Red River Valley Writing Project

States granted NCLB waivers

2012-02-10T05:54:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he was granting 10 U.S. states exemptions from parts of the "No Child Left Behind" education law, a move that could prove popular in an election year with parents and teachers who have criticized the law. (Caren Bohan from Reuters on Yahoo!News)

According to the article, these states will be granted NCLB waivers: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Common Sense Media resources

2012-02-09T05:58:00.000-06:00

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

We exist because our nation's children spend more time with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development . As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume. (from the "About" page at Common Sense Media)

The President on dropout rates

2012-02-08T05:37:00.000-06:00

President Barack Obama's call for every state to require school attendance until age 18 may spark a flurry of action in some statehouses, but changing attendance laws will do little by itself to drive down the nation's dropout rates, experts on the issue say.

In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama said states should require that "all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18," and said that when students aren't allowed to drop out, "they do better." (Lesli A. Maxwell at Education Week)

Lots of publication possibilities

2012-02-07T05:55:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Duotrope, an award-winning, free writers' resource listing over 4100 current Fiction and Poetry publications. Use this page to search for markets that may make a fine home for the piece you just polished. Use the menus at the top and right to explore the rest of the free services we offer writers and editors, including a free online submissions tracker for registered users. We usually make several updates per day, and we check each of the current listings regularly (at least once a month) to ensure the most up-to-date database humanly possible.

Duotrope is a great resource for possible publication venues. To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Stay tuned

2012-02-06T06:20:00.000-06:00

The Red River Valley Writing Project leadership team has some interesting things in the works. A few meetings here and there, some discussions, etc......keep it here and you'll find out what's up.

Creativity indexes considered

2012-02-03T05:32:00.000-06:00

At a time when U.S. political and business leaders are raising concerns about the need to better nurture creativity and innovative thinking among young people, several states are exploring the development of an index that would gauge the extent to which schools provide opportunities to foster those qualities. (Erik W. Robelen at Education Week)

Failing grades for science standards

2012-02-02T05:45:00.000-06:00

A new report offers a "bleak picture" of the state of state science standards across the nation, with just over half earning a grade of D or F. Among the 10 states to receive a failing grade were Idaho, Oregon, and Wisconsin. (See the full list below.)

Only California and the District of Columbia were given a solid A, while four states were handed an A-minus, according to the review by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

The Fordham report, issued today, focuses on two main areas: "content and rigor," and "clarity and specificity." It argues, for instance, that many states' standards are "so vague as to be meaningless." The review also contends that state standards often undermine the teaching of evolution.

The new report represents the third time Fordham has examined state science standards, with the last study released in 2005. (Eric Robelen at Education Week)

Straightforward learning

2012-02-01T05:37:00.000-06:00

We Make Useful Videos

Our videos may surprise you. They're short and simple. They use paper cut-outs and a whiteboard. But lurking under the simple surface are lessons that have been crafted with great care. Despite our fun and lighthearted style, we take explanation and education seriously.

Handcrafted, By Us

Common Craft is a two person company. Every video is created, by hand, by Lee and Sachi LeFever. From research to writing scripts, creating artwork, recording voice-overs, shooting the video and publishing it on the Web, we do it all. We are your personal explainers. Our dog Bosco helps some too. (from the Common Craft website)

Schools of Thought considered

2012-01-31T05:36:00.000-06:00

CNN’s Schools of Thought blog covers education from a variety of perspectives that include policies, practices and people. From pre-kindergarten through college, for parents, teachers, students – and anyone who has ever been a student - Schools of Thought offers food for thought in the national conversation on education. It’s edited by Donna Krache, Jamie Gumbrecht and John Martin, with contributions from CNN journalists and those with an interest in education. (from CNN's Schools of Thought blog)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Digital Learning Day is on its way

2012-01-30T06:06:00.002-06:00

Digital Learning Day encourages everyone—teachers, librarians, school leaders, and parents—to participate, regardless of experience, in the exploration of digital teaching practices by starting a conversation, trying one new thing, and showcasing success.

The National Writing Project has partnered with the Alliance for Excellent Education , the New York Times Learning Network , Figment and Edutopia to spread the word about Digital Learning Day on February 1, 2012, support the building of a digital learning movement, and share resources for effective teaching. Over 33 states have already signed up to host their own Digital Learning Day events. (from the National Writing Project website)

Some states encourage early graduation

2012-01-27T05:21:00.000-06:00

To give students an incentive to work hard—and save education dollars along the way—some states are encouraging early high school graduation by ramping up curricula or giving college scholarships.

The policies emphasize proficiency over seat time. By giving students the green light to move on if they are ready, the hope is to bypass a senior slump, save families tuition money, and curb districts' instructional costs.

While a few states have rewarded early finishers for years, the concept is gaining momentum. New scholarship programs for early high school graduates are being rolled out in Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, and South Dakota, and legislation is pending in other states. (Caralee J. Adams at Education Week)

Single-sex schools could be beneficial

2012-01-26T05:08:00.000-06:00

A study on publicly run schools in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has found that, while single-sex schools may benefit female students who prefer a single-sex environment, they are not inherently beneficial for boys or most girls.

While the findings are based on data from one Caribbean nation, experts say they may carry implications for public schools in the United States. Even as single-sex options in U.S. public schools have multiplied in the past decade, both their proponents and detractors point to a dearth of reliable research on the topic.

