More About Teachers & Writers Collaborative
About Teachers & Writers
MISSION Teachers & Writers Collaborative (T&W) seeks to educate the imagination by offering innovative creative writing programs for students and…
Workshops & Professional Development
Teachers & Writers Collaborative (T&W) provides school-based and after-school writing programs led by professional writers for K-12 students, professional development…
Resources
Books T&W has published resources about the teaching of creative writing for more nearly 50 years. With more…
NY Poetry Out Loud
What is Poetry Out Loud? Poetry Out Loud (POL), an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts and the…
The Arts of Speech Part 1: Unifying Meaning with Parts of Speech
by Matthew Baganz In Part 1 of The Arts of Speech, Matthew Baganz uses movement and imagery to help children learn the purpose of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. See Part 2 of the lesson plan here. Grade: 3–5 Download: The Arts of Speech Part 1: Unifying Meaning with Parts of Speech Common Core State…
Nice Poetry
Nice Poetry by Isabella C. (3rd grade) I am a small child with a big imagination. I am a beautiful black horse hiding in the night. I am a dolphin jumping out of the ocean in a sunset of fire. I am a beautiful aroma soaring through the sky, making the world follow me. I…
The House That Marty Built: Lessons from a Legendary Poetry Teacher
By Matthew Daddona Marty Skoble, who, for the last 42 years has been the recognizable, cheery face of Saint Ann’s School, climbs the stairs two at a time to arrive at his first class of the morning. He’s 77 years old, and not an ounce of time is wasted on recounting his glory days. On…
Overlooked and Under-read: Latin American Writers Beyond Magical Realism
By Olaya Barr Magical Realism has become the gateway of Latin American texts for most North American students. I can’t praise enough the serpentine works of Julio Cortázar and the uncanny humor of Gabriel García Márquez—these have influenced hundreds of authors and inspired literary movements across the world—but I suggest offering students some alternatives. Below,…
Light
Light by Cerentha (3rd grade) I am the glittering pool of light forged by the full moon in the lake on a dark, dark night. I am the twinkling stars in the sky, glowing so bright, though I’m not sure why. I am the sparkling gems underground, some of them pointy and some of them…
“Glories Strung Like Beads”: The Queer Brilliance of I Remember
by Matthew Burgess This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned Eugene. I remember exactly where he sat, second row back, in the seventh-grade class as PS 187. I remember his laser-beam smirk as I read aloud from Joe Brainard’s book, and before I could send the students into their own lists of “I remembers,” Eugene…
Problem-based Learning in the Writing Curriculum: Supporting the Development of Writers in a Flourishing Writing Community
By Melissa McMullan “Can we start a club called Special for Special and do special things for people?” “That National Geographic article we read about the Paleolithic puppy got us thinking about doing our own story about the Paleolithic Era.” “We would like to design a DIY (Do It Yourself) project for the class where…
Trouble the Waters: Caribbean and Diasporic Writers Resource
By Jehan Roberson A region wrapped in mythology and mystique, writing that has emerged and continues to emerge from the Caribbean is informed by the region’s long history as a site of colonial interest and greed, of numerous nations’ successful battles for liberation, and as a region of constant migratory flow. The writers listed here…
Writing My Classroom
By Sheryl Lain I’d always jotted observations about my high school classroom and the students, but I didn’t consider these entries real writing, and I certainly wouldn’t want anyone else’s eyes but my own racing across the lines of words. Natalie Goldberg’s story in her book Writing Down the Bones changed all that. She told…
The Talk: Dr. Joshua Bennett on Obsessions, Music, and Blackness Across Time
By M.L. Thompson Dr. Joshua Bennett – @sirjoshbennett M.L. Thompson – @dreamyuncle LaQuann Dawson Jr. – @laquanndawson If the way things are will be the way things will continue, then we must address time—the boundless landscape of happening. Even before that, though, we must face the students, or at least have an idea of what…