Full author access? Yes, it's available! You can get her bio, other scholastic titles, and videos of her discussing topics like reading and writing workshops, comprehension, student choice, advice and encouragement for new teachers, and much more.
Visit this website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/scholasticprofessional/authors/atwell.htm
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Pleasure Principle
Nancie Atwell's article, "The Pleasure Principle", discusses throwing out the old test-driven comprehension quizzes. She says:
"The way to get kids to read and love it is to let them choose their own books."
Read more about Nancie Atwell's philosophy here:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=8132
"The way to get kids to read and love it is to let them choose their own books."
Read more about Nancie Atwell's philosophy here:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=8132
Interested in seeing Nancie Atwell in person?
Nancie Atwell is scheduled for a few dates in which she teaches workshops on behalf of Heinemann Educational Books. Her schedule for 2008-2009 is as follows:
To be updated on any additional tour dates, please visit the following website: http://www.c-t-l.org/seminars.html
- November 7, 2008 (Philadelphia, PA)
- December 5, 2008 (Indianapolis, IN)
- March 13, 2009 (Baltimore, MD)
- May 1, 2009 (Hartford, CT)
To be updated on any additional tour dates, please visit the following website: http://www.c-t-l.org/seminars.html
Don't be surprised by the tension of teaching writing
From Marcy M. Taylor's article:
What Atwell says is that we no longer have to choose between process or product, expression or communication, student choice or teacher mandate, individual or society. The tension between “knowing and not knowing” that marks the potential of writing workshops for Atwell means that
our teaching can reflect a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” orientation. In perhaps the most direct statement of her revised workshop, Atwell celebrates this “both/and” perspective:
“Today I’m striving for the fluid, subtle, exhilarating balance that allows me to function in my classroom as a listener and a teller, an observer and an actor, a collaborator and a critic and a cheerleader” (21).
“Always beginning” as teachers of writing means, also, always attending to the space between the tensions—the fluid, subtle, exhilarating balance “in the middle.”
What Atwell says is that we no longer have to choose between process or product, expression or communication, student choice or teacher mandate, individual or society. The tension between “knowing and not knowing” that marks the potential of writing workshops for Atwell means that
our teaching can reflect a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” orientation. In perhaps the most direct statement of her revised workshop, Atwell celebrates this “both/and” perspective:
“Today I’m striving for the fluid, subtle, exhilarating balance that allows me to function in my classroom as a listener and a teller, an observer and an actor, a collaborator and a critic and a cheerleader” (21).
“Always beginning” as teachers of writing means, also, always attending to the space between the tensions—the fluid, subtle, exhilarating balance “in the middle.”
Getting Ready!
Getting ready for a new school year, particularly a school year focused on reading and writing workshops, requires a great deal of discipline and organization. A few key pointers to remember are:
Stay organized
Make time
Create a context for reading & writing
Keep track (forms, folders, etc.)
Establish expectations
Create rules
For additional information about the ongoing transformation of workshops, read Marcy M. Taylor's article found at this link: http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewriting/images/pdf/W1ReadNancie.pdf
Stay organized
Make time
Create a context for reading & writing
Keep track (forms, folders, etc.)
Establish expectations
Create rules
For additional information about the ongoing transformation of workshops, read Marcy M. Taylor's article found at this link: http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewriting/images/pdf/W1ReadNancie.pdf
For some humor
Just in case you need something to laugh at in the midst of lesson plans, studying for midterms, and the rest of a crazy life:
http://www.teachertube.com/v.php?viewkey=c157590b2fa1a7d093a3
http://www.teachertube.com/v.php?viewkey=c157590b2fa1a7d093a3
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