Getting Students to Write- Helping Elementary and Middle School teachers improve student writing.

Another fabulous interview with Pre-K literacy teacher and consultant Melissa McCall of Moving Little Minds!

We talk all things early childhood writing!

Key Take-aways:

3 parts of writing-all equa…

What is a writing mini-lesson and why should you use them? Well...listen to this episode to hear about:

Where mini-lessons came from and when they are used.

How to choose teaching points for your writi…

If you are like many teachers I know, you do not have a writing "curriculum" or writing units that are already planned out for you!

But as I spoke about earlier in Episode 10, you don't need a writin…

This episode is a follow up from Episode 15, and digs a bit deeper into how to focus your observations of writers as well as ways to take notes according to various lenses of focus.

It is very helpfu…

Our first Q&A episode is here! 

I love answering your questions because if they come from you, I know they will help so many teachers!

The three questions in this episode are:

How do we get reluctant wr…

You are letting your writers write and that's fantastic! As you look toward moving them forward as writers by conferring with them, the first step is to ensure that you know where your students are i…

Do you have a few writers in your classroom who have trouble getting started or can't seem to write the whole time? This episode is all about engagement in writing, and how building up this independe…

I just felt there was so much more to say about the last episode's topic, so I am making two more! This episode is all about the language you use when teaching writing so that you are teaching the wr…

This episode asks an important question of you, writing teacher! It is one that helps you to reflect on your practice and understand the "why" behind many aspects of writer's workshop and "teaching t…

It can be difficult to know and choose what skills and strategies to teach your writers. Today's episode provides two ways to gather data on student writing that will inform your instruction.

We will…

Teachers! Let me tell you why you do not need a specific writing program or manual to teach writing!

I promise that you only need a few methods and bits of information to get your students writing an…

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with two of my favorite teachers whom I have been lucky enough to work alongside as they journey into writer's workshop.

They share many juicy tidbits:

-…

In this episode, you will hear my thoughts on collaboration during writing time.

I share why being a part of a writing community is so important as well as several ways to make collaboration happen fo…

If you want your writers to grow, you have to let them write!

The supports being provided with the intention of helping your writers may actually be hindering their chance of learning and growing as …

  It isn't easy to try something new, and sometimes, it's even more difficult to keep going! Here are 4 possible troubles you will face when implementing writer's workshop and why and how you will ge…

Episode 5 is all about knowing your students' writing identity. If you want to know which writing strategies and skills to teach, you need to know your students as writers!

Their writing pieces alone …

Another important piece of student-centered writing instruction is the writing community that you create in your classroom! Today we will discuss the typical struggles of writing for students and how…

I know you know this, but sometimes we forget! In this episode, I will remind you that transforming your writing time will take time! I will also share what I feel are the first 2 steps in getting st…

Many educators have learned enough about the structure of writer's workshop to know that is has three components: mini-lessons, independent time and share time. However, there are other concepts to k…

Hello! It's me, Melissa! On this Episode, I will tell you about my journey from teacher to consultant, and why I do what I do!