Lighting the Writing Fire...An Update

I mentioned that one New Year's Resolution was to excite my boys about writing. I've hugely changed the way writing looks in our school day, doing much less with specific assignments and a lot more with writing workshop time, providing lots of choice, relaxed suggestions, etc. It seems to be making a big difference.

On our first day on the Penguin Unit, ds8 wrote in his "travel journal", talking about what he'd seen on the first day visiting Antarctica. (Text shown as written in journal.)

Today we landed in antarctica. We saw all kinds of Peguins today. It is sometimes 0 degrees in the summer in antarctica. We came in a plane with no windows or heat. There is no freash food on antarctica, all the food came from hillecopters in other states and provinces. 

For my son, this marks a big change in writing, from short, simple, "let's get it over with" sentences, to more interesting, thoughtful content. I'm pleased.

Now I just need to keep up my other resolution...to write 250 words/day myself. And NOT on my blog. :)