The annual Slice of Life Story Challenge kicks off March 1 and we are excited to have this guest post from author Stacey Shubitz on the secret to teaching writing well. (Shhh, it has to do with being a writer!)

In this second in a series of blog posts, elementary principal Matt Renwick shares how his schools uses the strategies found in Regie Routman’s new book Literacy Essentials to form lasting, productive partnerships with parents.

“A thriving, trusting culture helps any organization succeed and is a major factor in why people choose to stay. Without trust, we are all less likely to invest our energies in taking on new tasks and challenges. Everything meaningful that happens in a classroom, a school, and a district depends on a bedrock foundation of mutual respect, trust, collaboration, fairness, and physical and emotional safety.”

“If kids read a lot and use comprehension strategies flexibly and knowledgeably, they will do pretty well on the tests.”

It’s that time of the year when we pack our bags, our books, and head off to the annual NCTE conference–this time, in St. Louis! We hope to see you there! We will be at booth #615 with our full lineup of new books. Come and pick up one of our fabulous tote bags and meet & chat with our authors. Download a full list of signings and sessions with our authors here.

To celebrate the National Day on Writing and the upcoming month of NaNoWriMo, we invited Vicki Meigs-Kahlenberg, author of The Author’s Apprentice, to share why she writes WITH her students, instead of just assigning writing TO them. Her response is powerful.

Why I Write with My Students
By Vicki Meigs-Kahlenberg

Ruth Culham, author of Dream Wakers and The Writing Thief, dropped by our office recently and she took the time to teach a lesson on reading like a writer (featuring Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabel Campoy), followed by strategies to practice student writing in varied modes, such as narrative, informational, and opinion.

Lynne Dorfman and Diane Dougherty’s new book, A Closer Look: Learning More About Our Writers with Formative Assessment arrived in our warehouse today. We thought we’d give you a quick peek inside the book and in this guest blog post Lynne and Diane talk about how they are using videos with A Closer Look and specifically how one video highlights the important role students play in their own assessment.

“Nothing motivates like peer models,” says Janiel Wagstaff, author of the recent book We Can Do This! Student Mentor Texts That Teach and Inspire. In this guest post she shares one example of how a peer model influenced other writers in the classroom.

Many Stenhouse titles focus on building tolerant, accepting communities inside and outside the classroom, helping students see beyond themselves and the immediate world around them. Preview these titles online to find the one that best fits your students: