NaNoWriMo 2013!

Well, it's officially November (and almost a month since I last posted - shame on me!), and that means National Novel Writing Month, lovingly termed NaNoWriMo, is HERE! I excitedly blogged about NaNoWriMo last year (here, here, and here), and just wanted to write a little blurb to kick it off this year. This years group of 5th graders is the most excited I've had. Their creativity is just blowing me away, and I'm quite envious of their amazing skills!

What is NaNoWriMo? 
Simply, it is a challenge to write a 50k novel in just 30 days.

Can kids join in?
They can, and SHOULD! The Young Writer's Program was created just for them. They get to decide on their own word-count goal and get their own goodies. Educators get order a free noveling kit for their class, complete with milestone poster and awesome pins!

What about teachers?
If you teach ELA a year shouldn't pass without your class participating in NaNoWriMo! You get bonus points if you participate and write a novel too!

Why?
If introduced and supported correctly, it is the most beneficial writing experience your students will ever have.

How do you know? 
This is my 4th year as both a participant and educator. I've had parents tell me that NaNoWriMo sparked something in their child; they were doubtful about their child reaching their goal, but were blown away by the achievements their child made by November 30. My 5th graders from last year are once again novelists this year and catch me in the halls with elated excitement and their teacher glowed with how positive and ready each one is.

What I've seen as a teacher is that students become confident writers. They aren't afraid of taking risks in their writing, they can write more, they can write better, and they no longer think that a 5 paragraph essay is long!

How do you NaNo in your classroom?
As soon as we return from our two-week fall intersession in mid-October we introduce NaNoWriMo and prepare. The Young Writer's Program offers a fantastic and free workbook for students of all grades to get ready! We meet our characters and villains and outline plots and practice increasing our word-count. And then the first few days of November we spend class time jotting like mad! The rest of the month students write daily at home, with some opportunities, like lunch time write-ins, to write at school. Finally, we celebrate a month of noveling with Cafe NaNoWriMo - students bring mugs and hot drinks and we share our wonderful writing.

Design a Planet!

When I taught 5th grade years ago one of my team members created a wonderful set of task cards for students to imagine and design their own planets. This was a perfect creative writing and art activity to finish up our study of space and to keep students motivated and engaged at the end of the school year. These task cards were lovingly hand written by her and that year I typed them up (this was before I discovered pretty fonts and cute borders). Well, after that year I moved to 6th grade, leaving her behind in 5th. The 5th grade team continued to end the year with this project and when I returned to 5th grade last year I was excited for this project. I knew my kids would love it, and they did! I had one student in particular who, all year. struggled to stay focused and get assignments completed on-time. Once we started this project he was immersed and didn't want to stop. It was even an incentive for him to get some of those missing assignments in!

I allowed students to be as creative as they liked, but teachers could easily add more parameters to the project. We had a variety of planets inspired from things like Minecraft, school supplies, Justin Beiber, shapes, pets, and even a disco ball. Here is a last minute photo I snapped of their planets (this is only one component of the project) before sending them home.

I re-typed the task cards again this year and prettied them up a bit. With permission from my teammate I'm posting these on TpT for others to purchase. I've encouraged her to set up her own TpT store, but although she is tech savvy, she doesn't feel as confident as she should. I'm excited to split earnings with her because she did an amazing job coming up with these super tasks for students!

And don't forget to link up with your Pinterest Top 10 for Next School Year! The link party is up until the end of the month. Browse your pins and post about the cream of the crop, then link up here. Then check out the other posts for more awesome teacher blogger's pins!

Thank you to those that have already linked up, I've loved looking at (and re-pinning) your pins.

NaNoWriMo Day 7

Today is November 7th, that means it is the 7th day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! My students spent two and a half weeks of october preparing their goals and novel ideas and getting their creative juices going. For the past five school days they have started off their novels with vigor and zest! We have already accumulated thousands of words written. Some of us are ahead of schedule, some of us (myself included) a little bit behind, and some of us have given (and needed) dares to inspire. Our writing time has been sacred and the students don't want to stop when it is time for math. This morning I had duty on the playground before school and it was such a gorgeous morning. There was a hot air balloon heading for our playground and it landed briefly in the field across from us. The sky was super blue without a single cloud. I had no choice but to move us outside to write and enjoy the lovely day. Some of the students were extra inspired (some were a little itchy from the grass), but it was a great experience. 

NaNoWriMo Kick Off

This Thursday was the first day of November, which meant the first day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This is my third year participating as a writer and as an educator and it is my favorite part of the year. The kids were bursting to start writing and Day 1 was a frenzy. I passed out popcorn as my little authors busily filled the pages with the start to their novels. The room was nearly silent except for the frantic beat of the pencils flying across paper.  Unfortunately I took photos on my camera instead of my phone, and forgot the camera at school. A photo of one of my cats sitting on my novel will have to suffice.

I still have so many things that I have been wanting to share but just haven't had the time. This month will be even more tight as I need any extra time to reach 50,000 words in my novel by the end of the month. Eek!

