Getting Students to Write! Helping Elementary and Middle School teachers transform writing time (Melissa C Morrison, Elementary, Middle School Writing Consultant, Literacy Coach)

I've been there. I've wanted to be in charge of what my writers do in the classroom. I worried that their writing might not reflect 'good teaching', so I controlled much of what they did as writers. When writers struggled to strong pieces, I thought I needed to come up with all of the next steps. But did that help them to learn how to be successful writers? I don't think so.

Today we talk about a few possible reasons for our lack of "trust" in our writers as well as ways to provide it by giving our students' ownership over their writing.

Listen in as I model the mentor text portion of 2 mini-lessons!

Mentor Texts are highly effective in demonstrating writing strategies to your writers!

I will discuss the process of using a text as a mentor text and share with you two mini-lessons to with a particular mentor text- The Day You Begin by Jaqueline Woodson.

I will be taking a break soon but will be back in August and would LOVE to hear the questions you have as you begin to think of your writing time for next year!

Reach out and let me know and I will answer your questions on the podcast!

If you want your writers to grow, you have to let them write! Every support you provide is hindering their chance of learning and growing as writers. If you want students to be interested in writing and write independently, you need this episode! This episode will give you the push you need to just let your students write! 

I just felt there was so much more to say about the last episode's topic, so I am making two more! This episode is all about the language you use when teaching writing so that you are teaching the writer!

It is so important and effective to use certain words and phrases, because it will change your mindset, questioning and teaching practices! 

If your students struggle with using writing skills consistently, or don't seem to improve from one writing to the next, this episode is for you!

"Use the writing as a tool to teach the writer!" Just one helpful tip for writing instruction and conferring with students.

This idea of the language you use is helpful for narrative writing, informational writing, opinion writing and all writing strategies.

If our goal is to grow independent writers, then we need to guide them in effectively cycling through the writing process in order to create clear, detailed and organized pieces of writing.

Effective use of planning, or pre-writing, is an integral step in student writing, and in order for a writer's planning to be worthwhile, it needs to be the right fit for them.

In this episode, you will hear my thoughts on traditional planning methods and why they are not supporting the idea of "teaching the writer, not the writing" as well as various strategies for ways students can plan their writing.

Happy Listening!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Many educators have learned enough about the structure of writer's workshop to know that is has three components: mini-lessons, independent time and share time. However, there are other concepts to know and understand that differ from what we may think of as the "traditional" writing instruction.

In this episode, you will hear my take on what teachers should know about Writer's Workshop before they begin to use it in their classroom. This episode will get you on your way to implementing best practices in writing instruction. 

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with two of my favorite teachers whom I have been lucky enough to work alongside as they journey into writer's workshop. They share so many juicy tidbits of how workshop compares to their previous experience with writing instruction, what was difficult for them, and what they love about workshop! This is definitely my favorite episode so far, and I am so thankful for their willingness to speak to all of you!

This episode is a follow up from Episode 15, and digs a bit deeper into how to focus your observations of writers as well as ways to take notes according to various lenses of focus.

It is very helpful and effective for teachers to see what their students are doing, as well as what they are able to do as writers, in order to help inform your nexxt steps in writing instruction.

It is impossible to ignore the connection between reading and writing.

This episode delves into the ways that understanding that connection help to inform and enhance writing instruction.

Melissa shares what research says about how reading and writing work together, ways to begin to make this connection known to students and the 'behind the scene' ways that reading strengthens writing.

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

Part 2 with Dana Teague is here! Dana's energy is contagious, and she shares so many ideas for supporting your student writers.

Listen in to hear:

Why you don't need to be a perfect writer to teach your writers

Ways to get to know your writers

Free Writing Assessment

Helping writers use AI effectively

I hope you enjoy the episode!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Another fabulous interview with Pre-K literacy teacher and consultant Melissa McCall of Moving Little Minds!

We talk all things early childhood writing!

Key Take-aways:

3 parts of writing-all equally important

Ways to include writing in multiple areas of the school day

Importance of instilling a love of writing and story-telling!

If you are looking for more knowledge of writing development for our earliest writers...listen in!

Melissa can be found on Instagram and Facebook @movinglittleminds as well as on her website www.movinglittleminds.com

The books mentioned today were: Talking, Drawing Writing: Lessons for our Littlest Learners by Horn and Giacobbe and Literacy Learning for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; Key Practices for Educators

Building a writing unit can seem like a daunting task, so here is another episode with even more help for planning one!

In this episode, I will speak more to the idea of obtaining feedback from your students and how helpful it can be to identifying teaching points.

We will also discuss the "go to" teaching methods to utilize throughout your units.

Happy Listening!

If you are looking for inspiration for teaching writing, this is the episode for you! My guest, Cassandra Williams, owner of Educational Innovation 360 brings her energy and passion for literacy and supporting teachers.

