I imagine this fifth grade student is full of all sorts of interesting ideas.  As I began to read the rough draft, my first thoughts were not the spelling errors or mechanical issues. What caught my attention was this young…

What is. There are. I am. These are passive phrases. But what about: sister is and heart is? Well, these are passive phrases too! When writers are constrained two ways—no passive verbs allowed and write an idea through the sense…

Matsuo Bashō wandered by foot through medieval Japan and kept a diary of his journeys—prose woven with haiku. There is sublime simplicity in this poet’s observations: Autumn moonlight— a worm digs silently into the chestnut. Haiku are the little powerhouses…

Writing is an art form. Writing is an art form achieved via a series of steps: 1) It all begins with an IDEA. Without an idea, the writer will simply stare at the blank page. 2) Once there is an…

The first day of fall is just around the corner! It’s Back-to-School season. Likely your students are close to completing their first CORE journal of the year. Now’s the time to offer a lovely bouquet of red pens. “What’s your…

Calendar of Days is designed to be the first thing you do to start each day. It’s the special “opening” activity designed to support observation skills, to apply math skills, and much more. For example when counting days, you have…

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” ~Mark Twain All great writing begins with singular words. Vocabulary development begins in infancy. Babies move from babbling…

Bridge to Terabithia is a quintessential middle school read. It is tied to one of our CORE, Level 3 Integrated Literature and Writing units. By the time students reach this level, they are confidently journaling and writing their ideas inspired…

When it comes to learning to read and write, copy work and dictation activities offer students the terrific opportunity to practice newly introduced material and to review previously taught information. Incorporate this activity into your weekly lessons for Hatchling, Volume…

Research writing for middle school moves from research of people to research in the field of science! Over the course of eight lessons, students will explore and research the diversity of the animal kingdom—journalling what they learn each step of…