The Trinidad and Tobago study, which set out to fill that gap, runs counter to anecdotal evidence of single-sex programs' successes, but may bolster the cases both of opponents and of advocates who say single-sex schools should be a choice for those they do help. (Jaclyn Zubrzycki at Education Week)

Recent winners to consider

2012-01-25T05:56:00.000-06:00

Newbery Medal

"Dead End in Norvelt," written by Jack Gantos, published by Farrar Straus Giroux

Newbery Honor Books

"Inside Out & Back Again" written by Thanhha Lai, published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

"Breaking Stalin's Nose" written by Eugene Yelchin, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Caldecott Medal

"A Ball for Daisy" illustrated and written by Chris Raschka, published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

The above comes from the American Library Services to Children website. To read more, click the hyperlinked text.

Recent boosts to STEM education

2012-01-24T05:33:00.000-06:00

Efforts to improve STEM education are getting a boost from several recent announcements, including grants from the National Science Foundation and the Gates Foundation to drive research and development, as well as a new initiative that will send a lucky batch of science teachers down to Costa Rica for an eco-expedition. (Erik Robelen at Education Week)

Common Core background

2012-01-23T05:54:00.000-06:00

In crafting a set of learning goals that nearly every state in the nation has embraced, the architects of the common-core standards effort sought to import from abroad key lessons about what top-performing countries teach their students.

To distill and articulate those goals, the common-core writers tried to balance the rigor, coherence, and focus they saw in the standards of high-achieving countries—and U.S. states—with the American tradition of respecting states' and districts' freedom to choose what they teach. All but four states have adopted the standards, taking the United States closer than ever before to having one shared set of academic expectations. (Catherine Gerwertz at Education Week)

Comparing states to countries

2012-01-20T05:58:00.000-06:00

As concern over America's competitiveness abroad intensifies, education officials in the U.S. are beginning to consider using individual states and districts—not just the nation as a whole—as the units against which to measure their international peers.

In everything from population demographics to curriculum adoption, a country like Finland may be more comparable to an individual state like Minnesota than it is to the heterogeneous expanse of the United States—leading some policymakers and researchers to reason that such state-to-country comparisons can better highlight educational practices. (Sarah D. Sparks at Education Week)

Library of Congress primary source resources

2012-01-19T05:23:00.001-06:00

The Library of Congress collaborates with school districts, universities, libraries, and foundations to help teachers use the Library's vast collection of digitized primary sources to enrich their classroom instruction. These partnerships build on the success of the Library's previous outreach initiatives, particularly the American Memory Fellows and An Adventure of the American Mind programs, which reached more than 10,000 teachers.

The Library of Congress has two types of institutional partners: TPS Educational Consortium members and regional grantees.

Members of the TPS Educational Consortium assist in the design of the TPS program and offer TPS professional development on an ongoing basis, year round. There are currently 28 Consortium members in 17 states: California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. The professional development that these organizations offer include workshops, online courses, graduate courses, and mentoring that meet the same goals as the professional development offered in Washington, DC at the Library of Congress.

The Library conducts periodic grant competitions to identify additional Consortium members. The timing, number and size of these grants are contingent upon programmatic needs and funding availability. (from the Library of Congress website)

Considering teacher quality and status

2012-01-18T05:49:00.000-06:00

"Teaching is a similar career to a lawyer or a medical doctor. It's an academic profession, an independent profession," says Jari Lavonen, the director of teacher education at the University of Helsinki, in Finland. "There is lots of decision making at the local level, and teachers enjoy freedom and trust. They work as real experts." (Stephen Sawchuk at Education Week)

More on NCLB

2012-01-17T05:41:00.002-06:00

Ten years ago this month, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, setting the stage for a new—and more aggressive—phase of accountability in American education.

The United States isn't alone in promoting accountability in elementary and secondary education. The notion in recent years has become a global phenomenon among nations looking to improve their school systems. (Eric W. Robelen at Education Week)

US and educational comparisons

2012-01-13T05:33:00.000-06:00

Americans learn a bit more every year about the strengths and shortcomings of the education systems in other countries, thanks to a steady raft of international test data, academic scholarship, and analysis arriving from home and abroad.

Sometimes, what they learn inspires them. Sometimes, it confuses them. And sometimes, to judge from the collective angst on display, it alarms them. (Sean Cavanagh at Education Week)

NWP slideshow

2012-01-12T06:10:00.000-06:00

This is a slide presentation prepared for the 2011 Annual Meeting of the National Writing Project, held in Chicago on November 17. This one-day meeting focused on developing strategies for the future following the loss of federal funding. The presentation begins with an overview of data showing the NWP's cumulative leadership development and work accomplished over more than 35 years. The presentation then focuses on why the NWP is so strong and well-positioned for its next evolutionary leap: it is a true networked organization. Networks have unique characteristics that make them highly effective. The presentation concludes with an analysis of the multiple forms of "capital" the NWP has accrued and is now able to draw upon as it defines its future, and with a summary statement that future investment should focus on stewardship and development of the network—the sites, the central offices, and the links among them all.

The above comes from the National Writing Project website. You can view the slideshow alluded to above my clicking the text above and then going to the bottom of the page where you land.

