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

By Melissa Morrison, Elementary, Middle School Writing Consultant, Literacy CoachEducation How To

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

November 11, 2025Episode 129 Rethinking Editing: Tips to Support Writers with Grammar and Mechanics
Where are the periods? Why isn't this capitalized? You teach it, but it doesn't show up consistently in their writing. UGH!
In this episode, we take a fresh look at teaching grammar and punctuation and the expectations we have for our writers.
You will hear:
the idea of viewing grammar as a craft
including grammar instruction in reading and writing
connecting grammar and mechanics instruction to authentic writing
ways to help students "edit" throughout the drafting process

Previous Episodes on Grammar and Editing:
Episode 105 with Patty McGee
Episode 50 and 51
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite

About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
25 min
November 04, 2025 Episode 128 Narrative Know-How with Trevor Bryan
Join Melissa Morrison in an engaging episode of 'Getting Students to Write' as she welcomes art teacher and author Trevor Bryan. They discuss innovative strategies to boost writing confidence and effectiveness for both teachers and students. Trevor shares insights on integrating art and literacy, the role of pictures in developing comprehension, and his books 'The Art of Comprehension' and 'Narrative Know-How.' Learn about mood structures, the importance of helpers and harmers in storytelling, and practical methods to connect reading and writing seamlessly in K-6 classrooms.
32 min
October 28, 2025Episode 127 Strategies for Grading Writing
Grading alone is a complicated topic, but grading writing, especially when wanting to value the writer, is even more difficult!
The subjective nature of evaluating writing makes it difficult to be sure you have done so "correctly" for your students. It is also cumbersome to consider grading entire pieces from so many students.
In this episode, I share ideas and strategies for grading that will help you to feel more effective and efficient.
Included:
How to focus your grading
Aligning grading with learning objectives
Making grading more manageable
A favorite writing resource

About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
21 min
October 21, 2025Episode 126 The Ins and Outs of Language Composition with Matt Glover
This is such an important episode for all Pre-K, Kindergarten, First-grade and Second-grade teachers (and has helpful tips for upper grade teachers as well!)
Language composition is the way students use language when reading books they have written, reading published books they are not yet decoding, and taking part in activities such as dramatic play.
Matt Glover and Kathy Collins have been studying language composition in order to support teachers to:
notice and name how young children are composing language
identify next steps for students in composing language
use oral rehearsal in upper grades

In this episode, Matt Glover provides insight into the development of language composition and how the way students use language in one area can help them in others. He also shares about the resources found on his website that support teachers in assessing students' language composition.
'If you have young struggling writers or are looking for support with teaching writing, this is an episode for you!
Read more a languagecomp.com
Matt Glover Bio
With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, principal, author, and consultant, Matt Glover is an internationally recognized literacy consultant who speaks widely on nurturing writers, early reading, and children’s intellectual development.
His newest book, How to Become a Better Writing Teacher, is coauthored with Carl Anderson. Other works include Craft and Process Studies, I Am Reading (with Kathy Collins), Engaging Young Writers, Projecting Possibilities for Writers (with Mary Alice Berry), and Already Ready (with Katie Wood Ray). Matt also coedited The Teacher You Want to Be with Ellin Keene.
Matt has four adult children and lives outside Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife, Bridget, and their dog.
***
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa
TikTok Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!
YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa
LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!
46 min
October 14, 2025Why the Paper Matters-Supporting students with paper choices
Writing volume, struggling writers, writing engagement, writing structure and more can all be affected by the paper that students are using to write.
So yes, this episode is all about paper!
We will explore:
how paper makes writing more authentic
the benefits of writers making "picture books"
how paper choices communicate importance and expectations
getting started with more authentic paper choices

This simple change will make a HUGE impact on writing in your classroom!
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa
TikTok Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!
YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa
LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!
29 min
October 07, 2025Episode 124 Nurturing All Writers with Author Christine Devane
In this episode, Christine Devane shares her amazing and inspiring journey from teaching to writing.
As a teacher, Christine noticed a need for more representation of all students in the books they read, which is what fueled her motivation to create her book, Elephant Beach.
In our conversation, Christine talks about her experience as an author which provides many insights for teachers who are working to support their writers. As a teacher, author and parent, Christine shares ideas that will encourage young writers, allowing for creativity and authenticity in the writing classroom.
Christine provides thoughts on teaching writing that will be of help for all!
Here are a few of the highlights from our conversation:
Creativity fueled by a need
The importance of a writing community
The writing process for authors and students