Listen in to hear us discuss:

-Cassandra's observations of writing programs in various districts

-Bringing real-world writing into the classroom

-Cassandra's hopes for writing instruction

-Small ways to enhance writing in your classroom

I hope you enjoy this episode!

About Cassandra:

Cassandra Williams is a true innovator in the education field, having dedicated over 25 years of her life to revolutionizing existing systems and setting new standards of excellence. With a degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s from California State University, she is also the founder of two successful elementary schools in Indianapolis. Her research has focused on coaching teachers to accelerate student achievement, often utilizing video and other technologies as learning tools. Her most recent passion is the Educational Innovation 360° an e-Instructional Coaching System, which she designed and developed in 2018.

About Melissa and Teaching to Transform:

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Calling all educators!

What a pleasure it was to speak with author, educator and podcast host Mr. Jacob Chastain.

Mr. Chastain's passion for students and for writing (and for student writers!) is clear and contagious, and is such an inspiration for all educators, regardless of the grade level or content they teach.

A few quotes from our guest:

"Not everyone is going to be a certain type of writer. Our job is to be their writing coach..."

"In real writing a lot of writing happens in the head before it ever comes to the page."

"Let's make our classrooms a place where writers can mingle, and they can get distracted, and they can live the writerly life. It's not just a free for all. We are still thinking about writing!"

"I was never going to get [my students] to retain those grammar things if I never got them to care about what they were writing in the first place."

If you are looking for help with teaching writing in a way that works for your students, this is the episode for you!

You can find Mr. Chastain on Instagram @heychastain, Facebook at Teach Me, Teacher and on each of his two podcasts: Teach Me, Teacher and Craft and Draft.

Also check out his two books; Teach Me, Teacher and Writefully Empowered

It can be difficult to know and choose what skills and strategies to teach your writers. Today's episode provides two ways to gather data on student writing that will inform your instruction. We will talk about looking at writing as a class with a process called "thin slicing" as well as looking at writing of individual students one at a time during quick conferences. 

Some resources mentioned in this episode are The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo and Writing Pathways by Lucy Calkins with Kelly Hohne and Audra Robb and colleagues from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. 

This episode asks an important question of you, writing teacher! It is one that helps you to reflect on your practice and understand the "why" behind many aspects of writer's workshop and "teaching the writer". 

You will hear how to teach your writer for their future, not just for this writing, right now. 

These strategies for writing instruction are crucial to growing your students as writers! 

I reference two books that I have referenced in previous episodes: The Writing Pathways Book by Lucy Calkins and The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo. 

Happy Writing!

Why are we having our students revise? Sure, we want them to make their piece the best it can be! But, are we revising with a focus on the writer, or on the writing?

This episode will discuss two thoughts on the revision portion of the writing process:

1-Why do we revise and how can we make it effective for our writers?

2-When do writers revise

Melissa will share how the idea of "teaching the writer" is still vital and effective for revision as well as ways to choose revision strategies in your classroom.

If we want to get our students to write, we must teach them!

Happy Listening!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

You won't want to miss the second part of my interview with these two fabulous educators!

We continue our discussion on the topics of:

Handling the "expectations" of teaching writing:

-considering each writer's "default"

-letting go in order to prevent holding writers back

-creating school-based progressions

-focusing on growth

Editing in a new light

-editor vs writer

-risk vs perfection

-non-negotiables

Our guests' favorite pieces of advice

I left this interview with so many new learnings to share with teachers and I know you will too!

Books mentioned: The Unstoppable Writing Teacher by Colleen Cruz, Teaching Fiercely by Kass Minor, Why They Can't Write by John Warner.

Guests

Coley Conter: Coley Conter brings deep experience as a curriculum writer, lead teacher, and literacy innovator to her work at TC Advancing Literacy. She’s been a contributor to new editions of Units of Study in Writing and an instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University. Her educational experience spans grades 3-12. Coley is passionate about cultivating brave classroom communities and increasing interdisciplinary literacy in schools, both of which she continues to explore as a student in the Literacy Specialist program.

Katy Wischow: Katy Wischow has been a staff developer, supporting schools and teachers around the world, since 2013. Before that, she found her way to workshop teaching, seeing how it transformed her students' work in her Newark, NJ middle school classroom. Her students' response led Katy to enroll in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, where she earned her M.A. Katy is the co-author of the professional book Unlocking the Power of Classroom Talk, co-written several Units of Study for middle school, and the Ida & Jake series in the Jump Rope Readers decodable book collection. She is passionate (and super nerdy!) about curriculum, writing instruction, and all things literacy!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the...

Shared Writing is a highly-effective writing instructional practice for elementary and even middle school students in which the teacher holds the pen while collaboratively composing a piece of text with their students. Students are involved in all stages of the writing process with support from the teacher.