Student-run literary publication aims high

2012-01-11T05:53:00.000-06:00

Enizagam’s goal? To become the first secondary-student-run literary publication with serious national acclaim. It may already have achieved that. While run by urban high school kids, it is written by and for adults. Last year, it received submissions from award-winning authors working across—and beyond—the U.S. Contributors included Jendi Reiter, Laura Shearer, Nick Kriefall and Rae Gouirand, who has just come out with a new book of poetry: Open Winter, winner of the 2011 Bellday Poetry Prize. Bookstores have begun shelving Enizagam, and the 2012 issue’s literary contest judges will be Lemony Snicket and Nikki Giovanni. Robert Olen Butler and Michelle Tea judged last year’s competition. (from the New Pages blog)

GOP candidates on education

2012-01-10T05:56:00.000-06:00

Though education has played second fiddle so far to other domestic issues in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, the narrowing field includes GOP candidates with compatible views on scaling back the federal role in K-12, but big contrasts in policy specifics and experience.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, is expected to put a strong emphasis on his own K-12 agenda and achievements—including such signature programs as the Race to the Top and a waiver plan for unpopular provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act—as his re-election effort gains steam. (Alyson Klein at Education Week)

Writer event this weekend

2012-01-09T05:29:00.001-06:00

Event with Benjamin Bac Sierra, author of Barrio Bushido, in Fargo on Saturday, January 14, 2012.Morning sessions for teachers from 9:00am-2:00pm in NDSU's Peace Garden Room. Contact Alissa Helm at 701-367-4564 or ahelm[at]west-fargo[dot]k12[dot]nd[dot]us by January 12, 2012 to reserve your seat. Bac Sierra will also offer a public reading at 7:00pm in the Arikara Room.

Resources for getting published

2012-01-07T08:20:00.004-06:00

In the age of the Internet, finding possible publication venues is relatively easy.

Here are several great resources for publication information:

Duotrope-
Welcome to Duotrope, an award-winning, free writers' resource listing over 3650 current Fiction and Poetry publications. Use this page to search for markets that may make a fine home for the piece you just polished. Use the menus at the top and right to explore the rest of the free services we offer writers and editors, including a free online submissions tracker for registered users. We usually make several updates per day, and we check each of the current listings regularly (at least once a month) to ensure the most up-to-date database humanly possible.

Duotrope does a great of keeping tabs on old and new markets as well as including specific calls for certain kinds of submissions.

New Pages-
New Pages is a hub for all things literary. Included in that hub are frequently updated calls for submissions and contests. New Pages also has a Young Authors Guide, a resource that's great for student writers.

Poets & Writers-
Poets and Writers magazine has both a print version (paid subscription) and a free online version. Both versions include information about publication, contests/grants and awards.
The online contests/grants and awards section is easy to use. The publication section (under "classifieds") is a bit cumbersome.

There is also a web page of Creative Writing Contests that can be helpful. Additionally check out fiction contests and opportunities.
If you're looking for general artist opportunities, check out Mira's List.

Ten years of NCLB

2012-01-06T05:56:00.001-06:00

Ten years after President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law on Jan. 8, 2002, NCLB is now overdue for reauthorization in Congress. Bipartisan in its origins but controversial in its execution, NCLB, which is the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, expanded the federal role in education and targeted improving the achievement of disadvantaged students.

To reflect on the law's anniversary, the Education Week Commentary editors asked a range of K-12 education leaders, politicians, teachers, and child advocates for their thoughts. This package also includes links to Education Week's coverage over the decade, readers’ comments, and a glossary of selected NCLB terms. (from Education Week)

Digital Learning Day 2-1-12

2012-01-05T05:51:00.000-06:00

Technology has changed the way we do everything from grocery shopping, to listening to music, and reading books. It’s time to take action to leverage this potential with more innovative uses of technology in our nation's schools to ensure every student experiences personalized learning with great teaching.

What is Digital Learning?

Digital learning is any instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen the student learning experience. Digital learning encompasses a wide spectrum of tools and practice, including using online and formative assessment, increasing focus and quality of teaching resources and time, online content and courses, applications of technology in the classroom and school building, adaptive software for students with special needs, learning platforms, participating in professional communities of practice, providing access to high level and challenging content and instruction, and many other advancements technology provides to teaching and learning. In particular, blended learning is any time a student learns, at least in part, at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and, at least in part, through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace. (from the Digital Learning Day website)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Vocabulary and adolescent literacy

2012-01-04T06:13:00.000-06:00

A strong vocabulary, both written and spoken, requires more than a dictionary. In fact, it requires an educational commitment to overcoming four obstacles: the size of the task (the number of words students need to learn is exceedingly large), the differences between spoken and written English, the limitations of information sources including dictionaries, and the complexity of word knowledge (simple memorization is not enough). Learn more about these challenges to acquiring the 2,500 words a student needs to add each year to their reading vocabulary. (from All About Adolescent Literacy)

In the heart of Texas

2012-01-03T05:51:00.000-06:00

Through the Heart of Texas Writing Project, Dr. Randy Bomer helps teachers and young writers alike find their inner authors. Concluding that a teacher who writes will be a better writing teacher, the project offers monthly workshops and four-week invitational institutes to K-12 Texas teachers. In the workshops, the teachers learn best practices in writing instruction, review research, build a strong network of like-minded colleagues and, most important, produce writing of their own. (from the National Writing Project website)

Writing and analysis

2011-12-22T05:39:00.000-06:00

"But when it comes to writing, these students are already building the skills that will propel their success through school.

Writing often takes a back seat in the curriculum to math, science and reading. But reading isn't enough unless you know what to make of the content.

The skills that help students analyze a novel are the skills that help them write about it. Good writing requires thinking tools that need to be taught — starting with reading – and teachers who know how to teach them." (excerpted at the National Writing Project website)

The above excerpt comes from an article about Angie Bailius' second grade classroom and how the University of California at Irvine Writing Project informed her teaching. To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text and then follow the link to the original article.

Note: After today's post, this blog will be hiatus until January 3, 2011.

Winter?

2011-12-21T05:34:00.001-06:00

Winter begins! The name "winter" comes from an old Germanic word meaning "time of water" and refers to the seasonal precipitation. The winter solstice—the moment when the sun's apparent path is farthest south from the equator—is used to officially mark winter's beginning. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter begins on the "shortest day" of the year, which most frequently falls on December 21, but occasionally occurs on December 22. Winter lasts until the vernal, or spring, equinox--equal night--around March 20, thus marking the beginning of spring when day and night are equal in length. (from the Library of Congress)

Winter begins at midnight....hard to believe.

