by Jacqueline Jules How do you inspire students to write beautiful poetry? Share beautiful poetry in your classroom! A wonderful new re...

by Nancy Viau Anthony Pantaloni needs  Just One Thing! —one thing he does well, one thing that will replace the Antsy Pants nickname he...

by Karen Leggett Abouraya This is the season to take a sketchpad or journal outside, walk a trail or just lie in the grass. Watching. W...

by Laura Gehl When I visit classrooms to read my new picture book Hare and Tortoise Race Across Israel , I remind kids that one way a...

by Mary Quattlebaum The Crossover , the 2015 Newbery Medal winner, offers powerful lessons for writers of all ages. At a recent meet...

guest post by Hena Khan I never realized that writing a concept book would feel like solving a puzzle. When I sat down to write Golde...

by Jacqueline Jules Throughout the summer, Pencil Tips bloggers have been suggesting ways to inspire young writers to document their tr...

by Alison Ashley Formento Do you like to dig in the sand? Or dig in the dirt in your backyard garden? When I visit schools, I share...

by Alison Ashley Formento Martin Luther King, Jr. would have celebrated his 85th birthday this month. Each January, when reading or lis...

by Mary Quattlebaum Writing and reading are new challenges for second and third graders, and Jennifer Allison motivates kids to tackl...

by Alison Ashley Formento School is back in session and one of my favorite memories is jumping rope at recess. Long ropes and short, li...

by Laura Krauss Melmed Picking up on the picture book literacy theme running recently through Pencil Tips, I have been thinking about w...

by Jane Harrington It’s that time of year again: kids are sitting at desks, doing jumping jacks in the gym, and standing in lunch lines...