The Threadbare Heart

The Threadbare Heart
Author: Jennie Nash
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2010-05-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101187549

Jennie Nash’s “winning debut,”* The Last Beach Bungalow, was followed by The Only True Genius in the Family, a “page-turning delight.”** Now she introduces us to two women who learn the lessons of grief—and of hope… A photo of her sons. A doormat from Target. Twenty-three tubs of fabric. Somehow it comforts Lily to list the things she lost when a wildfire engulfed the Santa Barbara avocado ranch she shared with her husband, Tom. He didn’t make it out either. His last act was to save her grandmother’s lace from the flames—an heirloom she has never been able to take scissors to, that she was saving for someday… As she negotiates her way through her grief, mourning both the tangible and intangible, Lily wonders about her long marriage. Was it worth all the work, the self-denial? Did she stay with Tom just to avoid loneliness? Should she have been more like her mother, Eleanor— thrice-married and even now, approaching eighty, cavalier about men and, it seems, even about her daughter’s emotions? It is up to Lily to understand what she could still gain even when it seems that everything is lost. Someday has arrived… *Publishers Weekly **Book Club Classics

The All-Night Sun

The All-Night Sun
Author: Diane Zinna
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1984854186

A lonely young woman gets too close to her charismatic female student in this propulsive debut, culminating in a dangerously debauched Midsommar’s Eve. LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE AND THE VCU CABELL FIRST NOVELIST AWARD • “Memorable and meaningful.”—Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Burning Girl Lauren Cress teaches writing at a small college outside of Washington, DC. In the classroom, she is poised, smart, and kind, well liked by her students and colleagues. But in her personal life, Lauren is troubled and isolated, still grappling with the sudden death of her parents ten years earlier. She seems to exist at a remove from everyone around her until a new student joins her class: charming, magnetic Siri, who appears to be everything Lauren wishes she could be. They fall headlong into an all-consuming friendship that makes Lauren feel as though she is reclaiming her lost adolescence. When Siri invites her on a trip home to Sweden for the summer, Lauren impulsively accepts, intrigued by how Siri describes it: green, fresh, and new, everything just thawing out. But once there, Lauren finds herself drawn to Siri’s enigmatic, brooding brother, Magnus. Siri is resentful, and Lauren starts to see a new side of her friend: selfish, reckless, self-destructive, even cruel. On their last night together, Lauren accompanies Siri and her friends on a seaside camping trip to celebrate Midsommar’s Eve, a night when no one sleeps, boundaries blur, and under the light of the unsetting sun, things take a dark turn. Ultimately, Lauren must acknowledge the truth of what happened with Siri and come to terms with her own tragic past in this gorgeously written, deeply felt debut about the transformative relationships that often come to us when things feel darkest. Praise for The All-Night Sun “Inventive and luminous . . . ­­­­­Zinna’s intimate debut dazzles with original language, emotional sentience, and Swedish folklore as it plumbs the depths of grief, loss, and friendship . . . Zinna reaches an inspired emotional depth that, as the title signifies, never stops blazing.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Memoir Project

The Memoir Project
Author: Marion Roach Smith
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2011-06-09
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1455501824

An extraordinary "practical resource for beginners" looking to write their own memoir—​now new and revised (Kirkus Reviews)! The greatest story you could write is one you've experienced yourself. Knowing where to start is the hardest part, but it just got a little easier with this essential guidebook for anyone wanting to write a memoir. Did you know that the #1 thing that baby boomers want to do in retirement is write a book—about themselves? It's not that every person has lived such a unique or dramatic life, but we inherently understand that writing a memoir—whether it's a book, blog, or just a letter to a child—is the single greatest path to self-examination. Through the use of disarmingly frank, but wildly fun tactics that offer you simple and effective guidelines that work, you can stop treading water in writing exercises or hiding behind writer's block. Previously self-published under the title, Writing What You Know: Raelia, this book has found an enthusiastic audience that now writes with intent.

Write Beside Them

Write Beside Them
Author: Penny Kittle
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780325078175

This book is about teaching writing and the gritty particulars of teaching adolescents. But it is also the planning, the thinking, the writing, the journey: all I've been putting into my teaching for the last two decades. This is the book I wanted when I was first given ninth graders and a list of novels to teach. This is a book of vision and hope and joy, but it is also a book of genre units and minilessons and actual conferences with students. -Penny Kittle What makes the single biggest difference to student writers? When the invisible machinery of your writing processes is made visible to them. Write Beside Them shows you how to do it. It's the comprehensive book and companion video that English/language arts teachers need to ensure that teens improve their writing. Across genres, Penny Kittle presents a flexible framework for instruction, the theory and experience to back it up, and detailed teaching information to help you implement it right away. Each section of Write Beside Them describes a specific element of Penny's workshop: Daily writing practice: writer's notebooks and quick writes Instructional frameworks: minilessons, organization, conferring, and sharing drafts Genre work: narrative, persuasion, and writing in multiple genres Skills work: grammar, punctuation, and style Assessment: evaluation, feedback, portfolios, and grading All along the way, Penny demonstrates minilessons that respond to students' immediate needs, and her Student Focus sections profile and spotlight how individual writers grew and changed over the course of her workshop. In addition, Write Beside Them provides a study guide, reproducibles, writing samples from Penny and her students, suggestions for nurturing your own writing life, and a helpful FAQ. Best of all, the online videos take you right inside Penny's classroom, explicitly modeling how to make the process of writing accessible to all kids. Penny Kittle's active coaching and can-do attitude alone will energize your teaching and inspire you to write with your students. But her strategies, expert advice, and compelling in-class video footage will help you turn inspiration into great teaching. Read Write Beside Them and discover that the most important influence for all young writers is their teacher. Penny was the recipient of the 2009 NCTE Britton Award for Write Beside Them.

