. We use google docs or padlet when apart. We laugh. We reread. We write.
Rinse and repeat.
Every year I participate in book groups/clubs. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. That was the summer that I was in seven different groups, teaching a graduate class, and attending two week long institutes out of state.
In reflection, that sounds totally crazy and overbooked. Seriously crazy. But my love of books, my desire to be better at responding to texts, and the need to accelerate my own learning led me to say yes to all the possibilities. (The inability to say “no” to book clubs will have to be a slice after March.)
We’ve presented together. We’ve laughed together. We’ve learned together.
Thank you, Julieanne Harmatz for writing about book purchases in a slice here this year, for adding to my own TBR stacks, and for adding joy to my life.
How do you add books to your reading list? What is your criteria? Who helps add to your list?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
#SOLSC22: 18
Time. There’s always a shortage of time. Time to thoroughly discuss and vet ideas and processes. Time to see if “this” really works with my students. Time to see if there truly is a match between needs and resources.
These kinds of conversations are necessary and can take place at different stages. Maybe I’ve already stuck my toe in the water. Maybe I’ve had the conversation with someone from a different building/school/state. The easier that it is for me to explain my “WHY”, the easier that it is to be brave, walk out onto that limb and try something new.
For me, it was the decision a long time ago to use action research to decide if a “popular” and “parental requested program” would work for my students. We collected baseline data. We implemented with regular checks. The students knew what we were doing and why. The parents were informed. We made some time adjustments, however, when our results were not what we expected we did not “double down” on time. We increased the intensity instead. We did have positive results but not in the area we had targeted. That willingness to try something different, to find the right methods for the right students is a very necessary action for today’s teachers.
Fortunately, there are now decision-making guides that should be part of a teacher’s repertoire. This is one.
Thank you for this decision-making guide, Dr. Towanda Harris, #G2Great Advisory Team Member. Thank you always for the conversations about student and educator learning.
When do you make the decisions? When do you need to be more collaborative in decision-making processes? How does that go?
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Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for this daily forum during the month of March.
Check out the writers and readers here.
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