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NaNoWriMo

In the middle school writing rotation, fiction writing came up on my unit map this year. While I have a curriculum that I regularly use to teach writing, I had a crazy idea- what if my students participated in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? NaNoWriMo is traditionally an adult-led tradition where people worldwide commit…

Getting to know you (and me) through buddy letters

A date, a salutation, at least five sentences, a picture they’d like, a closing, and your name.  It’s good to ask at least one question so they have something to respond to.  These were the parameters of a buddy letter, as a few complaining middle schoolers explained to me.  What were they complaining about?  Not…

On Saying “I don’t know.”

Twenty-first-century education can not be about simply filling kids’ heads with knowledge, but rather it is about teaching them the skills and attitudes that they need to become learners.  Today, through our digital connections, more information and knowledge than ever is at our fingertips.  Just to read through everything on Wikipedia would take a lifetime. …