Is it important that kids write well?
Do we want them to write better than they do?
Would we like to use some of the technology available to help with the process?
Some questions are hard:
How?
A new book written by a 5th grade teacher answers that question. Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing? by Julie D. Ramsay walks us through a year in Mrs. Ramsay's classroom, a year in which students take the kind of ownership for their learning we wish could happen everywhere. The book is written in language even the techno-novice can understand, yet touches on such a wide variety of tools that even the most tech-savvy will learn something.
Can We Skip Lunch and Keep Writing? contains so much dialogue, I truly felt I was right there in the classroom with the students. I started reading one afternoon and found I was two-thirds of the way through before I could put it down. By the next day, I was finished. It's specific enough, a teacher can use it as his/her guide for improving writing, finally figuring out how to incorporate technology, and finally making learning irresistible.
If you are looking for a "how to do it" book that delivers, this one is a must-read! School's about to start. You need to pick up your copy now.
