Thanks for helping us celebrate our 30th anniversary publishing books and media for the composition classroom. We had a great time in Atlanta and enjoyed seeing so many of you at our party at Turner Field. Now we have a…
Category: Bedford Bits
Cake! Bits Flashback for April 3
The solution to writer’s block is cake! A round-up of Tips for Fighting Writer’s Block, from the Inside Higher Ed’s University of Venus blog, includes everything from setting rigid deadlines to sitting down for some cake and coffee. Cake may…
OMG! LOL! Bits Flashback for March 28
Last week, the OED announced a new batch of words that have been added to the dictionary. Among this year’s inductees are OMG, short for “Oh My God,” and LOL, short for “Laughing Out Loud.” My favorite part of the…
March Madness! Bits Flashback for March 20
It’s the time of year for basketball and brackets, underdogs and dream teams, last-second miracles and heartbreaking losses. In the classroom, why not try a March Madness Poetry Tournament? It’s an activity you can easily customize for your class. Don’t…
Spring Ahead: Bits Flashback for March 13
When I was little, I couldn’t remember the difference between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time. Mom always repeated a little saying: “Spring ahead; Fall back.” I haven’t seen a flower pop its head above ground yet, but as I…
In Like a Lion! Bits Flashback for March 6
According to the old adage, March should come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. With rain and flood watches here in Blacksburg and reports of new snow from colleagues across the country, I guess the saying…
Educational Resources You’re Guaranteed to Like
If you are an English teacher, I’m here to make you a promise. Every day, I gather the latest news stories on literacy, literature, and composition and post them online. When I finish that, I publish details on the wonderful…
Bits Post: Warning: No Yelling in the Food Court
Try this incredibly simple but quite useful analogy to reach students who are struggling with issues of audience and style. Soon they’ll be speaking to, and not at, their audience.
Bits Post: Getting Beyond Words in Visual Analysis
Take a poster into the classroom, and what will students see when you ask them to analyze the message? Most of the time they zoom in on whatever words are included. They may later come back to other aspects of…
Does THIS Make Me a Real Blogger?
So what makes a writer really a writer? It’s when you believe that you’re a writer. Course having a super important badge that says so also helps, especially if they look at you funny when you try to crash the…