JOY WRITE

RALPH FLETCHER
The teacher's ultimate guide to ignite, inspire, and
instill the love of writing into their classroom and
the hearts of their students

REMINDER:
"Writers take great pride and
pleasure in not following the rules.
We expect them to be edgy, so
much so that we are disappointed
when they meekly follow the pack
and produce conventional writing"
(Fletcher 29).

SOL!
Slice of Life Challenge-This month-long
writing challenge in March was created
by author Stacey Shubitz and inspires
classrooms to write about a slice out of
their day. Students across America from
first grade through high school
participate in this challenge each year.

COLLABORATIVE WRITING!
So often, writing is taught as a
solitary act and students are denied
the opportunity to collaborate in
their writings. Even Shakespeare is
said to have collaborated with other
artists. One idea mentioned was a
collective writer's notebook for the
class.

FERAL FRIDAYS!
Throughout their years in the
classroom, students loose their
wildness in writing. By incorporating an
activity like Feral Friday in which the
only stipulation is to write a few
paragraphs of their choice, as
educators, we can slowly bring back
their joy of writing.

FREEDOM!
What about the reluctant writer? The book
offers these insightful tips:
1. free write
2. journal writing
3. writing in a favored genre
4. collaborative writing
5. humor
6. edgy writing
7. expand definition of writing to include
drawing/art

"Writing is different from talking. when we jot something down, we

distill its essence; it becomes part of us; we own it in a new way"
(Fletcher 78).