Jennifer Richard Jacobson's Blog

I have been thrilled to learn that two of my books have been chosen for One School, One Book programs (Andy Shane Hero at Last and the forthcoming Small as an Elephant)!  I knew that my friend, author  Jacqueline Davies, has had the opportunity to participate in these fabulous events and asked her to be a guest blogger this week.  Here is what Jackie shared:

Jackie: So far this year, I've visited five schools that have used my book, The Lemonade War , as part of a One School/One Read program. It's a great way to whip up enthusiasm for reading, foster community, and throw a party—all at the same time.
Here's how it works. The school chooses a middle-grade text that can work for the entire school population. (The Lemonade War works well because it's an easy and engaging read-aloud for the primary grades, but it can hold the interest of kids as old as 6th grade.) In most of the schools I visited this fall, the title of the One School/One Read book was announced with great fanfare at an all-school assembly before summer vacation. There'd already been plenty of talk about the program leading up to the assembly, so the unveiling of the selected title had the feeling of an Academy-Award moment. For two of the schools, I provided personalized videos that introduced me to the students and conveyed how excited I was that they would be reading my book. These videos were played JumboTron-style on big screens for the whole school to see.
In most cases, the PTO or school provides books for everyone in the school—and I do mean everyone. The school secretary reads the book. The custodian reads the book. The lunch ladies read the book. Absolutely every student, administrator, faculty member, and support staff person reads the book. Can you imagine the excitement that builds around reading when every person in the school has read the same book? There are book discussions in the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms. Everyone has something to say because everyone is an active participant in the event.
In and around the reading of the book are a host of cross-curricular activities—scavenger hunts, decorated bulletin boards, morning messages, art projects, skits, and daily quotations. Many schools have mounted their own Lemonade War, and thereby raised money for a local charity. The possibilities are endless when enthusiasm runs so high.
The culminating event is a visit from the author. When I walk into the lobby of a school that has used my book for a One School/One Read program, the response I get never varies: gasps of excitement, pointed fingers, "That's her! That's the author!" Never mind that it's just me; to these kids, I'm a rock star because in their community they've made me one. The power, of course, comes from the school itself. They've created the rock star moment by coming together as a community, by investing time and money in the program, by saying at every grade level Reading is so important, we're all going to do it together. The winners are the kids, who soak up the message and carry it as their own.
It's amazing what you can do when you harness the energy of an entire school.

 

 

Welcome to your first day of the YesWriWith challenge!  I hope you all feel proud of the words you recorded today!

Andrea, I can empathize with the challenge of fitting writer's workshop into a half-day kindergarten program. Do you have learning centers? If so, have children move through the writing center, drawing pictures and recording their words. Try to frequent the writing center as often as possible and always begin your stay by writing a sentence or two.    Another option would be to begin each day with writing.  Have journals out on the tables or student desks, and invite students to plunge into writing.  (I know that writing would not always be preceded by a mini-lesson, but it might be one way to increase writing time.)  Again, make sure your students see you writing, too.  Those of you who teach half-days, do you have suggestions?  Feel free to post them here.

Jill, I know it's hard to imagine that writing and conferencing can fit into a writing period. Write for the first five or ten minutes of your writer's workshop and then move into conferencing. Make sure you keep your conferences short and efficient.  And let us know how it goes!

I'm eager to see excerpts from you own writing folder!  Please feel free to share pieces here.

Kudos to all of you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Perhaps you have heard of NaNoWriMo. During National Novel Writing Month authors give themselves the challenge of writing a  175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.  Many a writer has accomplished a first draft in this time.

I thought it would be fun to establish our own writing challenge in November.  As we all know, writing and sharing our work with students has a profound effect on both the success of our writer's workshop, and on the skill level of our students.  And yet it seems to be one of the hardest routines to set and keep.
 
So click on comment, and sign up for YesWriWith.  In doing so, you will be committing to one month of writing each and every day with your students.  (You get Thanksgiving and the following Friday off ;>.)
 
Then 1) Write to tell us how the experience has affected your program, or 2) Share something you wrote during Writer's Workshop, and be one of ten teachers who will  receive a free hardcover children's book, professional book, or audio book written by me. Your choice. (If more than ten post, the ten will be chosen randomly.)
 
