Introduction

Hi!  My name is Erin Byrd and I live and teach in Olathe, Kansas.  I teach 3rd grade and this is my third year teaching 3rd grade.  I am taking this class to learn more about how to implement more effective language arts instruction in my classroom.  I'm very excited to learn more strategies for teaching writing, which is one of the more challenging skills for my students, especially for my ELL students, to grasp.  I have read the book Trait-Based Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing in Grades 2-4 by Megan Sloan, which has practical lessons for instructing students in the 6 Traits.  Overall, I haven't read many books specifically about writing.  Many of the books I've read about teaching reading integrate writing activities within in them.  For example, I've read the book Strategies that Work, which teaches strategies to engage students in responding to their reading in writing.

All throughout school I loved to write.  In elementary school, I could spend hours making up fictional stories and writing down memories from family vacations.  I enjoyed writing through high school and college and wish that I could find more time to write for fun at this point in my life.  A couple of things that make me, me is that I got married this past summer and I teach for the same school district that I attended all throughout K-12.  I have attached a picture from my wedding this summer, so that you can get to know me better.