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laptop and books on brown wooden table

Rethinking Grammar Instruction: From Rule-Based Learning to Rhetorical Empowerment

Rethinking Grammar Instruction: From Rule-Based Learning to Rhetorical Empowerment by Sarah J. Donovan A Story of Two Classrooms In one classroom, students sit in rows, filling out grammar worksheets on subject-verb agreement, disconnected from the creative energy of their writing. The teacher, driven by district …

woman writing in paper

Six Ways of Poetry

What if words could heal? Poetry has the power to reach into our hearts, untangle our toughest moments, and turn them into something lighter, something shared. In classrooms, it does even more: it builds community, fosters vulnerability, and creates spaces where teachers and students can …

extreme close up of an insect amidst leaves

Lost Children

A very special thank you to Kim, Stacey, Denise, Emily, and Erica for taking such good care of our words this month. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, …

chess pieces on a scale

Best & Worst

Welcome to day 4 of the November Open Write. We are so glad you are here. Our Host Emily lives in Vinalhaven, Maine where she teaches middle school on an island 15 miles off the coast. After a decade as a science and environmental educator, …

person writing on white paper beside apple magic mouse

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

Our Host Denise Neal is currently the principal at Our Lady of the Way RC School in Belize.  She has been in the education field for 29 years at the primary level and continues to do adjunct lecturing at the University of Belize from 2014 …

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Writing the World 4 x 4

Welcome to the November Open Write. If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read prompt below and then, when you are ready, …

tranquil forest chapel near wooden bridge

A Fantasy Writers’ Retreat List Poem

Welcome to the November Open Write! If you have written with us before, welcome back. If you are joining us for the first time, you are in the kind, capable hands of today’s host, so just read prompt below and then, when you are ready, …

id s on the table

Let’s Community at NCTE ’24 in Boston

Join Me at the NCTE 2024 Annual Convention! 🌟 I’m thrilled to announce my upcoming speaking engagements at the NCTE 2024 Annual Convention! This year, I’ll be sharing insights and exploring themes of hope, healing, and humanizing educational practices through various sessions. Whether you’re passionate …

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Write the Poem

Thank you to our generous Open Write hosts for taking such good care of our hearts and minds this month! Donnetta Norris is a 2nd grade teacher in Arlington, TX. She is an active member of Alpha Delta Kappa: International Honorary Organization for Women Educators. …

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Paint Chip

Welcome to October’s Open Write! Seana Hurd Wright is an Elementary Educator in Los Angeles and has been teaching 34 years. Retirement in the next few years is definitely on her horizon. She enjoys spending time with her adventurous young adult daughters, husband, Sister-friends, doing …