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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