Caution - Novelists Ahead!

The kids were back in school for 3 days today after 2 weeks and 2 days of their fall break! I was dying to introduce NaNoWriMo to them and it was the first thing we did the morning they returned. If you aren't familiar with NaNoWriMo, and missed my earlier post on it, then you MUST go back and read it.

This November my kids, as well as all of the 5th and 6th graders will be writing novels! As I introduced the program to my class you can see some of the students getting a bit worried and others really excited. By the time I have gone over the basics, have shown off my two complete NaNo novels, and conveyed to them my excitement, most of them were catching the NaNo bug.

Before the students returned to school I sat down with our new principal to give him a heads up on the program. When I finished, he sat back in his chair and said, "well, I have to say something about this..." At that moment I was thinking that he was going to shut the whole thing down, and then he said, "I'm joining you guys, I want to write a novel too." You cannot imagine my elation! I warned him that what he was getting into was intense, and that every 5th and 6th grader would know and be bugging him throughout the month. He assured me that he wanted in. 

Not only is our principal in, but several of the 5th/6th grade teachers are going to write too (but modifying their word-count, not the full 50,000). I've been trying to get the librarian to do it to for the past few years, but this year I think she is finally serious! When I went to tell the resource teacher her and a para decided that they too wanted to travel this perilous, yet rewarding, trek. 

Now, I realize that is isn't November yet, but it is critical for NaNo novelists to do some planning and preparing before November 1 comes knocking. Each 5th and 6th grader has a NaNoWriMo workbook that is taking them through the development of their characters and plot. And finally there is a great lesson on showing versus telling and how this helps improve writing and increase word count. The Young Writer's Program has great, and FREE, workbooks to download on their site. These resources would be great for many writing activities, not just NaNoWriMo. I've chosen only about a third of the workbook to use as we don't have time to get through everything before NaNoWriMo begins. 

On Thursday I helped students come up with their word-count goals for the month. Because NaNoWriMo is meant to help students send off their inner editor for the month we are not worried about quality (editing happens after November) but rather quantity. So they are simply graded on words written divided by their word-count goal. My students are always ambitious. Having done NaNoWriMo with students for two years already I kind of know if goals are too little, just right, or too much. I love that differentiation is already built into this as well! For 5th graders, 3,000 words is average. ELL, SPED, and struggling writers fall between 1,000 and 2,500 words and those students who love writing will be closer to 4,000 and above. I remind students that if they have sports, clubs, church activities, etc., that they may want to decrease their goal because they might not be able to write on those days. If students are really stuck on goals that I think are too much for them I tell them that they can have that for their personal goal, but we adjust their school goal. I LOVE their ambition, but I want to help them feel successful and not stressed out. It also helps to teach them about making appropriate goals for themselves. 

By Friday most of the class already knew what they wanted their novels to be about. I love their ideas and I love that the students spend their recess telling me about what they story is going to be about. They are so creative, and I love that most don't have that voice in their heads that we adults do, you know the one, the one that tells us our ideas aren't good. So, we jumped into our workbooks and began the creation of our characters. 

I have also been planning my novel. This will be my third NaNoWriMo, I was a "winner" last year and the year before. It is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever done. I don't plan on ever trying to publish my novels, but just knowing that I could write a novel in one month, and having just one copy for me, was enough to make me feel great. I HIGHLY recommend NaNoWriMo for adults and I think that the rewards for students are the greatest. In my years of teaching this one month makes even the most struggling and reluctant writers more creative and confident. So, get over to the NaNoWriMo and Young Writer's Program sites and get signed up. November is less than 10 days away!

If you're making mistakes...

I saw this great poster on Pinterest and it actually came from ModCloth. I just HAD to have it because not only is the quote perfect, but it is from Neil Gaiman who I adore (and we will be studying next month). ModCloth wasn't offering a print, so I made my own to hang up. I'd really love to buy a high quality print if they ever make it available.  

We only have 3 more days of school before we are on our two week fall break! Of course I'm excited, but mostly because I am in need of some good R&R. I'm also excited because that means November is right around the corner, and November means NaNoWriMo! Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It's only the coolest thing going on in November. 

NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month and participants are challenged to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. They also have a Young Writer's Program and two years ago my class and I embarked on this journey. I wrote a 50,000+ word novel and they wrote novels aiming for their own word-count goals. My class and I did it again last year. I can't imagine not doing NaNoWriMo in the classroom. It's full of amazing benefits for the kids. They become more confident and writers. They learn to make achievable goals and write steps to get there. They become more detailed writers. They learn to be persistent. They become more fluent writers. And I could go on and on! Interested? Head over to the Young Writer's Program site. You can order your free classroom kit now!

