Dear Friends,

Spring has sprung, and crunch time has begun in earnest. I’m sending you a few new tools we’ve developed, along with news about some summer offerings. 

Summer Sessions

We’ll be having the four-day intensive session in New Braunfels for trainers, teacher coaches, and any teachers who would like to immerse themselves in solid writing practices. Registration is open and spots are filling up.

Also, Maureen Ucles will be offering our Spanish-language edition of writing and grammar in Richardson this summer. If you’re in a dual-language setting, you’ve been waiting for this session. Maureen conducts her session in Spanish, teaching all of the best of what we do, translated into wonderful practices in Spanish. Registration is open on the web site now.

Wish your primary teachers had something wonderful just for them? Then here’s wonderful news: We’re premiering a two-day session for phonics and writing. The authors of Puzzle Piece Phonics are joining together with us to present what primary teachers have been asking for. The training will be held in Richardson, July 30 and 31. Registration for this will be up in about a week.

Pilot Classes Needed

And last, an offer and request. Along with acclaimed poet Laura Van Prooyen, I’m working now on  Text Structures from Poetry , and we need some writing from students. If you teach grades 4-12 and would like to have your students try out some lessons, please email me ( gretchen.bernabei@gmail.com ) and write “pilot for poetry” in the subject line. We’ll send you lessons and a permission-to-publish form. We hope to publish poetry from students all over! 

See the photos below for a glimpse of student contributors receiving their complimentary copies of Text Structures from Fairy Tales. I really love that photo of the students pointing to their own pieces in the book. Please consider treating your students to some wonderful, easy, fruitful poetry lessons, especially from mid-April until the end of May.

And thank you for sending us your high-scoring essays, both in the past, and in the future. They enable us to create and circulate the remediation packets and essay collections, one of which is coming to you with this newsletter.

My best to you as you spend your energy, pay your attention, and share your hearts with your students.

Gretchen
Who doesn't love a good fairy tale?
Text Structures From Fairy Tales: Truisms That Help Students Write About Abstract Concepts . . . and Live Happily Ever After, Grades 4-12
There's an author in all of us!
Here are the student contributors to the new fairy tale book.
When looking at Text Structures from Fairy Tales, fourth grade teachers need not despair: “Prompts using abstract concepts? But what about for fourth grade?”

Here are all the prompts from the fairy tale book, tweaked into prompts that are more concrete, more like what the grade 4 STAAR prompts would look like.

Already thinking about a remediation plan? Check out these all new packets to help get you started.
Somewhere, There's Someone Doing Something
Looking for a way to help students avoid abstract writing? Try this general-to- specific organizer!
T

 


Andale Ya! Writing and Grammar in the Spanish with Maureen Ucles


June 11, 2019 – Richardson


Training of Trainers/Intensive Four-Day Session with Gretchen Bernabei

July 8-11, 2019 – New Braunfels
Would you like more information, resources, and updates from Gretchen and the Trail of Breadcrumbs team? Are you interested in connecting with other teachers who use Gretchen’s writing strategies in their classrooms? You’ll find all that and more on the  Trail of Breadcrumbs Facebook Page .

Please be sure to follow the page for updates and  join the teacher group  to collaborate with colleagues.