writing

my handy-dandy process for helping kids write nonfiction based on other sources

April 19, 2012
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Do you remember writing school reports when you were, say, twelve? Do you remember your teachers harping on the evils of plagiarism? Was your response to do what I did and take lines from a book, switch out words, change their order and call them your own? I can’t blame twelve-year-old me. Despite all the [...]

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writing ideas: a cool facts slide show

March 30, 2012
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It’s been a long time (like, um, a year), so here’s another writing ideas post. Finally. But first read the disclaimer and simply tuck this idea into your back pocket. It may not tickle your kids. Mr. T is an info-maniac. His favorite part of his beloved National Geographic Kids Magazine is the “Weird But True” [...]

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atwitter: march

March 8, 2012
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It’s been a long while since I’ve written one of these what’s-got-me-worked-up posts. Finished knitting projects! Finally! Last year, sometime mid-summer, my knitting mojo got lost. But thankfully we were reunited in late fall, in time for me to dig out the sweater I’d started for my hubby, and to finish it in time for [...]

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the rule of three

February 23, 2012
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I’m reading Adam Gopnik again. This time it’s his new book, The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food. Gopnik on food and family! I’m reading it slowly, savoring it like it’s a little goat cheese crottin. Some of it is the deep-thinking Gopnik-ish stuff that has me skimming, feeling too dumb to [...]

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the magical, motivating writer’s workshop

February 7, 2012
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It’s very satisfying to write a post that brings so many of you out for a tea party in the comments! If you haven’t been back to the discussion for the How Do Kids REALLY Learn to Write? post, hop on over. You’ll find fantastic insights and experiences shared there. One of my most essential suggestions [...]

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how does a child REALLY learn to write?

January 20, 2012
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Mr. T is just beginning to type his writing on his own. Warning: some of what follows may sound like heresy to traditional educators. Recently a reader of this blog sent an email asking for advice. She’s a homeschooling mom, and she wrote after spending time with other homeschooling friends, and hearing how they teach [...]

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year of writing

January 5, 2012
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Me, squinting and looking sheepish. I did not write much in 2011. That realization sort of stuns me. I didn’t recognize it until the year began to dwindle and I glanced back. I spent a lot of time last year working behind the scenes of my writing, without actually writing. I futzed under the hood, [...]

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