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Immediate Implementation

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | February 16, 2017 | Comments Off on Immediate Implementation

THANK YOU!!! I am so thankful I came. You have no idea how much you have inspired and helped me. Thank you so much! What I LOVE about it is that I came back from that workshop and have incorporated …

Stacked and aligned books

What is Expository Writing?

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | January 5, 2017 | Comments Off on What is Expository Writing?

Dear Dr. D, I’ve been researching expository writing and keep getting this type of definition: Expository writing is devoid of descriptive detail and opinion. It contains just the facts. How can I reconcile that statement with the Schaffer method?  Thanks, …

The CD:CM Ratio

The CD:CM Ratio: It’s All Relative.

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | May 19, 2016 | Comments Off on The CD:CM Ratio: It’s All Relative.

Dear Dr. D’, What do I tell my department when they would like to change the ratios from what they were taught?  Frustrated Department Chair Dear Frustrated, Your question is one which I address on a regular basis; and, now …

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The Vertical Vision: Hitting on All Cylinders (PART IV OF IV – Writing)

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | April 7, 2016 | Comments Off on The Vertical Vision: Hitting on All Cylinders (PART IV OF IV – Writing)

Dear Teachers, Today is the fourth blog in a four-part series called “Hitting on All-Cylinders” (HOAC). The series began with one of my colleagues asking me how to get everything done in a given year. In other words, her Scope and Sequence (S&S) …

Desks in a testing room

Life is a Timed Test!: How to Integrate ELA Skills and Concepts to Achieve Goals and Complete the Scope and Sequence

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | January 27, 2016 | 0 Comments

  Dear Dr. D’, “Our Scope and Sequence is huge, and I do not know how to get everything done and include the Jane Schaffer Writing Program, too. Help!! I’m drowning!”  Lisa  Dear Lisa, Most teachers feel the same as …

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STAAR® Woes: Writing an Expository Essay Without It Transforming Into a Personal Narrative

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | December 15, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, “I have a question regarding last year’s 7th grade Expository STAAR® Prompt.  We just took our 2015 benchmark (MOCK STAAR) and I am reading the students’ essays.  I am a bit confused about how they would have …

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The Story of a Teacher

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | December 8, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. Louis, I just wanted to say thank you for continuing Jane’s vision, message, and programs. In 1991, I was a drama major and former actor returning to my home in San Diego after two and a half years …

Teacher observing students' conversation

The “MISS”NOMER

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | November 19, 2015 | 0 Comments

As educators, we help students to find the right words. Without us, without education, the poverty of words results in frustration and anger. So, I am always proud of teachers who build their students’ vocabulary everyday to help them express …

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SCOPE AND SEQUENCE: Summative Assessment

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | September 23, 2015 | 0 Comments

Finish Scoring the one-chunk body paragraph and the process from Independent Writing last week. Do not score only the final product; you must score the process to demonstrate to students that the process at this stage in their writing acumen …

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Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later: Planning, Preparing, and Implementing Writing Prompts

By Dr. Deborah E. Louis | September 23, 2015 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. D’, I wanted to get your comments on a  prompt that I will use on Friday with my Honors students.  They read a creation myth about good vs. evil and the need for both in order to create …