Students need a high number of opportunities to see and practice many types of writing.

Shared Writing allows the time for students to be free of the transcription part of writing so they may concentrate more on the composition and the thinking that goes along with it.

In this episode, Melissa shares her views on the use of Shared Writing as well as:

-How long each session should take

-Key practices to utilize (such as ways to engage students)

-Choosing topics for all students

-and what NOT to do!

Shared Writing can be implemented in all grade levels and is extremely helpful for student progress as it provides a real-time model for the steps of the writing process.

This practice is meant to be tailored to the needs of your students and has flexibility in implementation while following a few set techniques and routines.

Listen in and get ready to implement Shared Writing in your classroom!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

If you are like many teachers I know, you do not have a writing "curriculum" or writing units that are already planned out for you!

But as I spoke about earlier in Episode 10, you don't need a writing program...you just need to follow the steps I provide in this episode!

All it takes is:

Writing State Standards

A purpose for your writing unit

Writing Mentor Texts

And a bit of time!

This episode will help you feel prepared to plan your first writing unit for your students! The steps discussed will help with narrative writing, informational writing, opinion writing and non-genre writing units.

What does writing time FEEL like in your elementary or middle school classroom?

Is that feeling something your students need in order to enjoy and engage in writing?

Writing instruction needs to be explicit and effective, but in order for our students to WANT to write, writing time needs to be enjoyable, collaborative and engaging!

If you want to see a classroom full of students excited to write, taking risks and writing more,

this episode will help you reflect on the structure of your writing time and provide ways for you to create an environment that is conducive to writing for your students.

Ready to Shake Things Up? Press play!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

This episode was inspired by a recent keynote speech given by Mr. Eduardo Briceno.

His speech resonated with me and the work I do with writing teachers and writing instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms!

We all want to do our best, but do we really know how to make change in our work?

Teachers are always performing, trying to give their best to their students. However Mr. Briceno tells us that living in the "performance zone" hinders our ability to learn and grow.

If you want to truly grow as a teacher of writing and help your student writers to grow as well, this is the episode for you!

Eduardo Briceno's Book The Performance Paradox

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

If you are wondering how to start your writing program this year, this is the episode for you! K-8 teachers will find helpful information for getting started with writing so that your students will ASK for writing time and enjoy writing!

In order to create classrooms full of independent, successful writers who enjoy writing, try these 3 things.

Encourage community

Get to know them as writers

Choose a few teaching points

In the episode, I provide ways to do all three things in order to get your students to write!

Key Points: Your students are your best resource!

Be inquisitive!

Teach what they need!

'Publish means public, not Perfect' and 'Value the Process, not the Product!'

These are the mantras I'd like you to take on when thinking about the editing and publish portion of the writing process for your students.

When we keep the writer in mind (teach the writer, not the writing!) we will not have them edit to "perfection". We will have them edit to their level of skill with editing.

When we value the process, not the product and we know that "publish means public, not perfect" we do not need to have our writers completely rewrite their final product.

I hope this episode will help you to continue to transform your writing time!

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

About Melissa

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

In a previous episode (#57) I spoke about the "composing" aspect of writing instruction.

It is vital to understand that our young writers need to learn how to compose!

Oftentimes, because the conventions are what stands out to us when we read a student's writing piece, they become our focus, and lessons and discussion on the composition portion of writing fall to the wayside.

Fear not, because this episode will help you to stop the war between conventions and composition so that you will help your writers to grow with well-balanced writing instruction!

Mentioned in this episode: Jennifer Serravallo's The Writing Strategies Book.

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Elementary

Middle School

Teaching Writing

I know you will gain so much from this conversation from Mrs. Risa Woods, educator and ELL expert!

Risa provides high-impact teaching strategies and mindsets that are geared toward supporting multi-lingual learners but will benefit all students in your classroom.

The information Risa shares is of great help to teachers who are limited in support when teaching English Language Learners.

In this episode, Risa and I continue our discussion with ideas for supporting learners new to literacy instruction.

Risa Woods Instagram

Risa Woods Website

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Another important piece of student-centered writing instruction is the writing community that you create in your classroom! Today we will discuss the typical struggles of writing for students and how to alleviate them with community work! You will hear about Identity work, Encouragement and Collaboration in your writing community and how it will increase student success in writing! 

I have had many questions recently regarding content area writing instruction. Although writing across the curriculum is not a new term in education, most content area teachers still have little training in how to incorporate effective writing practice and instruction into their subject area.

This episode shared 4 techniques to not only help get more writing into your class as a content area teacher, but also how to more effectively meet the needs of your writers.

