2007 Donald H. Graves Writing Award Winner

Ann Marie Corgill is the sixth recipient of the NCTE Donald H. Graves Writing Award. She is a first grade teacher at Riverchase Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama.

"If you were to visit my classroom, you'd see a classroom filled with young writers hard at work writing stories about flesh eating monsters and marriages ending 'happily every after,' summer vacation stories from the Poconos to Poland, and a bazillion 'all about me' stories . . . My Dad and Me, My Dog, My Dinosaur . . . My Goodness!!  Lots of open folders, paper choices, approximated spellings, crayola-filled illustrations, and little hands intently gripping pencils.  There are tables and rugs and corner book nooks filled with little bodies.  Everywhere in my writing workshop are little people with big ideas about writing and book making."

Read more of Ann Marie's award winning essay!    (PDF)

Also read the April 1999 Primary Voices K-6 article "Talking about Books: Learning from Our Experience as Readers where Ann Marie discusses her literature discussion group and how it helped her become a better teacher.  

Award Overview
Established in 2001 by Donald H. Graves, this award annually recognizes teachers in grades 1-6 who demonstrate an understanding of student improvement in the teaching of writing. The award is administered by the Elementary Section Steering Committee of NCTE which selects an award recipient from the portfolios and essays submitted during the year.  MORE . . .