National Archives resources

2011-12-20T05:37:00.000-06:00

Teaching With Documents:
Lesson Plans

This section contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.

Teaching with primary documents encourages a varied learning environment for teachers and students alike. Lectures, demonstrations, analysis of documents, independent research, and group work become a gateway for research with historical records in ways that sharpen students' skills and enthusiasm for history, social studies, and the humanities.
(from the National Archives of the United States)

Quick feedback

2011-12-19T05:53:00.001-06:00

This video comes from the Teaching Channel, which is replete with resources like the one above.

(Note: the video does exceed the space for the post; but there doesn't appear to be a way to fix that)

More writing resources

2011-12-16T06:07:00.000-06:00

Writing is a skill that all businesses want their employees to be able to do well. Teachers in all content areas must add writing to their content courses. In so doing, they not only enhance their students' writing ability, but they also increase the understanding of the content and the vocabulary of the discipline. Teachers can use writing as a classroom assessment for learning as they examine students' explanations of what they are learning. (from the West Virginia Department of Education)

Following the above hyperlinked text will get you to some great resources for using writing across the curriculum.

Literacy resources galore

2011-12-15T06:04:00.000-06:00

Literacy Connections provides a wealth of information on reading, teaching and tutoring techniques, ESL literacy, and adult literacy. We recommend resources that are useful for teachers, volunteers, and directors of literacy programs. Topics include the language experience approach, phonics, word study, word families, and the best in children's literature. (from the Literacy Connections website)

Resource for online videos

2011-12-14T05:50:00.000-06:00

The Vision behind WatchKnowLearn is simple:

Free educational videos delivered over the Internet. Viewed any time, from anywhere.

We believe that everyone should have the same opportunity to learn. The best way to make this possible, we believe, is to organize into one, super directory the hundreds of thousands of good videos currently available on the Internet. To make this a reality, we invite teachers, instructors and educators to suggest videos for inclusion into our directory, and then to review, approve, and assign those videos into appropriate categories using a wiki framework and philosophy. The videos are the highest quality found on the World Wide Web, cover all major educational topics from elementary to secondary schools (or age range 1 – 18), and are Kid Safe! (from the "About" page at WatchKnowLearn)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

What's going on with...?

2011-12-13T05:55:00.000-06:00

Did you ever wonder why a camel has a hump? If you can really tell the weather by listening to the chirp of a cricket? Or why our joints make popping sounds? These questions deal with everyday phenomena that we often take for granted, but each can be explained scientifically.

Everyday Mysteries will help you get the answers to these and many other of life's most interesting questions through scientific inquiry. In addition, we will introduce you to the Library of Congress' rich collections in science and technology.

All of the questions presented on this Web site were asked by researchers and answered by librarians from the Library's Science Reference Services. (from Everyday Mysteries at the Library of Congress)

What's going on with Finnish education?

2011-12-12T06:01:00.000-06:00

Over the past decade, students in Finland have soared on international measures of achievement. They've continued to post some of the best scores in the developed world in reading, math and science, according to a respected international exam. The country has one of the narrowest gaps in achievement between its highest and lowest-performing schools, and on average spends less per pupil than the United States.

The country's education system has come to be regarded as one of the highest-performing in the world, and a growing number of foreigners are trying to figure out if and how they can emulate it. (Erin Richards at Education Week)

Edutopia's Common Core resources

2011-12-09T05:45:00.000-06:00

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of dense information out there about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? You're not alone. Here's Edutopia's guide to resources that will help you make sense of the initiative and join the conversation. (from Edutopia)

Edutopia's got a good list of resources to help you think about the Common Core Standards. To get to those resources, click the above hyperlinked text.

December holidays and school

2011-12-08T05:42:00.000-06:00

How can educators ensure they are not overstepping their First Amendment bounds in addressing religious holidays? Haynes offers a simple suggestion: Plan each activity only after answering the question, "What is our educational purpose?"

If a lesson, or an assembly (as is often the case around the winter holidays), has a good educational purpose, it is on the right track. But as the First Amendment Center's Religious Holidays in the Public Schools points out, "teachers [and other educators] must be alert to the distinction between teaching about religious holidays, which is permissible, and celebrating religious holidays, which is not." (Anne OBrien at Edutopia)

Improving student engagement

2011-12-07T05:40:00.000-06:00

The educators at Cochrane Collegiate Academy, in Charlotte, North Carolina, have developed an instructional model called Interactive Learning (IL). It is a collection of their ten best practices, which they call their non-negotiables, and teachers must implement them in every lesson, every day.

Shana Oliver, the school's academic facilitator, runs the training sessions for these best practices, and she helps the teachers see and experience how they can incorporate all ten into one lesson. Here are Cochrane's IL non-negotiables, with additional comments from Oliver. Watch the video to see what they look like in the classroom and go to our Resources and Downloads for a sample lesson plan that includes all ten practices. (Mariko Nobori at Edutopia)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Free Rice offers vocabulary practice and more...

2011-12-06T05:51:00.000-06:00

About FreeRice.com

FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme.

FreeRice has two goals:

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

A calendar with a bit of a twist

2011-12-05T05:51:00.000-06:00

Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students. View by day, by week, or by month. (from National Council of Teachers of English calendar)

The above links to an NCTE calendar that features literary happenings. To learn more---and look at the calendar---click the above hyperlinked text.

Should arts be added to STEM education

2011-12-02T06:04:00.000-06:00

The acronym STEM—shorthand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—has quickly taken hold in education policy circles, but some experts in the arts community and beyond suggest it may be missing another initial to make the combination still more powerful. The idea? Move from STEM to STEAM, with an A for the arts.

