Chalk and Ink: The Podcast for Teachers Who Write and Writers Who Teach

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The multi-talented and transcendent Carole Boston Weatherford talks about how she scaffolds her English class assignments to meet the needs of all learners, how she channeled Billie Holiday’s voice while writing Becoming Billie Holiday which led to other masterful books such as Birmingham, 1963and Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement, and that the author and teacher’s influence extends far beyond a single reader turning a page or the students sitting in front of us.

This episode’s giveaway is amazing. It’s a picture book manuscript from Carole Boston Weatherford. There are several ways to enter: 1) Tweet or retweet this episode and be sure to tag me and Carole, 2) Go to www.katenarita.com/podcast and make a comment on the episode’s post, 3) Make a comment about the episode on our Chalk + Ink Facebook page; and 4) Become a Chalk + Ink Patreon supporter. Patreon supporters are automatically entered into each giveaway. Each one of these actions is the equivalent of one entry which means people can have up to four entries for each giveaway. In order to enter the giveaway, these actions must be completed by midnight on Friday, September seventeenth. The winner will be announced on Friday, September 24th, on the podcast as well as on Twitter and on our Facebook page.

I have a favor to ask, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a positive review wherever you listen to your podcasts. That will help other listeners find us.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Sarah Brannen for Chalk + Ink’s podcast art. If you want to make the most out of these last few summer weeks, be sure to check out Sarah’s A Perfect Day for some summertime fun.

Thank you for your support.

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Believe it or not, the beginning of the school year is here. To celebrate the beginning of Chalk + Ink’s second season, I’ve compiled the top ten writers' workshop tips from last season’s collaborators to help get listeners psyched up to implement fabulous writers' workshops in their classrooms.

Tip Number Ten: Plan for Success
From: @HannahStarkNYC www.hannahcarinastark.com

Tip Number Nine: Go Green
From: @Jodyjlittle www.jodyjlittle.com

Tip Number Eight: Idea Boxes
From: @kmoorebooks www.katrinamoorebooks.com

Tip Number Seven: Marvelous Multiple Intelligences
From: @storiestolife www.aliciadwilliams.com

Tip Number Six: Wonderful Word Choice
From: @Schaubwrites www.michelleschaub.com

Tip Number Five: Poetry Power
From:
@Schaubwrites www.michelleschaub.com
@writerjolene www.jolenegutierrez.com

Tip Number Four: Emphasize Empathy
From:
@sarahscheerger www.sarahlynnbooks.com
@CathyBreisacher www.cathybreisacher.com

Tip Number Three: Editing Excellence
From: @fromajwithlove www.angelashante.com

Tip Number Two: Authentic Audiences
From:
From @mstewartscience www.melissa-stewart.com
From @Author_Cisneros www.ernestocisneros.com
From @LisaLJRogers www.lisarogerswrites.com

Tip Number One: Lit Libraries
From:
@kmoorebooks www.katrinamoorebooks.com
@CathyBreisacher www.cathybreisacher.com

Thanks so much for listening to the Chalk + Ink Season Opener. We have some new features this year. At the end of every episode, I’ll be assigning optional homework. Before September 10th, be sure to read Carole Boston Weatherford’s Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre illustrated by Floyd Cooper and The Roots of Rap illustrated by James Morrison. Do you have to read these books ahead of time? Of course not, it’s optional. But you’ll probably get more out of the episode if you’re familiar with Carole’s work.

The next feature is tons of fun. Each episode will include a giveaway. This episode’s giveaway is a signed copy of 100 Bugs! from me. There are several ways to enter: 1) Tweet or retweet this episode and be sure to tag me and at least one of the featured authors as well, 2) Go to www.katenarita.com/podcast and make a comment on the episode’s post, 3) Make a comment about the episode on our Chalk + Ink Facebook page; and 4) Become a Chalk + Ink Patreon supporter. Patreon supporters are automatically entered into each giveaway. Each one of these actions is the equivalent of one entry which means people could have up to four entries for each giveaway. In order to enter the giveaway, these actions must be completed by midnight on Friday, September third. The winner will be announced on Friday, September 10th, on the podcast as well as on Twitter and on our Facebook page.

I have a favor to ask, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a positive review wherever you listen to your podcasts. That will help other listeners find us.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Sarah Brannen for Chalk + Ink’s podcast art. If you want to make the most out of these last few summer weeks, be sure to check out Sarah’s A PERFECT DAY for some summertime fun.

I look forward to chatting with you again on September 10th. Until then, best of luck with the beginning of the school year. 

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Believe it or not, the school year is wrapping up. For teachers who write and writers who teach that means more time to write. To celebrate the end of Chalk + Ink’s first season, I’ve compiled the top ten writing tips from the first season’s collaborators to help get listeners psyched up for a creative, productive summer.

Tip Number Ten: Set Your Summer Goals Now
From @HannahStarkNYC www.hannahcarinastark.com

Tip Number Nine: Get Current
From @LisaLJRogers www.lisarogerswrites.com

Tip Number Eight: Learn the Craft Moves
From:
@RobSandersWrite www.robsanderswrites.com
@mstewartscience www.melissa-stewart.com
@Schaubwrites www.michelleschaub.com

Tip Number Seven: Strengthen Your Word Choice
From @Schaubwrites www.michelleschaub.com

Tip Number Six: Know Your Characters
From:
@Jodyjlittle www.jodyjlittle.com
@storiestolife www.aliciadwilliams.com

Tip Number Five: Find Your Voice
From:
@RobSandersWrite www.robsanderswrites.com
@JenSwanBooks www.jenniferswansonbooks.com
From @HannahStarkNYC www.hannahcarinastark.com

Tip Number Four: Be Vulnerable
From @mstewartscience www.melissa-stewart.com

Tip Number Three: Write In Your Underwear
From @Author_Cisneros www.ernestocisneros.com

Tip Number Two: Find the Heart Before You Start
From @kmoorebooks www.katrinamoorebooks.com

Tip Number One: Decide Someone Needs to Hear Your Story
@storiestolife www.aliciadwilliams.com

Don’t let nothing stop you Chalk + Ink listeners. You got this! There are so many more invaluable writing tips in each episode of season one. I hope you’ll listen to each interview and take advantage of the invaluable knowledge each creator shared. Chalk + Ink will be back on August 27th with the top ten teaching tips from the first season to get us psyched up for the 2021/2022 school year.

