Welcome to a new year of content and conversation in Heinemann's PLC Series. This month we focus on the craft of teaching writers—not the writing.
It is our joyful responsibility as teachers to nurture the writers in our classrooms and to help them build writing identities as young as possible. In his book Engaging Young Writers (Heinemann, 2009), Matt Glover describes the process of giving or following directions to someone’s house as a metaphor for the need for multiple entry points into writing. He notes that people will be most successful, providing clear directions or arriving easily at their destination, when allowed to use their preferred method such as by landmarks, directional words, or a map.
In order for us to engage our youngest (or most reluctant) writers in a way that maximizes their energy for writing, we need to provide multiple entry points so they can find a method that feel comfortable to them. Click the image below to view and download a PDF listing the entry points Matt describes throughout his book Engaging Young Writers, one of many full titles available in the Heinemann Digital Library.
Matt Glover (@MattGlover123) is a well-known educator, author and presenter. With over 20 years’ experience as a teacher and a principal, Matt travels across the country, speaking about how to best nurture writers and support the intellectual growth and development of your students. Matt has authored several books on the topic, including Engaging Young Writers, and has co-authored Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten with Katie Wood Ray, and Projecting Possibilities for Writers: The How, What and Why of Designing Units of Study with Mary Alice Berry.
