Orem Library

This video shows how Jeff Anderson uses playful strategies and mentor texts to engage writers in grammar and editing. In the "Apostrophe-thon," Jeff's sixth-grade students in San Antonio, Texas search through a mentor text excerpt to find examples of apostrophes and then categorize them as possessives or contractions based on a wall chart the class has compiled. Using real text, the students never fail to come up with some interesting examples such...

"Take the mystery out of Common Core ELA!Designed to be a set of national educational standards, the Common Core has been adopted by 45 states across the nation. But if you're accustomed to traditional English courses, you may be having a hard time understanding what your kids are bringing home from school--and why. With easy-to-understand examples, comprehension tips, and practice exercises, this complete guide help you understand: The reasoning...

"Nurture and encourage young writers in the most natural, developmentally appropriate way--through play! Children learn the skills needed for writing and reading on a continuum, over time and at different ages. Within the same classroom, early writers may make scribbles and draw symbols as representations of their ideas, while ready writers may use creative spelling, recognizable words, and illustrations to express more complex concepts and information....

Editing invitations takes you into Jeff Anderson's sixth-grade classroom as Jeff demonstrates how he naturally links grammar instruction to writer's craft through his 'Invitations to Notice'. The invitations are a warm-up activity used at the beginning of writer's workshops to help students learn to play close attention to mechanics, style and craft. They can be used as an alternative to daily oral language for those teachers who are looking for stronger...