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The Underpinnings of Effective Pedagogy in the Writing Classroom

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  When young learners confidently employ meta language while discussing their writing, it indicates the underpinning of mindful teaching . Talk is crucial to the writer and such use of accurate writing terms does not come about by accident or osmosis . It arises when teachers consciously articulate such terms while undertaking their considered work as teachers of writing. They think aloud, they share their own writing process , model and demonstrate the behaviours and attitudes they wish to see among the developing writers in their care. They teach metacognitively . They are consistent in their approach to teaching, and they reinforce effective writing actions witnessed in the classroom and beyond. It is most evident they are securing their teaching practices on sound foundations. These actions are quite obviously, deliberate. They articulate the meta language they want young writers to adopt and confidently use. They are living the very behaviours they wish...
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Living Life Twice Reaches 1000 Posts

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       I am pleased and proud to announce a major milestone on the journey of Living Life Twice . This post marks exactly 1000 posts in support of teachers of writing ! That's more than half a million words in support of teachers and the young writers in their care...      Living Life Twice launched  on June 9th 2008 and the first post was titled Memories Of Red Pen People . Since that time there have been almost 400 Slice of Life Stories and over 600 posts dealing with theory and practice surrounding literacy and more specifically -writing!       When I launched this blog way back in 2008, I wanted it to provide support for teachers of writing, but it has also served to provide additional meaning and reflection around my own writing life .  I am most pleased that I continue to strive to fulfill these original aims.       In a time of increasing teaching mandates, scripted lessons, AI and pre-packed ...
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The Journey to Mentor Text Mastery

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This is a journey that begins with selecting and sharing powerful texts and simply letting kids enjoy them. It is a journey of discovery. It involves sharing texts with learners. Texts we know and trust. Texts written in such compelling ways that they can assist us to more effectively teach the craft of writing. They become mentoring texts.  Think of mentor texts as a term that essentially means – models, exemplars or examples . ‘Mentor texts’ is not something we do within a writing program for its own sake. It is not an entity in itself. It is an integral part of learning how to become a better writer. It requires the ability to read like a writer in order to be able to see the potential in a text to provide a model worth following or adopting. Our starting point as teacher/writers is to share the joy of reading great words and the possibilities they might potentially spark in the mind of the reader. Reading a text initially for enjoyment, before you move to examining craft, incr...
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Alan j Wright Author/Poet -New Web Page Alert

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 Announcement! My newly minted webpage is life and alert. Feel free to explore it's pages. Click and go... https://www.alanjwrightauthorpoet.com /
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Poetry Unpacked and Enjoyed

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  When we introduce poetry into our classrooms we need to present it as a celebration of language. We must let our students feel it has the potential to be a great thing for them to enjoy. Poetry is indeed special. Wallace Stevens , the American poet referred to poetry as ‘Simply one of the best things in life.’ Poetry invites the reader, or the receiver to share some of the imagination and wonder of the writer. For a young child, appreciation of poetry grows with exposure and a growing sense of familiarity with the form. There may not be immediate acceptance. An understanding of poetry develops when the child is invited to listen carefully to the language and to notice the language patterns and structures used. Once understanding is established, the inexperienced poet will more readily engage with poetry and begin to experiment with poetry in all its forms.  Drawing attention to patterns and structures, rhythms and rhymes increases the likelihood young poets will embra...
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Notebook Revelations That Empower Student Writers

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  Writer Joan Didion said our (writer’s) notebooks give us away. We are revealed by the contents. Our notebooks are a place to initially collect and then take those collected items and use them to spark further writing. As Ralph Fletcher , writer and educator reminds us, we use our notebooks to breathe in (collect) and breathe out (generate). With such thoughts ringing in my ears, I envisage notebooks brimming with words and ideas across a range of subjects and genres. The notebook is a place to experiment, take risks, make important discoveries or excavate memories and ideas from deep within. It can be a place to play with words. Writing becomes a pleasure. So why is it that in many classrooms when students take out their notebooks the pages reveal a picture far removed from the images I have just outlined?   Why does one get the impression that the notebook in these school settings is only realizing a small part of its potential? Why is the critical ingredi...
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Writing Is about Triumph and Tragedy

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I once read that writing is just as much about mud as it is flowers. It is about triumph and tragedy in equal doses.  This poem, written quite some time ago, captures a small, yet significant moment in a child's life. It reinforces the fact, you don't always win. We need to remain open to both our happiness and sadness as they arise and deal with them accordingly.  So, with all that in mind, I give you a small, but heartfelt, poetic offering to illustrate the point - Lunch With A Newcomer . Poem by Alan j Wright , Illustrations by Terry Denton
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Assisting Young Writers To Create Sentences With Vitality

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  Sentences can be mighty impactful when used effectively. Assisting student writers to incorporate a variety of sentence structures into their pieces instantly improves the quality of the writing they produce. Frequently inexperienced writers produce  short sharp repetitive structures as seen in the example that follows: I have a bike. It is red. I like to ride it. It is fun. My friend and I like to ride in the forest. It is really cool there. We have a good time. When it is time to go home I have to put my bike in the garage. That is where I keep it. The sentences lack variety. The structure of the sentences is similar in most sentences. The sentences lack energy or excitement. Here we are able to teach the strategy of sentence combining using – connectives  to make sentences flow. This improves the fluency of the piece for the reader. We can also teach the writer to use a variety of sentence beginnings .    With varied beginnings the writing is more i...
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Creating Opportunities For Kids To Publish /Share Their Writing Is Important

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  A recent question from a teacher prompted me to think more deeply about publishing student writing . She was searching for professional reading that dealt more deeply with the publishing phase of the writing process. My own search revealed that many of the available texts deal more comprehensively with the lead up (revision, editing) to publishing than publishing itself. It doesn’t seem to get the attention that it deserves. Publishing and all it entails is only lightly explored in many professional texts.  I have always believed that when the young writer reaches this important stage of the process, a wonderful opportunity exists for empowering the writer to make some really important decisions concerning the shape and form of the final product.  I had to go back to one of my earliest books on writing- ‘ Writing, Teachers and Children at Work ’, Donald Graves , to find any meaty detail surrounding this part of the process. Reading Graves’ words was like...
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