Melanie shares three practical strategies for maximizing classroom time. She emphasizes managing transition times to maintain student engagement and minimize downtime. In addition, she suggests creating a collection of valuable and doable activities that students can choose from, fostering independence and motivation. Finally, she suggests training students to deliver minilessons or lead small groups, which empowers them to take ownership of their learning. These practical approaches enhance instructional efficiency and create a more dynamic writing workshop.
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GO DEEPER:

• Read Beth Moore's post about teaching students the architecture of a minilesson.
• See this post from Melanie with a picture of an interactive bulletin board
• Look at these student-driven conference cards.

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****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Stacey explores the vital executive functioning skill of time management as it applies to the writing workshop. She identifies common challenges students face, from grasping time concepts to meeting deadlines, and offers practical strategies to enhance their skills. Listeners will learn about tools such as visual aids, organizational checklists, and digital planners that can help young writers stay on track. Stacey also discusses establishing routines and breaking down larger projects into manageable tasks. This episode is packed with actionable tips to foster confidence and efficiency in students as they navigate the writing process. Join Stacey to discover how to equip young writers with the time management skills they need for success both in and out of the classroom!

*****

GO DEEPER:

• TWT Podcast Episodes That Deal with Executive Functioning
  • Accommodations for Access to Writing Instruction
  • Build Writing Confidence with the "Ready, Do, Done" Model
  • Co-Create Writing Goals
  • Help K-8 Students with Executive Functioning Needs: A Conversation with a Colleague
  • Unlock Strategies for Task Initiation
• TWTBlog Posts That Explore Executive Functioning
  • Contingency Maps for Writing Workshops
  • Writing and Working Memory: Reflective Practice

*****
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*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

We delve into the challenging subjects that often arise in elementary school writing workshops, ranging from bodily functions and violence to mental health issues. We explore the non-negotiable aspects of topic choice and discuss establishing clear boundaries in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe space for young writers. This conversation unpacks the various reasons why people write, highlighting the benefits of self-expression and examining audience awareness's crucial role in navigating sensitive topics. Drawing inspiration from Ralph Fletcher’s book Boys Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, we offer insights on encouraging passionate writing while addressing concerns about violence, humor, and other potentially controversial themes in student work.

*****

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Listeners who want to try out Factile should head over to playfactile.com. When you sign up, you’ll get 500 free tokens to use AutoGen. You can buy 15,000 tokens for just $5.

*****

GO DEEPER:

• Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices by Ralph Fletcher
• "I saw them at Sinai"
• Press Start Series by Thomas Flintham
• TWT Help Desk: What If a Child’s Topic Makes Me Uncomfortable?
• Uncomfortable Topic Choices in Writing Workshop
• Visit TWTBlog on 11/20 for a mentor text post that will list books that deal with burps, farts, and poop. (Stacey is working on it now.)

*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Writing complete sentences is tricky for most elementary school students. This week's Tip for Tomorrow provides concrete ways to make sentence construction sticky for students. From a visible, tactile teaching method to progressions of examples, Melanie shares various strategies to help kids gain a more concrete understanding of sentence structure playfully and effectively.
*****

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*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Leah Thomas, a co-author of the Two Writing Teachers Blog, chats with Melanie to reflect on her recent experiences with parent-teacher conferences, discussing the challenges and rewards of connecting with families. She shares effective note-taking strategies, what assessments to present, and the impact of showcasing student writing samples. Leah also explains her writing workshop philosophy and offers guidance for teachers who are apprehensive about these meetings. By addressing common parental concerns and emphasizing the importance of building rapport, she provides practical advice for fostering strong partnerships with families. Tune in to discover how to celebrate student growth and support young writers!

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Listeners who want to try out Factile should head over to playfactile.com. When you sign up, you’ll get 500 free tokens to use AutoGen. You can buy 15,000 tokens for just $5.

Go Deeper:

• What I Bring to Caretaker Conferences
• Making the Most of Caregiver Conferences

More About Leah:
Leah Thomas is a 2nd-grade teacher in St. Louis, MO. Leah has taught for seven years in the primary grades and loves sharing thoughts about writing workshop on the Two Writing Teachers blog. Outside of teaching, Leah loves to read, run, and write.

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Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In this podcast episode, Melanie will share creative strategies to make the editing process engaging for students. Discover how to infuse fun into editing by using gamification techniques and various tools. You will also learn how to integrate editing into the drafting process and support students with scaffolds, checklists, and reminders to strengthen their editing skills.

*****

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TWTPod listeners can go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including THREE months of full access!

*****

Go Deeper:

• Pickerwheel
• TWTBlog posts about editing:
  • Editing Along the Way Often in 5 Minutes or Less
  • Something Do-able to Try: The Editing Minute
• UDL Guidelines

*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Discover the art of building meaningful writer-to-writer relationships and managing time effectively in brief, impactful sessions. The discussion delves into the importance of individualized focus, highlighting how concentrating on a single aspect of writing per conference can lead to more manageable and absorbing lessons for students. Additionally, the episode explores the critical skills of deep listening and intentional questioning, offering insights into how these practices can transform writing conferences and enhance student engagement.

*****

Go Deeper:

• Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing by Melanie Meehan
• Peruse the #TWTBlog Archives on conferring.
• Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today’s Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz and Lynne R. Dorfman

*****

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*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In our 100th episode, Stacey explores the power of tangible artifacts in writing conferences. She discusses five essential tools to enhance the writer-to-writer relationship: mentor texts, demonstration texts, mini-charts, personalized word walls, and individualized checklists. Learn how to introduce and utilize these artifacts to support student writing effectively. Stacey also shares strategies for helping students leverage these tools independently. This episode will help you discover practical insights to make your writing instruction more impactful and foster deeper connections with your students.

*****

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*****

Go Deeper:

• Conferring Toolkits Blog Series
• Conferring with Writers: Beyond the Fundamentals of Writing Workshop
• Different Ways to Use Checklists in Writing Workshop
• Easily Create a Digital Conferring Toolkit
• Editing Along the Way… Often in 5 Minutes or Less
• Finding Purpose: The Key to Making High-Frequency Words Stick
• Four Types of Demonstration Texts & Demonstration Texts, Part Deux
• Let’s Talk About Methods for Conferring
• Making the Most Out of Charts
• Mentor Texts (Category on TWTBlog)
• Three Ways to Introduce Personal Editing Checklists in Writing Workshop

*****

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
• Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.