You will learn about:

• The impact of writing with your students
• Small ways to include more writing practice that also impacts reading success
• Implementation of Baseline Writing Pieces and a simply way to assess them
• Implementation of 2 ways to model writing strategies for students

After this episode, you will feel much more capable of incorporating writing into your content-area curriculum!

About Melissa:

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

You are letting your writers write and that's fantastic! As you look toward moving them forward as writers by conferring with them, the first step is to ensure that you know where your students are in their writing journey.

This episode talks about the importance of letting your students teach you and show you what they need and provides ways to gather information from the students and their writing work. 

Books mentioned: Teaching the Writer by Lucy Calkins and About the Authors by Katie Wood Ray

Hey There Writing Teacher!

Have you asked these questions before?

'How much should my students be writing?' 'What should their writing look like?' 'What should I focus on?' How should I instruct this writer?'

Well-today we turn stop saying 'should' and start using 'can'!

This episode will share Melissa's take on how teachers can approach their own learning of student-centered writing instruction by accepting the journey. We will also discuss the importance of knowing students' abilities and valuing the joy of writing!

Alright teachers, here's the thing. I know it can be scary to teach this writing stuff! Today I talk about the 3 obstacles around teaching writing and the ways to combat our fears and concerns and start transforming writing instruction! Teaching writing does not have to be scary! Teaching writing doesn't have to be fancy!

In this episode, I share my best strategies for making the jump into helping your students as writers, and hopefully give you the push you need to make some changes!

Resource: Writing Pathways; Performance Assessments and Learning Progressions K-8, Lucy Calkins

Writing teachers! I know there is such a variety of writing levels in your classroom!

This issue has been brought to my attention from several teachers this school year, so we are going to tackle this challenge head-on in today's episode!

Listen in to hear how to collect real-time data from your writers and then use it to guide your writing instruction. It will take a bit of time to gather data, but it is the necessary step in moving writers forward, and in feeling confident in your teaching of writing!

After this episode, you will have a plan for tackling writing instruction for all of your writers!

Teachers! Let me tell you why you do not need a specific writing program or manual to teach writing! I promise you that you only need a few methods and bits of information to get your students writing and growing as writers.

You will want to continue to learn and refine your practice, but just making a few changes will start your transformation!

Are your students struggling with writing independently? Do you feel unqualified to teach writing?

If you know that the writing happening in your classroom is just not quite enough, listen in!

I am here to help your writing instructional strategies improve.

Resources:

Writing Pathways

The Writing Strategies Book

More about Writer's Workshop Mini-lessons!

In this episode you will hear:

My thoughts on why teachers should follow the structure of the mini-lesson

A mini-lesson for you!

Ways to create the Teach and Active Engagement portion of the mini-lesson

I hope you participate and enjoy this episode!

You will enjoy this episode with my guest, Ms. Hannah Roudebush! Hannah was a teacher who truly cared for her students and did everything she could to make learning "relevant, engaging, and perhaps the most important aspect of that, enjoyable."

Hannah is passionate about getting learners participating in the learning process and in this episode, she shares ideas for doing just that!

Listen in to hear about:

-thinking outside the box

-finding teacher autonomy alongside teaching standards

-getting students out of their seats

-building writing fluency

-mixing up the routing

-the "foot" writing piece

-the "sweater" project

-capitalizing on curiosity

This is not an episode to miss!

About Hannah Roudebush: Hannah is a Training Consultant at Gale, part of Cengage Group, where she develops and delivers training to K-12 teachers and school media specialists, as well as special, government, and public library staff on a wide variety of digital resources supporting lifelong learning.

 She earned her BA in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies from Marshall University in 2012. She later went on to gain certification in English 5-Adult, as well as MAs in both Instructional Processes and Strategies and School Principalship. After teaching 8th grade for 10 years, Hannah joined the EdTech world as a training consultant.

 She has a passion for making learning fun and teaching in unconventional ways, while still making instruction both rigorous and relevant. Targeting different learning styles, fostering critical thinking skills, and getting participants engaged in the learning process are her educational passions!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Drafting is so much more than we realize!

In this episode, Melissa shares the details of drafting by exploring all the purposes of this part of the writing process for our student writers as well as for ourselves as teachers, and how important it is for us to understand this aspect of writing for our writing instruction.

Discussion points include:

How planning is also "drafting"

Drafting is a vulnerable step that requires a safe community of writers

Students and teachers learn from a draft

Multiple drafts per unit

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Do you give enough time to new practices in writing instruction?

Or perhaps you throw in the towel as soon as things don't go as planned?

I have definitely been guilty of "poo pooing" a new strategy or technique when it doesn't magically fix everything right away. But the truth is, everything takes time!

Plus, sometimes a small adjustment is all it needs to work smoothly.

Oftentimes we feel like something is wrong when the thing that's meant to help us falls short.

This episode will share examples of common challenges with new workshop practices and how to overcome them with time, understanding and action!

