Hello!
As a former teacher (31 years!) I love to connect with students and educators, and spend a lot of time doing just that via classroom visits and teachers’ conventions, as well as through this website. Below you will find a number of free downloads you can use in your classroom. If you have any questions about any of the resources, or would like to know more about writing workshops (for students or teachers), author visits or literacy presentations, just contact me below.
There are also resources for your students on the Cool Stuff page, including writing tips (“Writing With Robin”) and short stories. Of course, as a teacher you can also access this material and build reading or writing lessons around it.
Free Downloads
How to Get Your Students Writing
Teachers’ Convention Presentation
Writing 101
Teachers’ Convention Presentation
Space Cadets Novel Guide (printable)
Includes chapter summaries, discussion questions for each chapter, themes and a bank of activity/lesson ideas.
Space Cadets Novel Guide
Includes chapter summaries, discussion questions for each chapter, themes and a bank of activity/lesson ideas.
3 Simple Tricks That Make Editing Fun & Easy (& Other Lies)
Teachers’ Convention Presentation
What Could Go Wrong?
Teachers’ Convention Presentation
What Could Go Wrong?
This writing unit will help students generate and develop story ideas in a way that will aid their understanding of basic story structure.
Creating Characters
2 lists that your students can use to help them create unique, interesting characters (see “Writing With Robin” #4)
Content-Area Writing: Writing to Learn; Learning to Write
Teachers’ Convention Presentation
Box Story
A blank template along with instructions showing how to complete each box
Plot Structure Graphic
Shows and describes the basic parts of a story.
Story Organizer
For use with “What Could Go Wrong?” writing unit
Writing With Robin
Ideas and Tips for Young Writers
Writing With Robin, #4: Characters
Think about your favourite stories (including books, movies and TV shows). There are probably a bunch of reasons you love them. How many of those reasons have to do with the characters? You can tell a story with boring characters, but it won’t be a very good one....
Writing With Robin, #3: Defeating Writer’s Block
Have you ever sat down to write, but just couldn’t think of a good idea? It’s called writer’s block, and it’s an ugly beast that every writer has had to battle at one time or another. There are many ways to conquer this monster, but today I’m going to tell you about...
Writing With Robin, #2: “The Adventures of Baby Edwin”, and the Importance of Feedback
If you haven’t read The Adventures of Baby Edwin #1: The Great Escape, this post will probably make more sense if you do that first. So I got this idea for a series of stories about a toddler who escapes his crib at naptime and has ridiculous adventures. Funny,...