Creative strategies for getting young students excited about writing Don't Forget to Write for the Elementary Grades offers 50 creative writing lesson plans from the imaginative and highly acclaimed 826 National writing labs. Created as a resource to reach all students (even those most resistant to creative writing), the lessons range from goofy fun (like "The Other Toy Story: Make Your Toys Come to Life") to practical, from sports to science, music to mysteries. These lessons are written by experts, and favorite novelists, actors, and other celebrities pitched in too. Lessons are linked to the Common Core State Standards. A treasure trove of proven, field-tested lessons to teach writing skills Inventive and unique lessons will appeal to even the most difficult-to-reach students 826 National has locations in eight cities: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, and Washington DC 826 National is a nonprofit organization, founded by Dave Eggers, and committed to supporting teachers, publishing student work, and offering services for English language learners.

'Dad walked determinedly down the path, joined by two neighbours with five children between them. As we reached the corner of Kent Avenue, I looked back for one last wave. But Mum had buried her head in her pinny and it was a year before I saw her again.' In June 1940, 10-year-old Pam Hobbs and her sister Iris took the long journey from their council home in Leigh-on-Sea to faraway rural Derbyshire. Living away from Mum and Dad for two long years, Pam was moved between four foster homes. In some she and Iris found a second family, with babies to look after, car rides and picnics, and even a pet pig. But other billets took a more sinister turn, as the adults found it easy to exploit the children in their care. Returning to Essex, things would never be the same again, and the war was far from over. Making do with rations, dodging bombs and helping with the war effort, Pam and her family struggled to get by. In Don't Forget to Write, with warmth and vivid detail, Pam describes a time that was full of overwhelming hardship and devastation; yet also of kindness and humour, resilience and courage.

Do you hear yourself saying the same things over and over to your kids? “Do you need help?” “Say thank you.” “Wait a minute.” In Don’t Forget to Say Thank You: And Other Parenting Lessons That Brought Me Closer to God, Lindsay Schlegel reimagines the common phrases we repeat as parents and applies them to our relationship with God. In doing so, she demonstrates how reflecting on our vocation as mothers can inform and illuminate our role as a daughter of God, drawing us closer to him. What if we took the statements we repeat to our children and apply them to ourselves? In Don’t Forget to Say Thank You, writer Lindsay Schlegel shares fifteen relatable phrases she frequently uses as a parent and how her faith and life changed when she envisioned God telling her these same things. When we start to hear the things we’re telling our kids as wisdom from God, it’s clear that the lessons we are trying to teach our kids are ones we also need to learn as children of the Most High. Asking her daughter, “Do you need help?” caused Schlegel to reflect on the importance of the Communion of Saints and reaching out for the assistance she needs. Telling her children, “Say you’re sorry” reminded her of the necessity of Confession and seeking forgiveness. And pleading that a toddler “wait a minute” while she looked for her crackers forced Schlegel to consider how she needed to have both more patience and more trust that God would take care of her. Schlegel invites us to apply the same lessons she learned to our own lives as parents and as children of God through reflection questions and a prayer at the end of each chapter. She also suggests saints to whom we can look for inspiration and guidance, reminding us that we are not alone as we strive to more accurately reflect the image of our heavenly Father.

For two women generations apart, going home will change their lives in this funny, poignant, and life-affirming novel about family, secrets, and broken hearts by the author of For the Love of Friends. Four years into her marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life in flux, she agrees to accompany her eccentric grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside Massachusetts town where much of their family history was shaped. When they hit the road, Evelyn spins the tale of the star-crossed teenage romance that captured her heart more than seventy years ago and changed the course of her life. She insists the return to her hometown isn't about that at all--no matter how much she talks about Tony, her unforgettable and forbidden first love. Upon arrival, Jenna meets Tony's attentive great-nephew Joe. The new friendship and fresh ocean air give her the confidence and distance she needs to begin putting the pain of a broken marriage behind her. As the secrets and truths of Evelyn's past unfold, Jenna discovers a new side of her grandmother, and of herself, that she never knew existed--and learns that the possibilities for healing can come at the most unexpected times in a woman's life.

I'm certain that you'll feel excited to try out the different kinds of share sessions that Leah discusses...and that she will give you the know-how and confidence you'll need to be successful. - Carl Anderson Author of Assessing Writers Traditionally, the writing workshop is a three-part framework: a minilesson, writing time, and a share session. Because much attention has been given to lessons and conferencing, the share session has sometimes seemed like an afterthought rather than an opportunity for children to look closely at their writing process and discuss it with others. No more. With Don't Forget to Share, Leah Mermelstein helps you recognize the importance of this aspect of the workshop and shows you ways to get maximum instructional impact from it. Don't Forget to Share is the first book to take on the share session in depth, revealing why it's essential to the success of writing workshop. Mermelstein presents insight and smart ideas for conducting share sessions that honor and reinforce individual kids' accomplishments, while at the same time offering them a safe way to get input from other writers. From setting up share sessions to facilitating them, she presents shares that promote rich conversations that support students' improvement in four specific areas of writing: content craft process progress. With in-action transcripts of teachers and students, helpful tips for working with English language learners and struggling writers, suggestions for matching children to share activities, and samples of effective teaching language, Don't Forget to Share has everything you need to not only invest your teaching time in share sessions but to make them work for you and your students. So if you're looking for a new way to ramp up the power of your writing workshop, take the advice of Leah Mermelstein, and Don't Forget to Share.

A sharp and hilariously relatable novel about the business of weddings, the toll they can take, and the lengths one exasperated bridesmaid will go to for the love of friends. Lily Weiss is her mother's worst nightmare: thirty-two and single--the horror! She's also a talented writer but hides behind a boring job at a science foundation. To her friends, she's reliable and selfless, which is how she winds up a bridesmaid in five weddings in six weeks. Anything for her three best friends and two (younger) siblings, right? Even if her own love life is...well, she'd rather not talk about it. To keep her sanity, Lily needs a safe place to vent. And so her anonymous blog, Bridesmania, is born. The posts start pouring out of her: all the feels about mom-zillas, her vanishing bank balance, the wicked bridesmaids of the west, high-strung brides-to-be, body-shaming dress clerks, bachelorette parties, and Spanx for days, not to mention being deemed guardian of eighty-eight-year-old Granny (who enjoys morning mimosas in the nude) for her brother's destination wedding. So far the blog has stayed anonymous. But as everyone knows, few things online remain secret forever... When all is said and done, can Lily help all five couples make it to happily ever after? And will her own happy ending be close behind?