Don't miss this helpful episode for your elementary or middle school writing time!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

You've gotten to know your students as writers, and you've chosen goals for your class.

Now what?

It's time to find strategies for writing that your writers can use to meet their goals!

In this episode, Melissa shares four techniques for finding and choosing teaching points.

1. Leveraging Your Own Writing Experience
2. Mining Mentor Texts
3. Thinking Outside the Box
4. Utilizing Professional Texts

Listen in and feel more confident in your ability to teach your writers!

Professional Books Mentioned in the Episode"

Units of Study in Narrative, Opinion and Informational

Writing Pathways

The Writing Strategies Book

Projecting Possibilities

Lesson that Change Writers

The Unstoppable Writing Teacher

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Here is a quick episode to give the short and sweet of modeled writing.

What it is, what it isn't and why it's great!

My dear teacher,

You are working so hard and are just so worried about that one student. They don't seem to be catching up or getting closer to "grade-level expectations" as writers.

This episode is for you, because I don't want you to stress anymore!

You will hear about how to look for growth and see your part in your writers' journey!

Listen in and feel better about all that you are doing for your elementary and middle school writers!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Do you have a few writers in your classroom who have trouble getting started or can't seem to write the whole time? This episode is all about engagement in writing, and how building up this independence in your writers will help them to be successful longer than one class period! 

Writing strategies aren't just about what's on paper! They are also about students' behaviors and how they can help them to stay engaged during writing time. 

This episode is short but important! It refers back to one of the foundations of writer's workshop, building a community, and reviews Jennifer Serravallo's Hierarchy of Writing Goals from The Writing Strategies Book. 

Happy Listening!

Ok- Hear me out!

I am going to share 5 convincing reasons why taking time to write for yourself will truly benefit you as a teacher of writing as well as your students as writers.

I know you are so very busy, and I promise that even a little bit of your own writing will go a LONG way!

If your students aren't enjoying writing or are stuck in one spot, this strategy will help!

Listen in to this episode and you will be moved to start writing and share it with your students!

Sneak Peak of the Benefits:

1. Understanding what happens with students as they write.
2. More easily identifying what your students need.

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

You may not have had said this out loud, but I know it has been in the back of your mind.

It is there each time you make a decision to:

-provide a structure graphic organizer for planning

Or

-have students "check in" before moving ahead in the work

In this episode, I encourage teachers to consider the purpose of their fear and provide less structured guidance, allowing students to make errors as part of their natural learning process.

I highlight the importance of observing each student's individual writing abilities and using those observations to guide our instruction. By focusing on each student's unique path of development, we can better facilitate a love for writing and help them grow authentically.

This episode will encourage you to let your students BE WRITERS!

00:49 Common Teaching Practices in Writing

02:08 Understanding the Fear of Mistakes

03:34 Embracing Individual Writing Paths

04:53 Learning from Mistakes

05:30 Sports Analogy for Writing Development

08:09 Encouragement for elementary and middle school Teachers

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Students and teachers are struggling with learning and teaching writing skills, and it is time for a change.

But what do we consider writing? What is focused on and valued in our schools during writing time?

This episode discusses the meaning of writing and how writing is often showing up in our classrooms. Melissa shares her views on what writing means to her and how to be sure we are hitting all aspects of writing in our instruction so that our writers learn and grow!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

I just love the Question-and-Answer portion of workshops! This is when I truly know what the teachers need!

Today's episode will cover these two questions:

How can I support emergent writers?

After finding out students' writing level - do I split them into groups and focus on their level or do the teaching as a whole class?

Happy Listening!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

  It isn't easy to try something new, and sometimes, it's even more difficult to keep going! Here are 4 possible troubles you will face when implementing writer's workshop and why and how you will get past them! Remember this episode when you are in the thick of your transformation!

Wow! What an inspiring episode! Kimberly leaves us with so many thoughts and questions! Her passion is contagious, and I hope you feel it too!

Just a few of her quotes that stand out are:

• I try to sell writing to my students.
• Writing heals
• Writing is your voice
• For students to see themselves as a writer, the teacher must see themselves as a writer.
• Remedial writing classes have exploded at the collegiate level.

Our conversation compels me even more to ensure that not only is writing brought to the forefront of education, but that students are able to be seen as writers and enjoy writing time!

I cannot wait to hear what you found most inspiring from this episode!

Interview episodes are always the best!

Michelle Ruhe is a friend and literacy mentor! She is a fabulous resource and support for all things literacy intruction!

In this episode we discuss:

Why we feel training and support in writing instruction are desperately needed

Our take on the "Science of Writing"

Shared Writing and its importance for upper grades

The importance and effectiveness of teachers as writers

You can and SHOULD find Michelle on Instagram at @coach_fromthecouch on Facebook at Coach from the Couch

You can also join her Facebook Group; Literacy Lessons for Elementary Teachers or at her website and blog Coachfromthecouch.com

Happy Listening!