Although it seems a stretch to imagine STEM will be replaced in education parlance, momentum appears to be mounting to explore ways that the intersection of the arts with the STEM fields can enhance student engagement and learning, and even help unlock creative thinking and innovation.

In fact, federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, are helping to fuel work in those areas. (Eric. W. Robelen at Education Week)

The words we know shape what we know

2011-12-01T06:13:00.000-06:00

Ed-tech guru Jamie McKenzie has published a fascinating new book entitled Lost and Found: A Guide to Discovery Learning through Purposeful Wandering . In this excerpt adapted from the chapter "Finding the Best Words," McKenzie explains how tools like the Visual Thesaurus can "expand our thinking palette."

Whenever exploring complex ideas and issues, the success of our thinking will be bolstered by augmenting the complexity of the words and concepts we entertain as we proceed with our search for understanding. In many cases, limited vocabulary will narrow a search and restrict the depth and richness of the findings.

In most cases, the main concept we start with — be it beauty, enchantment, courage, intuition or some other idea — turns out to be much more complicated that we understood.

Beauty soon leads us to cosmetic, artifice and photoshopping as well as phrases like inner beauty and words like soul and spirit. All of these concepts are multifaceted, but in the common parlance, they are generally oversimplified and barely understood.

NWP and the Common Core

2011-11-30T05:36:00.000-06:00

Tanya Baker, the director of national programs for the National Writing Project, the Berkeley, Calif.-based nonprofit organization with multiple sites throughout the country that provides resources and professional development to writing teachers, said the writing portion of the standards also represents a shift to a richer and more rigorous understanding of writing.

"Teachers with a significant amount of experience might not have very much experience with the kind of teaching that would lead kids to be successful with these standards," she said.

"My worry about online professional development around common-core standards is that it'll be one-size-fits-all," Ms. Baker said. "Even as we're thinking nationally, we need to be aware locally" of teachers' specific backgrounds and instructional methods."
To read more and to get to the original article, click the above hyperlinked text.

More words to learn and know

2011-11-29T06:05:00.000-06:00

It's not just about vocabulary lists! A better vocabulary will enable you to communicate better, which in turn will enable you to be more productive. With a better vocabulary, you'll more readily enjoy great books and understand today's news. (from VocabularyCoach)

There are myriad Internet sites devoted to vocabulary and vocabulary acquisition. Though VocabularyCoach is one of those many, its straightforward look and games make it worth exploring. To do so, click the above hyperlinked text.

New work on writing centers

2011-11-28T05:48:00.000-06:00

The Successful High School Writing Center demonstrates how writing centers help school communities grapple with the realities that come with literacy education. Depicting real-life writing centers as leaders in literacy education, the accounts presented will enrich the work of secondary educators, writing tutors, and student writers in socially significant ways. (from the National Writing Project website)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

National Student Poets Program

2011-11-23T05:58:00.000-06:00

The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services have partnered with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to launch the National Student Poets Program (NSPP), the country's highest honor for youth poets presenting original work. Five outstanding high school poets whose work exhibits exceptional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise will be selected annually for a year of service as national poetry ambassadors.

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Reading Today Online resources

2011-11-22T05:56:00.000-06:00

Reading Today Online is updated daily with articles on the following topics: Articles on Reading Today Online are divided into six topics: Teaching Literacy, Children’s Literature, Councils & SIGs, Research & Grants, Legislation & Policy, and Member News. You can access articles one at a time by clicking on their links, or you can view all of the articles of a certain topic by clicking on that topic name. You can also view all of the articles in a list, shown in reverse-chronological order. If you especially enjoy a certain article, click on the sharing links at the bottom of its webpage. There are links to Facebook, Twitter, and more, as well as a link to share the article URL via email. Some articles even have “discuss on Engage” buttons that allow members to login to chat with other members about topics covered in the articles. (from the "About" page at Reading Today Online)

You don't have to belong to the International Reading Association to access content at Reading Today Online. To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Getting to the bottom of it

2011-11-21T05:45:00.000-06:00

The plays of William Shakespeare provide a wealth of pithy sayings — many of which he likely popularized rather than produced himself, though we may still be grateful to him for sharing them. Unfortunately, sometimes the original sense is adulterated by careless usage, so that the eloquent force of the expression is weakened. Here are a dozen of Shakespeare’s phrases with comments about their original wording and meaning: (from Daily Writing Tips)

To "brush up your Shakespeare," click the above hyperlinked text.

Looking for a home for your writing

2011-11-18T05:45:00.000-06:00

As writers and instructors of writing, we have all found ourselves with work that came from workshops, random exercises, and desperate attempts to find our voices. Some of this is pretty darned good, too. Unfortunately, anything that looks too much like it came from an exercise, prompt, or other such “mechanical” source gets relegated by editors to that pile with a stihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcky note on top that says “too workshoppy.”

And that is why we created the prompt. The prompt is the place for all levels of writers to have an opportunity to publish, as well as for a community of writers to find new ways to expand creative writing horizons. (from the prompt)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Take a Look at Teaching Channel

2011-11-17T06:14:00.001-06:00

Storybooks online

2011-11-16T05:43:00.000-06:00

Children's Storybooks Online is exactly what it says: a website that includes online children'sbooks. Books are divided into three categories: Young Children, Older Children and Young Adult. And some of the book include audio.

To learn more, click here.

Words in mind

2011-11-15T05:56:00.001-06:00

How does the brain handle vocabulary? Read on.

The brain holds a "visual dictionary" of words we have read, allowing quick recognition without sounding out words each time we see them, a new study finds.

