Author Archive

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Talking to Caregivers about Conventions and Spelling

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More than other skills, most caregivers tend to worry about spelling and conventions when it comes to their child’s writing. I get it. Those skills are right there at the tip of the writing iceberg. Those skills are concrete and obvious. Those skills are the ones that they recognize and know how to fix when they sit with their child. So how do we talk to caregivers about spelling and punctuation? Here are three ideas that you may find helpful. 

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SOLSC 2019 Prize Reveal

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And so — TA-DA — here is the list of prizes for the 12th Annual SOLSC, all donated by generous publishers and individuals.

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Thinking About Implicit Bias: Teaching Writing With a Social Justice Lens

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As we think about our implicit biases, maybe the most important thing is that we increase our awareness and act from a place of humility and reflection– with a willingness to take a look at parts of our belief systems and behaviors that are uncomfortable, at best. When we know better, we do better. And isn’t that the goal?

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Overview: Teaching Writing With a Social Justice Lens

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Throughout our posts this week, you may read the refrain, “When we know better, we do better.” We are on the continuum of growing our own understandings and practices around the importance of social justice, cultural awareness, empathy, and inclusion. We hope you join the conversation. Please comment. Please share your own experiences and resources. Please begin conversations within your own environments and practices.

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When Conventions Aren’t Sticking–Some Tips and Tricks

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Disclaimer: you’re not going to find the miracle cure for getting students to use conventions in their writing within this post. I don’t have one. And I’ve read a lot, researched a lot, and tried a lot of things. That being said, you may come across some ideas that apply not only to conventions, but also to the writing process as a whole, and maybe even to life. (That might be a stretch…but maybe—)

Seeking Prize Donations for SOL Challenge

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March is coming at us! Maybe more quickly than we realize…  Among other things, March brings the Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC)! At Two Writing Teachers, we hope you are planning to participate… Continue reading →

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An Elaboration Tool for Self-reflection and Revision

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“Show don’t tell,” we say over and over to students but–it’s harder than it sounds, though, maybe for multiple reasons.

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SOL Tuesday

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WRITE a slice of life story on your own blog. SHARE a link to your post in the comments section. GIVE comments to at least three other SOL bloggers. I loved this tweet that came up… Continue reading →

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It’s Tuesday! Welcome to Slice of Life!

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Welcome to Slice of Life! I am sharing a screenshot of an important reminder from author Anne Lamott. At Ted.com, she has thirteen more reminders about living the life of a writer. If… Continue reading →

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Continuing to think about our mentor texts

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While we have to ask ourselves questions about where books fit into our curriculum and how books support mindsets, now, more than ever, we should be asking how the books we use promote social justice and cultural awareness. These questions do not apply only to the books we offer students to read, but also the books we use to teach students to write. 

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Slice of Life Tuesday

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WRITE a slice of life story on your own blog. SHARE a link to your post in the comments section. GIVE comments to at least three other SOL bloggers. If you are a slicer and you… Continue reading →

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What goes in a Writer’s Notebook? Notebooks as a Writer’s Tool

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Regardless of genre, we want to inspire students to develop their voices as writers, and then use those voices to entertain, inform, and change the world.

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SOL (and Election) Tuesday

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Somehow, I’m guessing that this community is not one that needs reminders to vote, but maybe we all need inspiration and energy to encourage everyone around us to get to the polls today.… Continue reading →

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Overview: Notebooks as a Writer’s Tool Blog Series

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Though the topic of this series is notebooks, the spotlight of each of our posts shines on writers. Our goal is to foster the kind of writers who, at any age, habitually collect ideas. Writer’s notebooks can most certainly become a powerful tool for this.

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Continuing to Think About Google Forms

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I am so grateful to have this resource available to me as an educator at no cost. Maybe someday, I’ll get to thank whoever is behind the Google Curtain in person. In the meantime, I’ll share what’s been working and I’ll look forward to hearing about how some of you end up doing it even better!

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Unexpected Benefits of Flash Fiction

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Story compression did not require many instructional minutes, but the ratio of instructional value to the time it took was so worthwhile!

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Pausing to Remember 9/11

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We, at Two Writing Teachers, pause today to remember all the lives that were lost and the heroes who gave their all in trying to save others. Since tomorrow is a Slice of Life Tuesday, our post about 9/11 is published today.

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Nudging Students to Think of Ideas

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The fact that these charts have an interactive element is a key part of their usefulness because they end of being not only an idea-generating tool, but also an accountability tool.

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In Case You Missed it: Dreaming Big in This Year’s Writing Workshop

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Thank you for joining us for our blog series Dreaming Big in This Year’s Writing Workshop. We hope you will join us for a Twitter Chat on Monday, August 13th at 8:30 EDT. We’ll… Continue reading →

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This is the Year I’m Going to Create and Use Strategic Writing

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“It’s a practice,” is a common refrain from the instructor in my yoga class. That being said, if my mat is anywhere close to a certain yoga rockstar, I admit it–I find myself… Continue reading →