I can picture it now, students are still and silent as they try to work on their writing piece. The teacher quiets anyone who is whispering and tells them to keep writing.

In this episode, we talk more about what it means to allow students to write authentically, which includes encouraging collaboration with peers...DURING writing time!

If you are wanting to get your students to write, you need to let them write just as any other writer does; with comfort, choice, time for thinking, collaboration and even quick breaks!

Listen in to hear more.

I think writing teachers everywhere will connect to this episode!

We want to help our writers and we rely on our own assumptions to make choices and decisions for writing instruction.

But what if we allow our writers to show us what they need before we give them what we THINK they need?

If you want to Get Your Students to Write, listen in to hear about this teacher mistake with writing and how to avoid it!

Here is Part 2 where we will relate that high jump session to writing instruction!

Identifying a jumper's bar height, understanding their approach, observing and analyzing their jump, identifying a foundational skill, demonstrating a skill, allowing for practice and providing feedback all happened in one training session!

Each part of that session correlates to a variety of components in writing such as: identifying a student's writing level of ability, understanding their writing identity and how they plan, observing their process, analyzing data, identifying a foundational skill, demonstration, practice and feedback!

I can't wait to hear what resonates with you after listening to this episode:)

Here is Part 2!

This one is all about providing Meaning and facilitating Collaboration.

In order for students to feel motivated to write, it must be meaningful to them. Creating meaning always comes back to authentic writing opportunities. Does that mean a writing prompt? NO!

Collaboration is vital for so many reasons! Writers will be able to: celebrate, work through problems, generate ideas and feel a sense of confidence from being able to help a peer or be celebrated for their writing!

Happy listening!

Sometimes using a mentor text to teach writing seems scary, but I promise you, it is not!

In this episode, Melissa covers:

~The what and Why of Mentor texts for writing

~How to choose a mentor text for writing

~Using your own library or Read Alouds as mentor texts

~Ideas for strategies to teach using a mentor text

Your young writers need to see writing strategies in action in order to grow as writers.

Listen in and "up your game" when it comes to teaching writing!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

What is a writing mini-lesson and why should you use them? Well...listen to this episode to hear about:

Where mini-lessons came from and when they are used.

How to choose teaching points for your writing mini-lessons.

The components of a mini-lesson.

If you are wondering how to get students to write and grow as writers, mini-lessons are a vital part of teaching writing!

Happy Listening!

I mean, it really is!

I recently watched my daughter's high jump training session and was blown away by the parallels between teaching writing and coaching the high jump!

The cycle of observation, demonstration, practice, and feedback the trainer used is exactly how we want to support our writers.

Listen in to see if you can find the similarities to writing as I tell the story of my daughter's session and learn how the high jump can teach us about growing writers!

Just like me, I bet you have said, "they just aren't growing!" and you've felt frustrated with your students' writing growth.

What do we do when our writers (or we) struggle with writing instruction. Long story short, Just Keep Going!

It takes time and lots of repetition for students to grow and succeed, so we need to keep teaching, writing, sharing, trying and supporting our students!

Listen in to hear about what I mean and how and why to just keep going with writing instruction!

If we are hoping to help our writers to enjoy and be engaged in writing, what do we need to provide and facilitate in our classrooms?

This episode will cover two of the four aspects I feel are necessary for helping writers to feel confident and enjoy writing time: Belief in our Writers and the Energy of the Classroom.

Our students need to know that we believe they are able to write and write well in order to feel confident.

Listen in and learn ways to get your students to write!

One big struggle many writing teachers face is knowing what to teach their writers.

I believe that your writers are your biggest resource, and that asking questions during writing conferences will provide the teaching points you are looking for!

We don't need to know it all. If you don't know, ask!

This episode provides ways to come up with questions to ask as well as examples of those questions.

We will also discuss 2 tips for using data to plan your questions.

Happy Listening!

What another fabulous episode all about teaching writing with Jacob Chastain!

In this episode, we dig into a few sections of Mr. Chastain's book, Writefully Empowered, and he shares his thoughts on writing assessment, breaking the mold in writing instruction, conferring with your writers and more.

Quotes from this episode:

"The equality of outcome is different than equity of access."

"The standardization of what progress looks like misinterprets the growth of students."

You will be so happy you joined us for this episode!

Our first Q&A episode is here! 

I love answering your questions because if they come from you, I know they will help so many teachers!

The three questions in this episode are:

How do we get reluctant writers started?

What should you do when students are given choice but still don't know what to write?

How do we help writers to persevere through all aspects of the writing process?

Listen in to hear my responses!

This episode will help answer "How Do I Get My Students to WRITE?"

