Laura Purdie Salas

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NPM2022 Day 13: Mama Says #ClassroomConnections

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Today, for Classroom Connections, I decided to use my Lion of the Sky poetry collection as a starting point for my sticky note poem. I picked a riddle-ku and used the N+7 exercise to swap out the nouns. (I used this online children’s dictionary, since I don’t have a print dictionary at hand.) Here’s the […]

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A We Belong Poem Template for Classrooms

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My biggest hopes for We Belong are that it gets used to spark good discussions and to create community. So I’ve created a template for you to use with your students to write a classroom or family poem. I used this template at the book launch and on some recent author visits with K-1 classes. […]

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Poetry Workshops with Third Graders

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(continued from yesterday’s post) [Addendum: I am so disappointed in election results. I think it’s more important than ever to reach every kid through books and reading and writing, and telling them through each of these activities: you matter. No matter what your race, religion, or gender, you matter. You are a human being, just […]

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Writing on Assignment: Is It Right for You?

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Children’s writers, this post is for you, though, teachers, you might find interesting ideas for exercises regarding voice and tone to do with your students. I’m over at Teaching Authors today with a Wednesday Writing Workout called The Cinderella Trifecta: Is Writing on Assignment Right for You? Get your pens or keyboards ready…go! I hope […]

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A Can Be… Nonfiction Project for Schools

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What did I do this summer? I spent three weeks with K-5 summer school students in a local school district. It was the most intense visiting author program I’ve ever done. Three weeks, four sites, 1700 students. Whew! It was hard work and incredibly rewarding. I shared this process in my Salas Snippets e-letter for […]

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Under the Freedom Tree, pt. 5

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Under the Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke, illus by London Ladd Charlesbridge, 2014 Part 1 here?and Part 2 here?and Part 3 here?and Part 4 here. Today is the last post in this book set–perhaps I went a little overboard! But I really loved this book, both as a reader and as a writer. Teachers, here […]

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Under the Freedom Tree, pt. 4

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Under the Freedom Tree by Susan VanHecke, illus by London Ladd Charlesbridge, 2014 Part 1 here?and Part 2 here?and Part 3 here. Last week, I shared my reading experience of this book in the above posts. Now I want to think about it as a writer. As a writer, I like trying things that I […]

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Easy-Peasy Writing Activity for Valentine’s Day

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I had a great three days at Pinewood Elementary School in Monticello, MN, last week, and I saw the cutest writing display. What a fun idea for Valentine’s Day! Just take some conversation hearts and work them into a letter or poem. Kids can do something conventional, like a note to their parents, or a […]

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Back to School

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Today is the first day of school for my 8th and 11th graders, so regardless of what the calendar says, it’s the first day of fall to me. Fall is my favorite season! And while doing my morning pages, I brainstormed some of the things that mean fall to me. Fall is… the sounds of […]

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You Can Write a Story! (You Can, Really)

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Minnapolis writer Lisa Bullard has a terrific new children’s book out called You Can Write a Story.  It’s a great tool for kids and for teachers. It uses a cooking analogy to walk you through the steps of writing a story. It’s clear, easy to understand, and fun. I find that writing books for kids often  have […]

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