Category: Teachers College

I Remember
authentic writing · memories · poetry · professional development · Teachers College

I Remember

Therapi Kaplan4 Comments

What is a memory? What makes a moment memorable? Were they moments of utter joy and warmth? Or was there embitterment, stress, and even trauma that made it special? For me, the 2020-2021 school year had many moments that were both. As much as I would like to move forward from last year, those memories… Continue reading I Remember

Writing Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-Setting
checklists · goals · independence · Teachers College · writing workshop

Writing Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-Setting

Melanie Meehan11 Comments

I am a list person. I have lists by my computer, by my bed, in the kitchen, in my car console-- And I love crossing things off my lists. One of the reasons I like lists is they tell me what to do, but my lists serve different purposes; sometimes they help me remember what… Continue reading Writing Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-Setting

Addressing Knowledge Issues in Informational Writing
informational writing · Mary Ehrenworth · nonfiction writing · Teachers College

Addressing Knowledge Issues in Informational Writing

Lanny Ball13 Comments

If we do not possess a good amount of background knowledge, if we are not interested in the topic, and we were not given a choice, our writing typically suffers. Lack of knowledge in particular, as Mary Ehrenworth suggests, manifests quickly as writing weakness and writing problems. As writing workshop teachers, how might we think about and address these challenges?

Moving from Partnerships to Peer Conferring
conferring · partnerships · peer conferring · tcrwp · Teachers College

Moving from Partnerships to Peer Conferring

Stacey Shubitz6 Comments

I attended Kathleen Tolan's "Once You Have Taught Workshops for Years, How Do You Go from Good to Great? Tap the Power of Peer Conferring and Supporting Student Independence and Goal-Setting." Workshop at the TCRWP Writing Institute. Kathleen's session made me realize that once we've been doing this work (i.e., writing workshop) for awhile, it's… Continue reading Moving from Partnerships to Peer Conferring

A Mini-Crash-Course on Oral Storytelling
classroom · education · independent writing · literacy · lucy calkins · noticings · plan · precise language · procedures · prompts · routines · scaffolding charts · scheduling · shared writing · speech · stories · storytelling · Teachers College · vocabulary · writing workshop

A Mini-Crash-Course on Oral Storytelling

BethMooreSchool6 Comments

It's been several months since I've written for Two Writing Teachers. In December my son was born, and I was on maternity leave until a few weeks ago. Then, in March I pushed aside all excuses and did the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Every day in the month of March I recruited my four year old daughter to tell… Continue reading A Mini-Crash-Course on Oral Storytelling

blogging · independent writing projects · tcrwp · Teachers College · writer's notebook

Blogs & Microblogs in the Classroom

Stacey Shubitz9 Comments

"The act of telling your story and sharing part of your life with somebody is alive and well—even more so than at the dawn of blogging.” --Lee Rainie, director of the Internet and American Life Project This is my final post about the Saturday Reunion I attended back in March at TC.  I'm slightly ashamed… Continue reading Blogs & Microblogs in the Classroom