Teachers, I feel ya! It seems to be that time of year when you've been in full swing for a while, and you're tired.

I hope this episode will provide some validation as well as support with a couple of strategies for moving forward.

Thank you for all you do!

There are several ideas of how to best teach writing. Some believe that the practice of having students write independently should not occur until a certain list of techniques is taught or modeled.

I respectfully disagree, and in this episode you will hear my reasons for being opposed to this practice, and what I feel is important in primary writing instruction and independent writing.

I hope this episode turns some of you into independent writing advocates!

Happy Listening!

In this episode you will hear all about Share Time in Writer's Workshop and why you should be sure to implement it in your classroom!

We will discuss how Share Time can help with:

• generating ideas
• reinforcing skills
• building community
• building writer's confidence
• and more!

If you would like to receive more support from Melissa and receive new resources first, sign up for Tuesday's Truth!

Sign up here!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

There is oh so much to consider when teaching writing, am I right?

Today's episode speaks to a few specifics that have come up time and again when speaking to and working with teachers of writing, as well as one common logistical issue for independent writing.

Underwriting and the use of whole class graphic organizers are two practices that have been used for a while, but I believe should be things of the past!

Listen in to hear what I know and believe about these two practices and suggestions for alternatives to both.

I also share a great tip from Michelle Ruhe of Coach from the Couch for how to handle all of the papers that come with independent writing!

We all know practice is necessary for all of us to grow in any capacity. Whether you are a writer, athlete, construction worker or musician, the more you practice your skills the more skilled you become at your craft.

I often find that in the classroom, this practice is limited for students as writers.

This may be due to teachers' lack of time, or the concern teachers hold over managing multiple writing pieces for each student.

But limiting writers to one piece in a unit limits their opportunities for practicing all aspects of being a writer.

This episode will help you see why students need to write as much as possible and how to make that happen in your elementary or middle school classroom.

Like the episode? Be sure to share it with a friend!

About Melissa:

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

This episode holds the key to transforming your writing instruction from WRITING-focused to WRITER- focused!

This is how we truly grow our elementary and middle school writers!

What we say shows so much to ourselves and our writers about what we value.

We want our writers to know that we value them and what they do as writers!

What we say also forms what we think. Focusing our language on the writer will help you to focus your instruction on them as well!

If we want to grow our students to be successful writers, we must make this change in our writing instruction.

Grab the free resource mentioned in the episode HERE

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Episode 5 is all about knowing your students' writing identity. If you want to know which writing strategies and skills to teach, you need to know your students as writers!

Books mentioned in the episode: 

The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo

https://www.heinemann.com/products/e07822.aspx

Writing Pathways by Lucy Calkins

https://www.heinemann.com/products/e05730.aspx

I know you know this, but sometimes we forget! In this episode, I will remind you that transforming your writing time will take time! I will also share what I feel are the first 2 steps in getting started with writer's workshop!  Writing instruction is one of the most difficult aspects of literacy instruction, but this episode will get you on your way! 

In this episode, you will hear from two literacy experts who have worked with a number of districts to support them in best practices in reading and writing.

Coley Conter and Katy Wischow are a pleasure to speak with and I you will gain so much from hearing what they share with us!

Our discussion begins with Katy and Coley's favorite part about teaching writing and moves on to discuss:

-tapping into "out of school" writing

-children's writing communities

-strategies for getting writers started

Books mentioned in this episode: How to Tell a Story by The Moth

Guests

Coley Conter: Coley Conter brings deep experience as a curriculum writer, lead teacher, and literacy innovator to her work at TC Advancing Literacy. She’s been a contributor to new editions of Units of Study in Writing and an instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University. Her educational experience spans grades 3-12. Coley is passionate about cultivating brave classroom communities and increasing interdisciplinary literacy in schools, both of which she continues to explore as a student in the Literacy Specialist program.

Katy Wischow: Katy Wischow has been a staff developer, supporting schools and teachers around the world, since 2013. She currently works for the Reading & Writing Project at Mossflower. Before that, she found her way to workshop teaching, seeing how it transformed her students' work in her Newark, NJ middle school classroom. Her students' response led Katy to enroll in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, where she earned her M.A. Katy is the co-author of the professional book Unlocking the Power of Classroom Talk, co-written several Units of Study for middle school, and the Ida & Jake series in the Jump Rope Readers decodable book collection. She is passionate (and super nerdy!) about curriculum, writing instruction, and all things literacy!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Hello! It's me, Melissa! On this Episode, I will tell you about my journey from teacher to consultant, and why I do what I do!

Here is the last episode the in Mini-lesson series!

Highlights of the episode include:

Students do not need to practice/try the mini-lesson strategy that day!!!

The language you use is important!

You control the mini-lesson!

Happy Listening!

Teaching writing is difficult, and there are so many aspects to consider.