Before I say goodbye and begin what I hope will be my most creative summer yet, I do have a favor to ask. If you enjoy listening to this show, if it’s given you ideas to take back to the classroom or tips to improve your own creative process, please leave a positive review on Stitcher, I-tunes, Google or wherever you download your podcasts. Positive reviews will help other listeners find us.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to author/illustrator Sarah Brannen, @SarahBrannen www.sarahbrannen.com  for creating the art for Chalk + Ink. Sarah’s newest book that she illustrated, Summertime Sleepers is now available at your local bookstore. 

As for me, @KateNarita www.katenarita.com, estivation is not part of my summer plan but digging deep into my heart is.  I look forward to chatting again on August 27th. Until then, happy writing!

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The vivacious and courageous Alicia D. Williams tackles tough topics such as the importance of diversifying the academic canon so that all children see reflections of themselves in the classroom, why children as young as five years old believe they don't belong because of their brown skin and how colorism has existed for generations yet it's not discussed or acknowledged.  If you would like to connect after this episode, you can connect with Alicia at www.aliciadwilliams.com or on Twitter @storiestolife and you can connect with me at www.katenarita.com or on Twitter @KateNarita.

If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a review  on iTunes, Stitcher, Google or wherever you download your podcasts so that more listeners can find us.

Many thanks to Sarah Brannen for our podcast art. If you want to see more of Sarah's work please visit www.sarahbrannen.com or follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahBrannen. Her newest book, Summertime Sleepers, is available in bookstores now. Congrats, Sarah!

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The kind and empathetic Sarah Lynn Scheerger talks about how reading, writing and social emotional learning are intertwined, how to make use of pockets of time and the importance of supporting students with different learning styles. If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Sarah at www.sarahlynnbooks.com and on Twitter @sarahscheerger and you can find me at www.katenarita.com and on Twitter @KateNarita.

If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a review  on iTunes, Stitcher, Google or wherever you download your podcasts so that more listeners can find us.

Many thanks to Sarah Brannen for our podcast art. If you want to see more of Sarah's work please visit www.sarahbrannen.com or follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahBrannen. Her newest book, Summertime Sleepers, is available in bookstores now. Congrats, Sarah!

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The inquisitive and energetic Jennifer Swanson talks about how expository texts are filled with tiny bits of information that fuel children's curiosity,  how writers need to do their research in order to learn the voices and genres of different houses before submitting, and the importance of painting pictures in students' and readers' minds. If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Jen at https://jenniferswansonbooks.com or at https://solveitforkids.com/ and on Twitter @JenSwanBooks. You can find me at www.katenarita.com or on Twitter @KateNarita.

If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a review  on iTunes, Stitcher, Google or wherever you download your podcasts so that more listeners can find us.

Many thanks to Sarah Brannen for our podcast art. If you want to see more of Sarah's work please visit www.sarahbrannen.com or follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahBrannen. Her newest book, Summertime Sleepers, will be available in bookstores on April 27th. Congrats, Sarah!

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The tenacious and thoughtful Hannah Stark talks about reading picture books with multiple lenses, using body and home maps to generate ideas for writers' workshop, and the importance of backward planning and tiny task completion to reach writing goals.  If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Hannah at www.hannahcarinastark.com and on Twitter @HannahStarkNYC and you can find me at www.katenarita.com and on Twitter @KateNarita.

If you enjoy the show, please consider leaving a review  on iTunes, Stitcher, Google or wherever you download your podcasts so that more listeners can find us.

Many thanks to Sarah Brannen for our podcast art. If you want to see more of Sarah's work please visit www.sarahbrannen.com or follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahBrannen.

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The passionate and determined Michelle Schaub talks about the power and beauty of individual words, collective poems and using word fishbowls to overcome writer's block in the classroom. If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Michelle at www.michelleschaub.com and on Twitter @Schaubwrites and you can find me at www.katenarita.com and on Twitter @KateNarita. Happy listening!

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The fun and fierce, Rob Sanders, talks about how LGBTQ+ students and students who have LGBTQ+ family members need to see themselves and their families reflected in books, how we need to stop giving our time away so that we can focus on writing and how breakthrough moments happen every day in writing and teaching if we are looking for them. If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Rob at www.robsanderswrites.com and on Twitter @RobSandersWrite and you can find me at www.katenarita.com and on Twitter @KateNarita. Happy listening!

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The flexible and humorous Sheri Dillard talks about how she uses pretend read alouds to revise her manuscripts, the importance of putting books face out so that they're accessible for preschoolers and the necessity of believing in yourself to make your dream of becoming a published author come true. If you would like to connect after this episode, you can find Sheri at www.sheridillard.com and on Twitter @sheridillard and you can find me at www.katenarita.com and on Twitter @KateNarita. Happy listening!

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