The research, presented today (Nov. 14) at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C., could be useful for understanding the causes of reading disorders such as dyslexia , according to the researchers. The study reveals how the brain works with words, which have both a visual, written component, and a sound-based phonology component. (Stephanie Pappas at Yahoo!News)

Check out the Fishouse

2011-11-10T06:19:00.001-06:00

From the Fishouse takes its name, and the spelling of "Fishouse," from the writing cabin of the late Lawrence Sargent Hall. Hall renovated the former codfish-drying shack and wrote in the space for 50 years. Within the Fishouse, he wrote his Faulkner Award-winning novel, Stowaway, and his O'Henry Award-winning short story, The Ledge, named in 1999 as one of The Best American Short Stories of the Century.(from the From the Fishouse website)

From the Fishouse might be known best for its recordings of poetry. To get to those recordings, click here.

Games encourage learning

2011-11-09T05:45:00.000-06:00

Even though more people are recognizing the potential for teaching and learning through video games, there are still plenty of skeptics -- those who see video games as a mindless distraction, as entertainment and not education. But the work of a research center at the University of Washington may be at the forefront of challenging that notion. And this isn't just about how students can benefit from educational gaming either; it's about how scientific discovery can benefit from gamers.

That latter element has found UW's Center for Game Science in the news a lot lately, as one of the games it developed has helped lead to a breakthrough in AIDS research. (Audrey Watters at Edutopia)

Resources from The Literacy Project

2011-11-08T05:44:00.000-06:00

Google, as part of The Literacy Project, can help you find resources on literacy. Take a look at the description for below.

Use this customized search engine to find literacy-related documents on the web.

What about grades?

2011-11-07T05:50:00.000-06:00

The main issue is not what scale to use, how often to report, how many grades to combine, or how to combine them. These secondary issues can be decided only after you answer the main questions: What meaning do we want our grades to convey? and Who is (are) the primary intended audience(s) for this message? (Susan M. Brookhart on grades at Educational Leadership)

What do grades mean? What should they mean? To read Brookhart's piece, click the above hyperlinked text.

All About Adolescent Literacy resources

2011-11-03T05:51:00.000-05:00

Explicit strategy instruction is at the core of good comprehension instruction. "Before" strategies activate students' prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. "During" strategies help students make connections, monitor their understanding, generate questions, and stay focused. "After" strategies provide students an opportunity to summarize, question, reflect, discuss, and respond to text.

Teachers should help students to understand why a strategy is useful, how it is used, and when it is appropriate. Teacher demonstration and modeling are critical factors for success, and student discussion following strategy instruction is also helpful.

The most frequently researched strategies can be applied across content areas; other content-area specific strategies are emerging, and we will include them here in the future. (from the classroom strategies section at All About Adolescent Literacy)

Set aside some time to explore the many and varies resources available at All About Adolescent Literacy. The classroom strategies section alone warrants a few hours of reading.

The National Writing Project and the Common Core Standards

2011-11-02T06:05:00.001-05:00

Now that all but five states have adopted the Common Core State Standards many education leaders are looking for ways to provide high-quality professional development for teachers and administrators in their regions. This is particularly true for standards addressing the teaching of writing, which received little emphasis in testing and accountability mandates under No Child Left Behind. Writing is, however, a central emphasis in the Common Core State Standards. (from NWP's website)

To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Today is the day

2011-11-01T06:14:00.000-05:00

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Yep, free

2011-10-31T05:48:00.001-05:00

The entire text of all new Stenhouse books is available for free online reading. Click on a title you're interested in and then click on Preview the Book Online to see the entire book. For older titles, at least one chapter of nearly every Stenhouse book can be read for free online. For videos, click on a title to watch sample clips.

To look for books and videos by author, title, topic, or ISBN, visit our search page . Or browse books, videos, and e-books by using the links to the left. (from Stenhouse)

To read the free books, click the above hyperlinked text.

Essay contest for students

2011-10-28T06:07:00.000-05:00

The Bill of Rights Institute is currently hosting an essay contest for high school students. The contest asks students to write an essay (1000 words max) about the following question, "how does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?" Cash prizes of up to $1000 will be awarded in five U.S. regions....Entries are due by December 15. (from Free Technology for Teachers)

The contest rules are here.

English guide?

2011-10-27T06:03:00.001-05:00

Words without Borders explores boundaries

2011-10-26T05:49:00.000-05:00

Words without Borders translates, publishes, and promotes the finest contemporary international literature. Our publications and programs open doors for readers of English around the world to the multiplicity of viewpoints, richness of experience, and literary perspective on world events offered by writers in other languages. We seek to connect international writers to the general public, to students and educators, and to print and other media and to serve as a primary online location for a global literary conversation. (from the Words without Borders "About" page)

Words without Borders includes myriad resources to explore. Here's a place to start---the site has published part of Metro, a graphic novel banned in Egypt. To learn a bit more about the novel, click here.

Rethinking Schools' online resources

2011-10-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Rethinking Schools began as a local effort to address problems such as basal readers, standardized testing, and textbook-dominated curriculum. Since its founding, it has grown into a nationally prominent publisher of educational materials, with subscribers in all 50 states, all 10 Canadian provinces, and many other countries.

While the scope and influence of Rethinking Schools has changed, its basic orientation has not. Most importantly, it remains firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. While writing for a broad audience, Rethinking Schools emphasizes problems facing urban schools, particularly issues of race. (from the "About" page at Rethinking Schools)

Though Rethinking Schools had a decidedly urban focus, it does provide resources and commentary about schools in general.

Are we still curious?

2011-10-24T06:05:00.000-05:00

To learn, it is best to begin humble, open, unsure.