My word of the year is Relationships, and since this idea was one that my special guest spoke about on the last episode, I thought I would talk about it more today!

If you and your students are struggling with writing time, the relationship between you and your students may be just the thing to transform!

Read more at my website: www.teaching-to-transform.com/blog

Hear more from me on Instagram here

In this episode, there is a quick connection to Episode 7 with proof that things will come together! Also, you will hear my thoughts on collaboration during writing time: ways it can go and why it's important! If you want to implement writing instruction best practices, this episode is for you!

This episode shares questions from teachers' exit tickets after attending my workshop "Unveiling the Artistry of Teaching Writing".

Today's questions are:

How can I instill motivation in writers?

How will I be sure my lessons are diverse to meet all writers' needs, challenging students who need it without overwhelming others?

I hope the ideas and suggestions shared will not only help the teachers who provided these questions but you as well!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

In this episode, I invite you to consider how you are setting the stage for writing in your elementary or middle school classroom in the first few days of school.

Do you want your writers to be excited, confident and ready to engage in writing? How you begin writing time-the words you say and the activities you ask your students to do-needs to support those goals.

This means your "go-to" writing prompt may not be the right choice for the first day of school.

Listen in to hear how to start off your writing time on the right foot!

About Melissa:

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

Are you feeling like you don't know where to go next with writing? Do you notice your elementary or middle school writers lacking progress? This episode is for you!

Whether or not you are utilizing a writing "program" with lessons already provided, you may find yourself feeling lost or unsure of how to proceed during each writing block.

A program also will not ensure you are meeting each writers' needs.

In this episode, I share the ONE THING that is crucial for teaching writing and growing writers-You must KNOW THEM!

I will discuss ways to be sure you do, as well as the second integral practice for feeling secure in your planning AND seeing progress with each and every writer.

Listen in and for teacher strategies and tips that will transform your writing time and help you feel more confident as a writing teacher!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

School leaders, teachers and students are frustrated with writing, and I know why!

I find that getting teachers to see writing instruction in a new way to be extremely helpful.

One way I have accomplished this is in my comparison to teaching math, as well as the goal of using math in our lives vs using writing.

This episode lays out this view point as well as explores the reasons for the "traditional" way of teaching writing that is most often seen in classrooms.

In order to help our young writers be successful, we have to allow for their independence.

Although many teachers fear this idea, in reality, it actually sets them free! Free to identify what their writers truly need as well as to teach them effectively.

Listen in to hear why!

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

I know this episode (and its sequel) will have you nodding your head in agreement again and again!

Ms. Dana Teaque is an experienced and passionate educator who will make you feel seen and inspire you to do what is best for your students.

Listen in to hear:

• Dana's educational journey
• Writing strategies for diverse learners
• Fostering student growth
• Embracing flexibility

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

I am still excited about my conversation with Kimberly Rotter about her experience with and passion for teaching writing.

In this episode, I reflect on what stands out the most to me from our conversation and speak of ways to implement what we've learned from Kimberly in your classroom with your writers!

What you'll hear:

If we want students to be successful writers, we need to share the importance and meaning of writing in their lives.

Imagine what teachers in college could do with their writers if they already enjoyed writing?

Thank you for listening!

Writing Prompts- they can be cute but looks can be deceiving!

Yes, they have their place and may be a needed activity for our elementary and middle school students in order to prepare for testing or other situations, BUT

They should not be the only writing students are doing on a daily basis!

In this episode, I explain the limitations of prompts, such as their failure to foster independent writing skills and their inability to engage students meaningfully.

You will also hear practical strategies for transitioning away from using prompts, emphasizing the importance of teaching students to generate their own ideas and connect personally with their writing.

I suggest ways to scaffold learning while nurturing a classroom culture where students see themselves as writers.

Specific tips include:

• engaging students with different writing genres
• allowing them to abandon pieces that don't work
• and providing support where needed to build their confidence and skills

00:00 Introduction and Purpose

00:38 The Role of Writing Prompts

04:36 Limitations of Writing Prompts

07:54 Encouraging Independent Writing

12:32 Practical Steps to Move Away from Prompts

19:58 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

About Melissa:

Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education.  Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.

Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction. 

Teaching to Transform, LLC was started by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.

If you would like to refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!

I know you will gain so much from this conversation from Mrs. Risa Woods, educator and ELL expert!

Risa provides high-impact teaching strategies and mindsets that are geared toward supporting multi-lingual learners but will benefit all students in your classroom.

The information Risa shares is of great help to teachers who are limited in support when teaching English Language Learners.

In this episode, you will hear what Risa believes to be most important for the students in your classroom as well as thoughts on translation tools to utilize- and her answers may be surprising...they were to me!

Risa Woods IG

Risa Woods Website

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa

Instagram Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!

YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa

LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!