It’s Time for a Chart Check-in: From the TWT Archives

Friday October 6, 2023Sunday October 1, 2023 Sarah Valter

If you’re wondering how to maximize charts in your classroom, these four transformative posts from the #TWTblog archives are sure to inspire.

Recap

Biweekly Recap #ICYMI

Friday September 15, 2023Thursday September 14, 2023 Sarah Valter

As the chaos of fall picks up around me (School! Sports! Pumpkins and apples and sweater weather!), I have to remind myself often to slow down, take a deep breath, and recharge. During my hectic weeks it’s easy to miss out on great posts on Two Writing Teachers blog, so I savor the time I make to catch up on the weekends. If you’re in “catch up” mode, too, here’s a quick roundup of some of the latest and greatest posts from the past two weeks!

back to school · Reflective Practice · routines

Is It Time to Teach Yet?

Wednesday August 30, 2023Tuesday August 29, 2023 Sarah Valter1 Comment

How do teachers know when it’s the right time to transition from routines to content? The answer lies in the readiness of both the students and the teacher.

English as an Additional Language · multilingual · Save a Seat for Every Writer Blog Series

Word Explorers: Save a Seat for Every Writer

Thursday August 10, 2023Friday August 4, 2023 Sarah Valter4 Comments

Word Explorers may find balancing the many tasks that go into writing–encoding, handwriting, grammar, vocabulary, process, craft, etc.--a heavier cognitive load than their peers. Their perfect seat has both an appropriate amount of scaffolding and a clear focus.

collaboration · end of year reflection · Reflective Practice

Writing Teachers: It’s Time to Pass the Baton!

Wednesday May 17, 2023Tuesday May 16, 2023 Sarah Valter

By taking a few simple steps and asking some easy questions, you can pass your knowledge about your current students on to the next teacher and prepare for a new group of incoming writers.

collaborative planning · end of year reflection · small group

Keep Writers Growing (An End-of-Year Pep Talk)

Friday April 28, 2023Friday April 28, 2023 Sarah Valter

Wondering how to use the final weeks of school to keep your writers growing? Just a few simple steps can help you maximize your end-of-year small group teaching!

argument writing · opinion writing · oral language

Use Oral Language to Strengthen Opinion Writing (For Writers of All Ages!)

Friday March 10, 2023Thursday March 9, 2023 Sarah Valter1 Comment

There are many layers to developing a good opinion piece, and oral language can be used to support students throughout this process in ways that are both engaging and fun. Here is a quick if/then troubleshooting guide to support the use of oral language to build opinion writing skills.

Slice of Life Story Challenge

DAY 10 OF THE MARCH SOLSC! #SOL23

Friday March 10, 2023Thursday March 9, 2023 Sarah Valter215 Comments

It's the 10th day of the March 2023 Slice of Life Story Challenge, which means two things: we've officially hit the double digits and we're almost a third of the way through the month!