As a voracious reader since elementary school, I have always preferred character driven, relationship laden stories to non fiction or action based thrillers. I wasn't into fan fiction or comics...the…
Writing well is not something that can be achieved overnight. Anyone who has stared at a blank sheet of paper and wondered where to start knows this. Writers know that…
Parents often ask how to get their student reading at a deeper level. And honestly—there isn’t a quick fix. There is no magic way to get your child from Dick…
Writing curriculum and instruction has been in the news a lot in recent years. Why are our students falling short in the realm of written communication? How do we best teach…
Sometimes my kids ask why they need to learn something. Often I tell them they need to learn it in order to be an educated human. This usually does the…
I recently read an article in The Atlantic by Cindy O’Donnell-Allen titled: “The Best Writing Teachers are Writers Themselves.” The title alone intrigued me. After all, this seemed obvious (and…
Very often, when a student submits mediocre work, it is because they have left out the details and examples that prove their point. If I asked what you liked about…
Basic. We use this word so often that the true meaning often eludes us. Basic means fundamental, foundation, or starting point. The word is simple to understand, but it is…
One of the most common punctuation errors in student writing that I see pertains to comma usage. Too many commas or not enough commas...both are a problem. And it tells…
Ok, so I love words. I do. I'm a word-a-holic. I love the way a good word feels when it slips off your tongue. I love getting the word of…