Teaching writing can be a challenging, time-consuming, and draining process but it does not have to be — and you do not need to teach alone! Writers learn what they need to know about writing from reading and examining how authors use words and structures to effectively convey meaning. You and your students are surrounded by hundreds of authors in your classrooms and libraries. In this class we will discuss what it means to read like a writer, examine numerous examples of writer’s craft through focused, children’s book text sets, and develop learning experiences that will help both teacher and student separate what a books is about from how it is written. Learning how to write by studying the work of excellent writers is fun, engaging, and extremely effective. When that happens, so does amazing growth and progress in writing.