One way of looking at 13 cardinals

On the third anniversary of my mom’s death, I was visited by more than a dozen red cardinals in five days. I otherwise hadn’t seen one since Christmas, a full six months earlier. I looked up the meaning of cardinal sightings, though I had a vague memory that my mom had told me once that

Display and honor writers’ thinking (not just final products)

For starters, I’d always have one board that mimics a strategy I use in my writer’s notebook. I’d teach the strategy and invite students to try it—not only to try it in their notebooks but to post their ideas on the bulletin board as well. I’d choose a strategy that will serve students across genres so we can continue to fill the board for months at a time, just as I want them to re-use “old” strategies in their notebooks throughout the year, storing up ideas and inspiration for writing projects they haven’t even thought of (or I haven’t assigned) yet. After all, that’s exactly what I do in my writer’s notebook.