When teaching writing it’s important to show students how to do it and show them good examples of that genre of writing. Our fifth graders recently had to write a multi-paragraph essay on whether or not to support the Revolutionary War from the point of view of the colonists. To write this prompt well one …
Author: Mathew Needleman
Mathew Needleman, Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Innovator has been pioneering the use of instructional technology for over two decades. He has been a classroom teacher, literacy coach, conference keynoter, and he currently serves as an elementary school principal in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder of the independent education studio, Needleworks Pictures.
L.A. Youth (Teen Newspaper) Needs Help
Background L.A. Youth is a teen newspaper that goes out for free to all the high schools and middle schools in the Los Angeles area. It was founded to counteract censorship in high school newspapers and includes articles from teens all across L.A. including students in foster care and others who find a positive outlet …
Open Court Resources on Facebook
For teachers of the Open Court Reading Program, OpenCourtResources.com now has its own page on Facebook. Please show your support by becoming a fan. Click on “Become a Fan.” It’s very cool to see and hear from web site visitors and if there are any special events going on with the site I may post …
Who Am I And What’s This Blog About Anyway?
Every year or so I run a post about what this blog is about. Here’s one from around this time in 2008. This is as much for me to clarify and rethink my purpose for writing here as well as for readers. Who Am I? My name is Mathew Needleman and I’m the author of …
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 4 of 4
Here are all the myths with visuals from my presentation at Western Avenue Elementary…
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 3 of 4
Myth #7: Where’s the beef? I’ve written about this before as well. Focusing on structure before starting to write can lead to bland, generic paragraphs and reduce writing to formula instead of communication. Instead, I recommend just writing and then molding that writing into a structure through revising. By frontloading too much information in the …
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 2 of 4
Myth #4: Drawing is for babies. I wrote about this already. Drawing is a valid form of prewriting and writing (see cave paintings). By allowing students to transition from drawings to labels and then sentences, you make writing relevant. Bringing visuals into the writing process also sparks imagination and allows non-writers and English Language Learners …
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop: Part 1 of 4
Before teaching a writing lesson, I introduce myself to students as a writer. I tell students that I like to write. I tell them I write outside of school just because I want to. (Insert audible gasps here). Since I have a sense of myself as a writer in the “real world” it bothers me …
Video in the Classroom Carnival #3
Frank Guttler lets us into his planning for his class at Poly High in A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words and reports on his journey to Doha to see How Flat the World Is. Christina shares her classroom holiday movies. Joe Brennan presents the best resources for Making Movies on the Web: Bob Sprankle …
Financial Literacy Month Links
In honor of financial literacy month, here are my business and money links: General Money Links: Money Instructor.com Kidsbank.com Help you and your children explore some of the fundamentals of banking. Kid’s Making Money Students can find ideas for making money and suggest their own. Kids&Money.com Articles on spending money wisely That’s My Piggy! Students …