Non-Magical Thinking - Janet Emig

This year I made a paradigm shift in the way I teach writing. A parent purchased the Lucy Caulkins curriculum for me. This curriculum has a more developmental view of writing. I looked through it and liked what I saw. This article supports what happened in my classroom. I became a writer too and shared my writing and revisions with my class. Our writing time was every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and was structured in the way we began, moved into a mini-lesson, conferenced, shared, and published. I'm so pleased that my students had this experience. My desire is to have a safe and encouraging writing workshop that is also playful. What kind of writing could be playful for my second graders? They love humor. I tend to be rather serious and intense. This article provides research and support for my continued efforts in this direction.