Those teachers who write for all 20 days and write to tell me, will be eligible to win an entire set of hardcover Andy Shane books.
 

I hope you'll take the challenge. And I hope lots of you will post regularly to build excitement and to encourage one another to keep on writing.
 
Good luck!

 Learning to write is as complex as learning to read or to understand mathematics. It requires a good deal of exposure to exemplars and practice, practice, practice.
Learning to write teaches us how to think. The stronger we become in our abilities to communicate a message in writing, the more we are able to communicate our thoughts, perceptions, and analysis in other forms and in other areas of learning.
The best writing teachers write. (Emails do not count.) They share both their writing and their thinking about process with their students. They understand the complexity of writing because they are experiencing it first-hand.
Writers need authentic audience throughout the writing process (and not simply when the piece has been completed.) It is near impossible to know what others need in terms of clarity and engagement without sharing our work with them.
Copying over work is not publishing.
Writing is best taught by showing students what they know, reinforcing what they are doing well, rather than simply pointing out what is missing.
Writers need choice of topics in order to identify the material and the focus that will serve them best. When writers are provided with choice and a regular writing time, they will write with more engagement, organization, and voice.
Learning to write takes time: time to think, time to experiment, time to revise. Without time, students tend to produce shallow products that show very little improvement (or understanding) from piece to piece.
Writers need to think like writers. If students ask, "How long does it need to be?" they are not identifying themselves as writers.
Writing, when taught well, boosts confidence. The writer's work is received respectfully and seriously; her voice is heard. Once a student has felt a modicum of success in writing, she knows that she can succeed in other areas of her life, too.

 

Sometimes. But with writer's workshop we assess our students' application of skills on a daily basis. Here are some of the ways in which we assess:
1.       We plan interactive mini-lessons where students show us what they know
2.       We conduct daily writing conferences where we record anecdotal notes about our students' progress
3.       We save writing in folders and portfolios so progress can be observed and reported
4.       We examine sample writing or anchor papers with our students, thus determining what our students know and what skills we want to spend more time teaching
5.       We provide our students with rubrics and checklists so they can self-evaluate and build vision of success
 
One of my favorite quotes by Betty Hollas is:  "Assessment is not the end of the writing process, it is the bridge to revision." With writer's workshop we develop a community of writers who are always striving to learn more, to create writing that exceeds expectations.

 This is a common question teachers ask when transitioning from traditional writing lessons to writer's workshop. Let's take a look at these two formats.

Traditionally teachers have had students write many products (all students writing on the same topic) and graded most of them. Or, over weeks, teachers take all their students through the stages of the writing process simultaneously, and grade the single product at the end.But with writer's workshop we understand that:1)      Students are...

 

I recently spent two days with teachers at the Lakehurst Elementary School in New Jersey. It was an intense and enormously rewarding time, and I'm looking forward to future visits. While there, teacher Kathy Bixby secured this nifty gadget for holding her writing center supplies (as you know, I have a passion for organizing/office supplies). It's a 5 Tier Hanging Mesh Storage Closet Organizer. Can't you see it filled with tape and editing pencils?

Last week Jodee wrote: " I have just read your book and am so excited to use your ideas in my classroom. I have been trying to find a way to do writing workshop that fit me and this is it!" She also had a number of specific questions about publishing student work.  I suspect that others might have similar questions, so I'll post my answers.  To read more about publishing go here.  You can also  preview the entire text of No More I'm Done online.

First, how do the students choose which stories...

I recently spent a week in Omaha, Nebraska conducting writing workshop inservices.   The Omaha teachers were fabulous and had so much to offer!  It was a high-energy, roll-up-our-sleeves week in which I was definitely both the teacher and the learner.  

I was reminded of what a gift a two-day inservices can be.  (I worked with teachers in grades 4-6 at the beginning of the week, primary teachers at the end.)  One day of six traits or writer's workshop is an introduction. By the end of two...

I am posting my article about Writing Centers from my weekly primary newsletter  in hopes that you will share your list! What works well for you?  (scroll down)

Dear Colleague, 

 

When considering what to post this week, I stumbled upon a wonderful article by Gayle Robert  that encourages us to examine classroom spaces.

 

The article inspired me to think again about writing centers – an inviting place where all the luscious writing supplies are stored within students' reach. Here is my thinking...