conventions · grammar · writing workshop

Bring on the Fun with Sentence Construction

Who says grammar can't be fun in a third-grade classroom? And who says young writers can't understand complex concepts like dependent and independent clauses? And who knew I'd be using poop, sentence structures, and a variety of clauses in the same sentence in front of a room of third-graders?

slice of life

It’s Tuesday! Welcome to the Slice of Life!

It's Tuesday- join us for Slice of Life. Write your slice, share it, and leave comments for others.

community · Joy

Boost Morale in Winter Months

Teaching starts to feel tougher this time of year. Learn six tips to inspire yourself and writers this season.

writing workshop

Thank You, TWT Community

While I am signing off from the TWT team, my heart is full of gratitude for this experience and the friendships and lessons learned.

agency · authentic writing · choice

PBL in the Writing Classroom

Real world, authentic opportunities to engage in writing with the goal of enacting change is something all students can really sink their teeth into. PBL and writing workshop go hand in hand. 

writing workshop

Listen to the Children

I've been thinking a lot lately about how my Kindergarten students perceive themselves as writers, so I decided to interview my class in order to learn more about their perspectives on writing and what it means to them as five and six year old emergent writers. Their responses have given me quite a lot to consider!

slice of life · writing workshop

It’s Tuesday! Welcome to the Slice of Life!

It's Tuesday- join us for Slice of Life. Write your slice, share it, and leave comments for others.

balanced literacy · conferring · minilesson · partnerships

Shake Up the Structure of Workshop

Writing workshop is not about playing someone else’s setlist. Workshop is a flexible set of practices that are meant to be improvised. The structure of workshop is one more way teachers can customize learning for those currently in the room.

SOLSC Classroom Challenge

Overview of the 11th Annual Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge

It’s the middle of January. Where I live, that means blustery weather, dreary forecasts, and ALL the snow gear. It’s also a good time to think ahead to spring, which promises warmer temperatures, more sunshine, and – of course! – all the stories our students will share in the 11th Annual Classroom SOLSC! In this post, I’ll answer some frequently-asked questions about the Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Slice of Life Story Challenge

Overview of the 16th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge

We will host the 16th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge here at Two Writing Teachers this March. Since 2008, the challenge's mission has remained the same: to support teachers who want to write daily. We believe that teachers who write regularly can better support the students they teach in writing workshops daily.  

collaboration · feedback

Crafting Feedback Together

An effective PLC team is where good teaching becomes great. This is especially true for teachers of writers, since teaching writers is so challenging and complex. We genuinely need each other to continue getting better at what we do.

slice of life

It’s Tuesday! Welcome to the Slice of Life!

It's Tuesday- join us for Slice of Life. Write your slice, share it, and leave comments for others.