I have been such a slacker of a blogger, and this challenge is just what I needed to get me doing what I should have been doing all along. Michelle at Big Time Literacy is hosting a blogging challenge to post daily during the month of July. She does have topics, but you don't have to use those - the big idea is just to make sure you write.
In addition to this challenge, there is another writing event going on - Teachers Write. This is a virtual summer camp for teachers / librarians to encourage them to write - with the assistance of published authors. They will have a weekly structure with writing prompts and even provide feedback. It will be quite interactive.
So, why am I so interested in both of these opportunities? Writing has always been somewhat of a "challenge" for me. Not that I can't do it, but I have never really enjoyed it. I tend to blame the way it was taught - or should I say - not taught - to me as a student. We were more or less just told to write, and never given any real instruction. We were given these random grades - some good, some bad, but with no real feedback. It felt more like a lottery. I never could understand the scoring. I was an overall A student, but when I wrote, my grades were very inconsistent.
In recognizing this about my own learning of writing, and knowing it has been one of my least favorite subjects to teach, I have been working on trying to make it better for my students. I want to hit this challenge right on and provide my students with the instruction and feedback they need.
This year I am moving more to a "Writers Workshop" model. I am reading as much as I can about it. I am actually really excited to get it up and running. I am sure I will have more posts on it later.
Today's Big Time Challenge prompt is about favorite books. I love, love, love books, so it is hard to make a list, so I will give you one.
My all time favorite book (or should I say series) is the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the TV series as a kid, and then my third grade teacher read us several of the books. I later had my parents buy the series for me and devoured them quickly. They will always hold a special place in my heart.