Crashing in Love

Crashing in Love
Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1536222313

When Peyton comes across the victim of a hit-and-run, she knows it’s destiny. But what exactly does fate have in store for her and the boy in the coma? Since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Peyton has known that to achieve happier outcomes in her life, she’s got to focus on eliminating her flaws—and on making sure her first boyfriend is truly right for her. Guided by her collection of inspirational quotes and her growing list of ideal boyfriend traits, Peyton is convinced that this summer will be the perfect summer, complete with the perfect boyfriend! But when she discovers a boy lying unconscious in the middle of the road, the victim of a hit-and-run, her perfect summer takes a dramatic detour. Determined to find the driver responsible, Peyton divides her time between searching her small town for clues and visiting the comatose (and cute!) boy in the hospital. When he wakes up, will he prove to be her destiny? Or does life have a few more surprises in store? With abundant warmth and gentle humor, Jennifer Richard Jacobson offers a novel about searching for perfect answers—and finding that reality is both messier and far more intriguing than anything you can dream up.

Coaching Teacher-Writers

Coaching Teacher-Writers
Author: Troy Hicks
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2017
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0807774200

When teachers write, good things can happen; writing helps educators to better understand themselves, as well as students, parents, and colleagues. This practical book illustrates how to encourage, lead, and sustain teacher-writers, especially in group contexts. In contrast to guides on writing and teacher research, this book is designed for those who support teacher-writers, such as teacher educators and literacy coaches. The authors offer descriptions of key practices they have developed over years of coaching, teaching, and collaborating with K–12 teachers who write about classroom instruction, teacher research, or advocacy for better policy and pedagogy. Knowing firsthand just how hard writing can be for teachers, they provide a repertoire of strategies to elicit writing, to support teachers as they write, to find audiences for the teachers’ work, and much more. This book offers clear guidance to coach teacher-writers to: Choose topics and shape ideas.Conquer insecurities and draw from their strengths.Establish authority with their audience.Navigate publishing, including choosing venues and working with editors.Find time and space to write and create the habits of writing daily.Respond to audience reaction to their writing.Reflect on their teaching and writing. Develop a voice and vision as a professional. “Understanding writing is a lifelong journey. This book is an indispensable guide to beginning that journey yourself and together with colleagues.” —Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, executive director, National Writing Project “Gives advice on how I can become a better collaborator, facilitator, and cocreator who helps teachers celebrate the power (and joy) that writing can give them.” —Cathy Fleischer, professor, Eastern Michigan University “The authors know how to support teachers in gathering the courage to write. I am grateful for the ideas that have ignited my own writing.” —Penny Kittle, Teacher and Author

Feedback That Moves Writers Forward

Feedback That Moves Writers Forward
Author: Patty McGee
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2017-03-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1506387144

Student writing is only as good as the feedback we give In this remarkable book, Patty McGee shares research-based how-to’s for responding to writers that you can use immediately whether you use a writing program or a workshop model. Put down the red-pen, fix-it mindset and help your writers take risks, use grammar as an element of craft, discover their writing identities, elaborate in any genre, and more. Includes lots of helpful conference language that develops tone and trust and forms for reflecting on writing.

The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5

The Responsive Writing Teacher, Grades K-5
Author: Melanie Meehan
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2021-02-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1071840894

"This book is an instructive call to action for all of us who need to be reminded of what hope enacted as classroom practice can look like." — Cornelius Minor Every classroom is shaped by the skills, languages, social and cultural identities, perspectives, and passions of the children within it. When you approach writing instruction with a deep understanding of children in your classroom, everything else—assessment, planning, differentiated instruction, mentor and shared texts—begins to fall into place. And you can teach writing with inclusion, equity, and agency at the forefront. Authors Melanie Meehan and Kelsey Sorum show you how to adapt curriculum to meet the needs of the whole child. Each chapter offers intentional steps for responsive instruction across four domains: academic, linguistic, cultural, and social-emotional. Features include: Inspiration, classroom examples, and scaffolded tips for creating individualized resources Customizable information-gathering and planning tools, classroom charts, and writing samples Space for making notes and working through ideas Links to online content, including printable templates Just as you adapt instruction to your students, this book adapts to you. The authors designed every guide, tool, and resource to be usable in its original form, or customized as you see fit. This indispensable resource will make responsive instruction actionable—and your students feel valued and heard as they recognize the possibility and power they have as writers.

Literacy Coaching

Literacy Coaching
Author: Stephanie Affinito
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780325092744

What does it mean to be an effective literacy coach? Former teacher and veteran literacy coach Stephanie Affinito shares a core set of beliefs about literacy coaching and how it can transform teacher and student learning. While chart paper, sticky notes, and notebooks will always be essential teaching tools, Stephanie shows that by thoughtfully incorporating digital tools into your coaching, you can personalize teacher learning even more and provide greater options to increase motivation and collaboration. In Literacy Coaching, she explores the ways coaches and teachers can incorporate technology to: cultivate and innovate teacher learning communities redesign professional development collaborate to impact and elevate student learning find inspiration for their continued journey. Technology is changing the way we work, learn, and play. It has the ability to expand what is possible for teachers and students. Stephanie offers concrete steps to enhance coaching with both digital and non-digital tools. Ultimately, the goal is to strengthen teaching practice and elevate the level of literacy instruction in classrooms and schools. Literacy Coaching is not just about coaching with technology; it's about making teacher learning more meaningful, relevant, and student-centered. Match teachers with the right tools to help bring teaching ideas and goals to life.