Before we start NaNoWriMo we spend two weeks preparing. I use the YWP workbooks which are amazing, and free, resources. And here is where the amazing Mr. Neil Gaiman comes in (sidenote: I adore his wife too, and had the pleasure of attending her concert last weekend). If you are unfamiliar with this fabulous writer I suggest you check him out. He writes for adults, young adults, and children. His most well-known books for the upper grades are Coraline (which was made into a movie) and The Graveyard Book which won the Newberry Medal in 2009. When we review plot I read Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls. It is a lovely, but slightly disturbing, picture book that is just right for the upper grades. It holds their attention and each element of plot is crafted perfectly. The day before we start NaNoWriMo I show the kids the episode of PBS's Arthur that features Neil (called "Falafelosophy") and it's all about becoming a writer. How fitting for the program! 

I'll start blogging more about NaNoWriMo in the coming weeks.  I'd love to hear from other teachers that use NaNoWriMo in their classrooms and from those that may be trying it out this year! 

Back to School Sale and new Freebie

We've been back in school for 3 weeks now and I am a bit jealous of those teachers that are enjoying their last bit of summer vacation. But I'm also happy that we've started! I'm enjoying my new grade level, my new classroom, my new team, and my sweet 5th graders (I didn't know 5th graders still give hugs!).

This week was pretty rough. Last Friday I flew to Seattle for my grandmother's memorial. My sister, nephew, and I were so lucky to get to spend time with her as she passed away a week after our visit. It was a beautiful memorial and it was great to have technology so that my sister and cousin who couldn't make it could say a prayer through Google+ Hangout, and my cousin also streamed the event on YouTube for other family members to view. I was out of school Monday and we all know how much work it is to plan for a sub, and then recover after a sub. The rest of the week I was at school late and then I started to feel allergy symptoms. Yesterday afternoon it hit me that it wasn't allergies, it was a cold! So, I'm feeling pretty achy with fever and chills, and hoping that I don't have to call in sick again next Monday.

Regardless I wanted to participate in the huge sale at TpT this weekend. EVERYTHING in my store is 20% off August 12-13. On top of that TpT is offering an additional discount of 10% when you use code:  BTS12

This is a great time to take advantage of all the wonderful resources created by teachers as many are participating in the sale. I know I'm excited to purchase some of the things in my wishlist!

I've also added a new freebie! I am on (the soon to be gone) Career Ladder and we have to complete a Student Achievement Plan each year. This year my team has decided to focus on personal narrative writing and hone in on the traits of word choice, organization, and conventions. We looked for a narrative elements graphic organizer, but couldn't find one that was just right for our needs, so of course I had to create my own, and I am offering it for free in my store!

I {heart} Dollar Tree

I'm sure most teachers have already discovered Dollar Tree and its great teacher section, plus all the other great things to use in the classroom. Before school started I found this popcorn poster with popcorn pieces for $1. Remember, I am not a teacher who makes really crafty bulletin boards (I prefer simple but still effective) so this was not only cheap, but it was an easy way to spruce up my writing folders. There was only one left at the Dollar Tree I was at and it only came with 25 popcorn pieces, so I threw some on the scanner and printed out more.

The colorful folders I have been using forever. I just bought a few packs of the binder dividers that have pockets, cut off the little tabs, and stapled them up. Students have a great way to display writing and I have them leave previous writing in so that at the end of the year it's also a writing portfolio. Plus it's super easy for me because I don't have to do any work to update the bulletin board.

Read and Respond

I have been using Read and Respond with my students since I started teaching 8 years ago and have tweaked it every year. Every educator knows how vital it is for students to be reading daily. Daily reading boosts fluency, builds vocabulary, and increases comprehension. Good readers think about what they read and the Read and Respond Daily Journal allows students to quickly and thoughtfully respond to what they are reading. Students use thought-provoking prompts to help them analyze what they read for deeper understanding. Read and Respond goes beyond traditional summarizing, although summarization is embedded into the response.

I use Read and Respond in my classroom as an on-going daily homework assignment. I expect my students to read everyday for 20 minutes or more, and I require them to respond to their reading in their Read and Respond notebook four times a week. I like to keep the response simple because I'd rather them spend more time on reading, and I feeling that a meaningful response can be kept to around five sentences. I provide prompts for students (for both fiction and non-fiction books) that they can respond to, or they can write their own response. I ask that my students not give a summary. Usually by 5th/6th grade students are able to easily summarize what they have read. It is much more meaningful for students to actually respond to what they read by thinking about it in different ways. Typically a summary will embed itself in the response. All the students need to do is write the title of the book they are reading, the genre, the date, a five sentence response, and a parent/guardian signature. 


The Read and Respond is checked off daily and I periodically collect students' notebooks and read some of their entries. I ask that students only put one response per page so that I may write a note to them about their response on the rest of the page. Sometimes I will collect everyone's notebook at the same time, or I have also collected them on a rotational basis (this helps me not to be overwhelmed). Usually the first few weeks students are still stuck on summarizing, but once I provide some feedback in their notebooks then I start to see the really meaningful responses emerge. 


In this booklet you will get . . . 
* Teacher directions and suggestions for use
* Student directions for students to paste in their journal 
* Student rubric for students to paste in their journal
* Student worksheet (to be used instead of a composition notebook)
* Read and Respond Passes (for use as incentive/prize in your classroom)