Novel Writing Coop Class

We had so much fun with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the Secret Novel Writing Club last year that we're planning to do it again. This time we get to write with a bigger group.

I'll be using the How to Teach a Child to Write a Novel lessons from Little Blue School to teach middle school aged would be writers the elements of a novel and even to rough out chapters. If all goes well, we may even end the year with some rough drafts. These lessons are really nicely done, with a good mix of humor, literary lessons and practical wordsmithing. I can't wait to see what the group is like.

Maybe I'll even succeed in finishing NaNoWriMo myself this year.

College Basketball Star Reads First Book

While I'll give the young man in this article a thumbs up for finally going after the degree that his prowess in sport gave him access to, I have to ask two questions. Will he manage to get an education in any sense of the word? And how can his former teachers and professors do anything but hang their heads in shame?

Read through the comments from other instructors who talk about how few of their students read.

The connection between reading and a household with books isn't because there is some magical power in text imprinted paper. The connection is between families who value knowledge enough to spend their treasure on it and children who will likewise grow up curious to learn. (If you know exactly how many bookshelves will fit in each bedroom but can't say how big your tv is, then chances are you know what I mean.)