Most adults know that feeling. Teachers must know that feeling. And yet, we forget. Sometimes, as we focus on convincing parents, students, principals (our evaluators), even colleagues, of how much we know, we lose touch with this quality we so hope to find in our students. Our foolish pride gets in the way as if we need to prove we know more than those darn bright kids staring back at us, who read better than we ever did and absorb new information faster than we ever could. (Peter Huidekoper, Jr. at Education Week)

The National Day on Writing is here

2011-10-20T06:01:00.004-05:00

Today is the National Day on Writing, a terrific opportunity to devote some time to writing. And the National Writing Project website is teeming with resources to help you celebrate today. To explore those resources, click here.

Here's a bit from Wikipedia on the history of writing.

True writing, in which the entire content of a linguistic utterance is encoded so that another reader can reconstruct, with a fair degree of accuracy, the exact utterance written down, is a later development, and is distinguished from proto-writing in that the latter typically avoids encoding grammatical words and affixes, making it difficult or impossible to confidently reconstruct the exact meaning intended by the writer unless a great deal of context is already known in advance.

More reasons to write

2011-10-19T06:32:00.000-05:00

I write, in part, to learn.

I mean that to write competently, you have to know what you're writing about. Whether you're composing fiction or fact, song lyrics or an instruction manual, you can succeed only to the extent that you comprehend your subject. Writing a book or essay is like locking yourself in a room with only two exit doors—one door marked "Learn!" and the other "Fail!"

Of course, you don't just learn: Were that the case, every straight-A student would be a world-class writer. (Timothy Ferris at the National Writing Project website on why he writes)

New report on what makes a teacher great

2011-10-18T06:09:00.000-05:00

"The students in this report provide clear advice to all adults committed to the education of young people," said Sharon J. Washington, executive director of the National Writing Project. "Effective teaching begins with an understanding of how students learn best and why teaching matters. I so appreciate the ideas and insights these students bring to the education reform conversation." (at NWP's website)

To read more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Where do good ideas come from?

2011-10-17T05:50:00.002-05:00

More stuff from NewPages

2011-10-14T05:14:00.000-05:00

Podcasts [P], videos [V],and audio programs [A] from literary magazines, book publishers, alternative magazines, universities and bloggers. Includes poetry readings, lectures, author interviews, academic forums and news casts. If you know of sites that would be relevant for our readers, please e-mail info to:denisehill@newpages.com.

NewPages, a hub for literary things frequently mentioned here, includes links to podcasts, video and audio programs...as mentioned above. To learn more, click the above hyperlinked text.

A little practice time...

2011-10-13T06:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Practicing Writing! Here you’ll find updates on writing and publishing opportunities (especially handy between issues of our popular monthly newsletter). You’ll discover ONLY opportunities that charge no fees, and ONLY publications/contests that will pay for your writing. The blog also shares writing-related news, resources, and quotations; book reviews; and occasional updates regarding this practicing writer’s own work. (from Practicing Writing)

To read more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Need prompting?

2011-10-12T05:47:00.000-05:00

The Time Is Now offers a weekly writing prompt (we’ll post a poetry prompt on Mondays and a fiction prompt on Thursdays) to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. We also offer a selection of books on writing—both the newly published and the classics—that we recommend you check out for inspiration, plus advice and insight on the writing process from the authors we've profiled in Poets & Writers Magazine. And don’t miss Writers Recommend, which includes books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired other authors in their writing. (from Poets & Writers Magazine)

Writing and sentences

2011-10-11T06:10:00.000-05:00

The Paris Review is well known for its interviews with well known writers. Much of the text from these interviews is available online. Below is such text from Joan Didion.

When I’m working on a book, I constantly retype my own sentences. Every day I go back to page one and just retype what I have. It gets me into a rhythm. Once I get over maybe a hundred pages, I won’t go back to page one, but I might go back to page fifty-five, or twenty, even. But then every once in a while I feel the need to go to page one again and start rewriting. At the end of the day, I mark up the pages I’ve done—pages or page—all the way back to page one. I mark them up so that I can retype them in the morning. It gets me past that blank terror.

Writng advice

2011-10-10T06:12:00.000-05:00

The National Day on Writing is October 20. Such a day not only calls for writing but also reflection on writing. Who better to provide such reflection than familiar writers. It comes from Advice From One Writer to Another at About.com To read more, click the hyperlinked text below.

"I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them--then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice."
(Mark Twain)

Freeman Dyson on writing

2011-10-07T05:51:00.000-05:00

I write because it is one of my two skills. My other skill is doing mathematical calculations.

Exercising a skill at a high level is one of the greatest joys. At my modest level of skill, I can feel the same joy as somebody at the top level, for example the singer Jacky Evancho. Jacky is thirteen years old and sings divinely. Recently I heard her sing on television. After she finished, the producer asked her how she feels when she is singing. She said, "Something great overwhelms me, and I feel comfortable and happy." (Freeman Dyson at the National Writing Project website on why he writes)

Sherman Alexie on young adult fiction

2011-10-06T06:20:00.000-05:00

As a child, I read because books—violent and not, blasphemous and not, terrifying and not—were the most loving and trustworthy things in my life. I read widely and loved plenty of the classics, so yes, I recognized the domestic terrors faced by Louisa May Alcott’s March sisters. But I became the kid chased by werewolves, vampires, and evil clowns in Stephen King’s books. I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written with monstrous language, because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in my life.

And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons—in the form of words and ideas—that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed. (Sherman Alexie on young adult novels at Rethinking Schools)

To read more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Why write?

