Biweekly Recap #ICYMI

Many teachers (myself included) went back to school in the past few weeks. During this busy time, we’ve missed some incredible posts on Two Writing Teachers blog that are relevant to our current back-to-school frenzy. Here’s a recap of four posts you missed:

Melanie pens a thoughtful letter to new teachers with the three most important things to remember about writing workshop:

A Letter to a New Writing Teacher

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s hard to know when kids are ready to move from routines and expectations to content. In her post, Sarah grapples with that debate and shares a tool to help teachers decide:

Is It Time to Teach Yet?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

I share a strategy to amp up reflection. This is a great routine to kickoff now and encourage throughout the year.

Try Reflective Notebooks This Year: Straight From the Classroom

Estimated Reading Time: 2.5 minutes

Our students’ writing muscles likely experienced some atrophy over the summer. Shawnda explores ways to amp up stamina.

Building Writing Stamina Outside the Workshop

Estimated Reading Time: 2.5 minutes

On #TWTPod

In “Joyful Writing Partnerships,” Stacey shares how to set writing partners up for a successful year. She also reminds us about the importance of taking time to compliment as we confer with writers in “Remember the Compliment.”

Building Self-Advocacy: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey – Two Writing Teachers Podcast

Discover how teaching self-advocacy during writing workshop empowers students to express their needs and take charge of their learning. Drawing on insights from her upcoming book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future, Stacey shares practical sentence starters to help students ask for help with revision, clarify instructions, and participate in peer conferences with confidence. Learn how teaching your students these sentences can foster independence and help them speak up for themselves clearly. Six Self-Advocacy Sentences for Writing WorkshopI’m feeling confused about my writing. Can you help me understand what to do next?I need help with this part of my writing. Could you help me?I’m not sure how to revise this. Could you show me again?Can you please check if I understood the instructions correctly?I’m struggling with giving feedback. Can we talk about how to do it?I’m not comfortable sharing this piece. Is there another way I can participate?Learn more about Stacey’s book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future (Guilford Press, 2026).*****Thanks to our affiliate, Zencastr. Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. *****Send us a textPlease subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.