When it comes to writing instruction, the first week can make or break your year. In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I start the school year in my writing classroom. You'll hear about the phone call I make before students ever step through the door, and the voice lesson my students beg to do again.

I’m sharing:

• The one question I ask families that tells me everything about a student’s writing mindset
• How I get an honest, messy, meaningful baseline writing sample
• Why I don’t open the writing workshop right away (and what we do instead)
• The unexpected activity that teaches voice better than any anchor chart
• How I use my ELA Three-a-Day to build grammar skills and writing stamina, all year long

These are the exact lessons I use to set the tone, build trust, and kick off a student-led writing program that actually works. 

Mentioned in this video:

Back to School: Icebreaker activities and writing prompts

How to Write a Scene, not a Story

Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message!

➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD

📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!)

🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube

📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas

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