Did you know that each of our larger classroom posters are available in class sets?

Class Sets come as a pack of 25 in standard 8.5"x11" for use by individual students.

Select the posters which will help your class have success with the concepts they struggle with the most.

Some of the most common posters (struggle areas) are Hyperbole, Onomatopoeia, Idioms and Metaphors.

The Writing Doctor has a new store!

We've moved to a new, more dynamic platform and as we transition all our language arts and math teaching aids over, we're having a sale!

Sale prices on:

• English and Spanish Classroom Posters
• Math Posters
• Student Writing Folders
• Live Campus Training days for staff and students
• Brand New 260-page Revising Editing Binder
• Teaching Aids
• Lesson Plans

Check out The Write Prescription online store and let us know what you think.

The Problem with Counting when your Students Don't Follow your Directions

Teaching Tip of the Day regarding classroom rules:
Have rewards and consequences for following or breaking your rule that says, Follow oral and written directions THE FIRST TIME GIVEN.

      When you ask your students to sit down and be quiet, make sure there is a consequence when they don't. Too many teachers say, "Sit down!" then start counting....."1.....2.....3.....4....5!" So in that classroom, sit down doesn't mean sit down....counting does. Here's a better idea using numbers if you're going to do that this year:
      For each number you get to after saying sit down....or whatever directive......there needs to be one second of penalty time. For example, if everyone is not seated until you get to 8, that means they took 8 seconds of YOUR time, so you will be taking 8 seconds of THEIRS! That way the counting actually stands for something.   Since your classrooms are often in rows or teams, you can hold them accountable to each other  by having different numbers in the class....one for each row or team/table.  There are many special situations though that the consequence should only apply to individuals, not the entire class. This way the consequence is only for the students who are breaking the rules, not the entire class.
      I used to write the number 300 (five minutes) or 600 (ten minutes) on the board at the beginning of the week. That represented how many seconds of free time the students would earn on Friday afternoon when our week's work was completed. They would earn or lose more seconds throughout the week for things like behavior, homework, passing or failing, participation....whatever I felt was important to me! Many students are extrinsically motivated, and free time is the cheapest form of motivation! 
This should work for your students, children at home and even maybe your spouses!  ;-)
                                                                           Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription

How to survive Staff Development Week!

      Many of you will be attending staff development next week....
           As you attend these sessions, think of them like Luby's cafeteria. You aren't going to go through the line and eat every single appetizer, meat, vegetable, and ...dessert. At the same time, it is highly unlikely that you will go through the entire choices laid out before you and come out the other end with an empty tray.
      In a similar fashion, go to your sessions with the idea that you will find a few wonderful things that work for you and your teaching style. Place them in your teacher tackle box, tweak them to make them yours, and don't worry about the rest.
      Hopefully everyone will have the pleasure of attending exciting engaging trainings, and none of you get stuck in a session where you're thinking about everything BUT the presentation!

Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Web: www.thewriteprescription.com
Twitter: Bill MacDonald@writing_doctor
Teachers Pay Teachers/Facebook:  William Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Email: writing_doctor@yahoo.com

Hey, ESE! Want the key to a perfect personal narrative ESSAY!?

 Writing Tip of the Day: The perfect plan for a personal narrative essay in four hours:

Spend about ONE hour on planning before and editing after.
Write about ONE place!
Write about ONE developed/engaging real or realistic event
from your past that responds to the prompt.
Have ONE short but effective ending/extension.
1+1+1+1 = 4 

In Texas here are some numbers to think about: 
4th graders have 4 hours each day to write one essay and answer 14 revising/editing questions......not including field test questions.
7th graders have 4 hours on the 1st day to write one essay and answer 40 revising/editing questions, and 4 hours on the 2nd day to write two essays

Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Web: www.thewriteprescription.com
Twitter: Bill MacDonald@writing_doctor
Teachers Pay Teachers/Facebook:  William Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Email: writing_doctor@yahoo.com

Who we hang with often determines our level of excellence, passion, and commitment.

Thought of the Day: Who we surround ourselves with sometimes determines our level of commitment, zeal, and passion: Who am I?

An analogy with birds
Don't run with the chickens. It's rumored that they let fear control them, and wander around aimlessly like their heads are cut off.
Don't depend on turkeys when you need something. They only come around once or twice a year.....and some "turkeys" only want to joke around, never taking life seriously.
Don't hang out with the buzzards. They literally suck the life out of others.
Soar with the eagles, and reach levels of excellence that you never thought possible.
Those that wait on the Lord will soar with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, and shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

 

Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Web: www.thewriteprescription.com
Twitter: Bill MacDonald@writing_doctor
Teachers Pay Teachers/Facebook:  William Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Email: writing_doctor@yahoo.com

 

 

Please STOP teaching students to restate the prompt or ask questions about it!

Writing Tip of the Day: When teaching students to address the prompt, it is NOT a good idea to have them restate the prompt word for word or ask the reader a question about it....and this goes for the introduction AND conclusion. Here's why:
 I will explain my point with an analogy. Each essay is like a meal, and the reader is the "eater" of our words. Think of the beginning of the essay like an appetizer, and the ending like dessert. Many graders are "eating" anywhere between 100 to 300 "meals" per day, depending on the situation and length of each essay. Imagine having to eat salad for 200 meals in a row.........you would get pretty sick of it after awhile.....and I love cheesecake, but if you force me to eat it over and over, I am going to never want to see cheesecake again in my life!
 Now, I'm not saying that NONE of your students should restate the prompt. We have some kids who need a simple way to write essays because of their ability levels, but this should be the exception and not the rule. Try eating exactly the same thing for even three meals in a row! You won't like it....and neither will the reader who has to eat our words......sometimes the same ones....over....and over...and over. 
 In my materials and trainings, I model how to start and end essays in a variety of ways that will get and keep the attention of the reader.  
Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Web: www.thewriteprescription.com
Twitter: Bill MacDonald@writing_doctor
Teachers Pay Teachers/Facebook:  William Bill MacDonald/The Write Prescription
Email: writing_doctor@yahoo.com