What habits of mind lead to good writing? The National Council of Teachers of English teamed up with the National Writing Project to identify eight mindful habits that produce exceptional writing in school and beyond. In this post, we introduce the habits and share writing prompts that invite students to use them . . . and have some fun along the way. 1. Curiosity Curiosity is the desire to know more about the world.

To develop as writers, students need to identify as writers. Instead, many students feel reluctant to write and discouraged by language in general. How can we engage such students, and how can we boost their confidence and belief as writers? This post explores eight teaching strategies for shifting the mindset of reluctant writers. 1. Make a personal connection. Reluctant writers often feel like outsiders in writing classrooms. To create a welcoming environment, we need to show students that their presence is valued.

Mentor texts are all the rage in writing classrooms, and for good reason. Reading strong models of writing helps students internalize writing strategies that they can emulate. One of our go-to sources for mentor texts is Letters of Note, which features powerful personal letters from both famous and everyday people. Recently, the site shared an awesome letter from Dave Grohl, lead singer of the Foo Fighters, urging the governing council of Cornwall, England, to reconsider a noise ordinance that prohibited a young band from practicing in a residential area. Dave Grohl turns 50 today.

It takes a special soul to want to teach teenagers. How often have you heard, "I'd never want to teach middle school!"? I personally love that age. Teenagers haven't yet figured out who they are, so if I can teach them something that empowers them, they grab onto it and transform before my very eyes.

“There are moments as a teacher when I'm conscious that I'm trotting out the same exact phrase my professor used with me years ago. It's an eerie feeling, as if my old mentor is not just in the room, but in my shoes, using me as his mouthpiece.” —Abraham Verghese Who was your mentor? Who first helped you see yourself as a teacher? As a writer? Every day in class, you have the chance to be that person for someone else. Every time you respond to students' writing, you help them build confidence and competency, help them self-identify as writers.

And and or may be little, but they are fierce: They connect ideas not only in writing but also in math and logic. For instance, Boolean algebra uses and and or to determine the logical relations of compound propositions. These little words also make computers work. Because of and and or, you can send an email, share a selfie, like a meme, and access your bank account. In fact, recent studies suggest that we should do more to directly teach these and other conjunctions. If developing writers can't use them effectively, they will struggle to formulate and express ideas.

With so much content to teach, we often focus on getting students to remember, understand, and apply information. That's no small feat! But Bloom's Revised Taxonomy suggests that we help students go deeper—analyzing and evaluating and eventually creating. Sure . . . but how? Why not visually? For most of us, seeing is believing. When we can visualize abstract concepts and relationships, we gain a greater grasp of them.

Mindset plays a pivotal role in learning. Students who approach writing with confidence and enthusiasm are much more likely to persist through challenges than students who feel fearful and discouraged by it. Unfortunately, the latter category includes many students in our classrooms. This year, let's nurture a positive mindset toward writing.

While most people spend August sipping sun tea and binge-watching Stranger Things, teachers spend it kicking off the new school year. So. Much. To. Do. We have to set up our classrooms on newly shined floors, decorate our boards, deploy our reading materials, get the printer and laminator dancing like a pair of tango champions. . . .

Cats dropped upside down land on their feet. How? It’s not magic. They go through a process. The cat first realizes it is falling upside down. It then spins its tail to turn its head and front legs toward the ground. It continues to spin its tail to counteract the spin of its back legs. Its feet extend, and its back arches to serve as shock absorbers. Its legs and back absorb the impact. Image from Agence Nature/Science Source Don’t try this at home.