adults in the classroom · writing workshop

Making the Classroom a Place for Everyone

Establishing expectations, student goals, and classroom norms from the start will help you and the paraprofessional move forward as a team who operates with the best interest of the children first.

adults in the classroom · writing workshop

Maximizing the Adult Resources in Our Classrooms

Over the summer, a few of us at TWT all received questions about how to manage extra adults in the classroom. Today and tomorrow, Deb and I have begun our own little mini-series addressing this issue. Tomorrow, Deb will share important ways to make the classroom a place for everyone, emphasizing communication and management strategies.… Continue reading Maximizing the Adult Resources in Our Classrooms

professional development · writing workshop

Post-its and PD: Crafting a Writer’s Statement

When was the first time you felt like a writer? My earliest memory of being a writer was creating stories that my Grandma used to tell. She invented characters: "Good Gertie," "Bad Betsy," and "Sweet Sally" (Gertie's sister). My Grandma would make up stories of how Betsy would do all naughty things while Gertie always listened… Continue reading Post-its and PD: Crafting a Writer’s Statement

Starting With What Matters Most · writing workshop

ICYMI: Starting with What Matters Most

A recap of our blog series - Starting with What Matters Most

Starting With What Matters Most · writing process · writing workshop

Cultivating Authentic Work Habits: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop

Your students should work and feel like real writers.

community · Starting With What Matters Most · Talking · writing workshop

Unpacking the Power of Talk: Starting with What Matters Most

Early on, as a writing teacher, I didn't realize the power that talk plays in the writing workshop. Over the years, I have learned there are many benefits from intentionally making talk a priority.

writing workshop

What Are Their Tools For Independence? Starting With What Matters Most

  One of the most important questions I always have in the back of my head when I am working with students is how to ensure that the concept  I am teaching will become a part of the students' independent repertoire. How can I tell that I am teaching the writer and not just enhancing the one… Continue reading What Are Their Tools For Independence? Starting With What Matters Most

BLOG SERIES: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop · notebooks · writer's notebook · writing workshop

Notebooks: Starting with What Matters Most

Before summer began, we at Two Writing Teachers planned this blog series, and I blithely volunteered to write a post about the value of notebooks in writing workshop. Notebooks. What was I thinking?! So much has been written about them. I started rereading, and ran out of time...A single post, I realized, would barely scratch… Continue reading Notebooks: Starting with What Matters Most

BLOG SERIES: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop · blogging · writers · writing · writing workshop

We Are Writers Here! Starting with What Matters Most

When I think about what I first want my students to know, what matters most to me as a teacher of writing, more than capital letters or topic sentences or punctuation, I want them to believe they have ideas worth sharing and stories worth telling. I want them to know their voice matters and their words can make a difference. I want them to believe they are writers, right now, whatever their reading proficiency, whatever their language background, whatever their home circumstances. WE ARE WRITERS HERE. We all matter, we all belong, we all can and should write.

Starting With What Matters Most · writing workshop

Active Authentic Audience: Starting with What Matters Most

Once an audience is established it becomes omnipresent in your classroom, the effects aren’t limited to the one sharing; they reach the community as a whole.

BLOG SERIES: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop · community · giveaway · writing workshop

New Blog Series: Starting with What Matters Most in Writing Workshop

Over the next eight days, my friends and I at Two Writing Teachers will share what goes into developing writers who work with agency, purpose, and independence in our Blog Series: Starting With What Matters Most. Set a reminder or mark your calendars, you won't want to miss a day of these timely posts.

Slice of Life Story Challenge · summer vacation · vacation · writing workshop

July Blogging Break

Announcing a short pause in our regular blogging schedule