2011-10-05T05:32:00.000-05:00

The urge to write can be a mysterious calling. There are so many different ways to understand not only the why of writing, but what one gets out of it. To celebrate the National Day on Writing, the NWP has joined The New York Times Learning Network and Figment to collect the thoughts of people from all walks of life—scientists, reporters, poets, teachers, and students—to discover why they write. (from the National Writing Project website)

The National Day on Writing is October 20, 2011. To learn more about it, click here.

Oxymoronic today?

2011-10-04T05:42:00.000-05:00

Oxymoron, a Greek term combining the words for “sharp” and “foolish,” has been adopted in English to refer to inadvertently contradictory or incongruous mash-ups of terms such as “military intelligence” and “jumbo shrimp” — a class known as subjective oxymora (that latter word is the pedantic-looking plural) because they are not literally at odds with each other.

However, the original connotation is of an evocative paradox deliberately framed by a writer — an objective oxymoron. One of the most well-known examples is William Shakespeare’s line “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” from Romeo and Juliet, in which Juliet exults in the bittersweet anguish generated by the lovers’ separation. (Mark Nichol at Daily Writing Tips)

National Academies Press

2011-10-03T05:55:00.000-05:00

The National Academies Press (NAP) was created by the National Academies to publish the reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences , the National Academy of Engineering , the Institute of Medicine , and the National Research Council , all operating under a charter granted by the Congress of the United States. The NAP publishes more than 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and health, capturing the most authoritative views on important issues in science and health policy. The institutions represented by the NAP are unique in that they attract the nation’s leading experts in every field to serve on their award-wining panels and committees. The nation turns to the work of NAP for definitive information on everything from space science to animal nutrition.

NAP is the publisher of "How People Learn," among others. To learn more about the press and its many offerings, click the above hyperlinked text.

Money possibilities

2011-09-30T05:25:00.000-05:00

Several high-profile teacher-training and -professional-development groups that recently lost federal set-asides—from Teach For America to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards—will have an opportunity to recapture some of that funding under the terms of a newly unveiled $25 million federal competition. ("Programs Suffer Cuts in Funding," March 9, 2011.) (Stephen Sawchuk at Education Week)

The National Writing Project is referenced in article from which the above hyperlinked text comes.

One view on stopping the decline in verbal scores

2011-09-29T05:58:00.000-05:00

Clearly the key is to make sure that from kindergarten on, every student, from the start, understands the gist of what is heard or read. If preschoolers and kindergartners are offered substantial and coherent lessons concerning the human and natural worlds, then the results show up five years or so later in significantly improved verbal scores. (Five years is the time span by which this kind of educational intervention should be judged.)

By staying on a subject long enough to make all young children familiar with it (say, two weeks or so), the gist becomes understood by all and word learning speeds up. This is especially important for low-income children, who come to school with smaller vocabularies and rely on school to impart the knowledge base affluent children take for granted. (E.D. Hirsch at NYT)

Flipping for learning

2011-09-28T06:07:00.000-05:00

This “flip model” of instruction has gotten national media attention lately, thanks to its promotion by Khan Academy, the high-profile nonprofit online-tutoring library created by Salman A. Khan, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who was looking for a way to help his young relatives with their homework.

The model—in which teachers introduce lectures online for students to access at home and then use class time for group practice and projects normally relegated to homework—is not unique to Khan Academy, however. Advocates of the approach say it allows students to work through meat-and-potatoes background on their own, giving teachers more time to go in depth through discussions, projects and other activities in class. (Sarah D. Sparks at Education Week)

To read more, click the hyperlinked text above.

Selling lesson plans

2011-09-27T05:26:00.001-05:00

Two years ago, Deanna Jump, a Georgia kindergarten teacher with two kids in college, was struggling to make it from paycheck to paycheck. More recently, though, she has found herself rocketing up the tax brackets.

Jump is still teaching kindergarten—but she is now also the top seller on Teachers Pay Teachers , the website on which educators can buy and sell lesson plans. In the past year, she has reportedly made $230,000 through the site. She says that roughly $100,000 of that came in the last fiscal quarter alone. (Anthony Rebora at Education Week)

To read more, click the above hyperlinked text.

Not knowing and writing

2011-09-26T05:43:00.002-05:00

Any writer’s relationship to the state of “not-knowing” is complicated. One response is to rush in quickly and fill up the scary silence and space. And while intense, white-water sensibilities can astound (the brilliant, torrential David Foster Wallace, for example), in many other cases, writing born of this response, this impulse to fill all gaps, feels instead eager to get the job done. Such a drive, the precise opposite of Negative Capability, is often marked by an insular, fussy density, reliance on a Big Story (to the exclusion of say, lyrical lingering and curious reflection), and, very often, a forcing of pattern instead of an authentically discovered series of alignments. (Lia Purpura at Brevity)

To read more of Purpura's piece, click the above hyperlinked text.

You could be a reviewer

2011-09-23T06:01:00.000-05:00

We believe that out there in the vastness of the North American continent (and beyond!) there are bright, imaginative readers who would like to see their opinions of current books and/or magazines broadcast to a larger crowd than immediate family, friends and workmates. You may be one of these readers, and New Pages may be your forum. Here’s how to use us to tell the world what you think. (from New Pages)

New Pages brings together almost all thing literary: lists of magazines, places to submit writing, a blog....etc. To learn more about writing reviews for NewPages, click the above hyperlinked text.

UND Writers 2012 line-up

2011-09-22T05:54:00.001-05:00

The line-up for the 2012 annual UND Writers Conference is up at the conference website. Authors scheduled thus far are: Jane Smiley, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Pam Houston, Brenda Miller, Hal Herog, Mark Doty and Grand Forks' own Aaron Poochigian. Follow the above hyperlinked text to the website and you'll be able to read authors bios and more.

The theme of 2012 conference is "Humanimal." The conference runs March 27-31, 2012 at UND.