You can find Christine's book and upcoming items on her website
About Christine Devane:
Christine Devane was a second grade teacher for thirteen years and enjoyed reading with her students. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband John; three children Joey, Nick, and Adeline; and their dog Sophie. Christine loves going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and collecting lucky elephants.
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
31 min
September 30, 2025Episode 123 Practical Support for Utilizing Formative Data with Writers
This episode will prepare you to begin gathering formative data about your writers that will keep your instruction, and writer's progress, on track!
As the data conversation continues, I share more in this episode about:
How data adjust goals for writers
How data informs your instructional choices
Simple ways to choose data points and collect data

If you want to teach writing more effectively, engage students in writing, manage writer's workshop and help struggling writers, formative data is where it's at!
Mentioned in this episode:
The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo (The Hierarchy of Writing Goals)
Writefully Empowered by Jacob Chastain
Data Collection Template (This can be copied and then edited as needed-use your chosen writing categories)
Previous Correlated Episodes:
Ep 84 Writing Conferring Series: Writer's Inquiry Conference
Ep 83 Writing Strategies Series: Engagement
Ep 44 and 45 All Things Writing with Jacob Chastain
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa
TikTok Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!
YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa
LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!
34 min
September 23, 2025Episode 122 Knowing What's Next-The What and Why of Formative Data for Writers
Do you have independent writing time up and running in your classroom but feel unsure of how to keep your writer's moving forward?
It is difficult to support struggling writers or even know what to teach for writing if you don't know enough about your writers.
The right formative data will help you plan instruction that supports progress!
In this episode, I share:
The importance of formative data
Three writing categories for data collection
Four ways to gather data
Collecting data on identity and engagement

After this episode you'll be ready for Part 2 where I go over choosing a data focus and a simple way to record data.
The more focused your instruction, the more writing engagement your students will have, the more confident you will feel in your writing classroom!
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
20 min
September 16, 2025Episode 121 How to Move from Telling to Teaching
A coach just telling a player to "hit the ball" or "be aggressive" does not improve their performance.
The same is true for us as teachers of writers! We need to teach, not tell by addressing their needs and showing them how to do what we want them to do.
Struggling writers will just keep struggling if all we do is have them keep trying to write without specific instruction.
The trouble is that most teachers are not trained in teaching writing and have difficulty knowing what strategies to teach. (I've been there!)
In this episode, I share techniques and several resources to help you:
Know where your writers are
Compile strategies for lessons
Move writers forward

Here is a list of helpful resources:
The Writing Strategies Book-Jennifer Serravallo
Craft Lessons (several)- Ralph Fletcher
Making Non-fiction from Scratch- Ralph Fletcher
Craft and Process Studies- Matt Glover
Projecting Possibilities for Writers- Matt Glover
If...Then Curriculum: Assessment Based Instruction- Lucy Calkins
Writing Pathways-Lucy Calking
Language Composition Framework-www.languagecomp.com
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!

**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
23 min
September 09, 2025 Episode 120 Your Writers Need More.
Are you wondering....
Why you have struggling writers? Why your writers aren't showing growth? Why your writers aren't engaged in writing?
Perhaps they need MORE of something.
In this episode, I share three main "mores" that writers need in order to be successful, and a few additional "mores" that are just as important.
The first more is one I'm sure you have heard before...more time to write! The rest...listen in to hear all about them!
**Teachers! We want to hear from you! We want to hear your story, experience, aha moment or insights related to Getting Students to Write! The more we share, the more we learn together, the more we can accomplish for our writers!
Click the link below and record a voicemail. Your story may be featured on the podcast:)
Send a voice message to GettingStudentstoWrite
About Melissa:
Melissa is an enthusiastic educator and continuous learner with over 19 years' experience in education. Her passion and expertise is transforming writing programs so that teachers are confident in writing instruction and student writers thrive! She strongly believes teachers are the key to effective instruction and their writers are their best resources.
Melissa knows that too often, explicit writing instruction is pushed aside in elementary education, and she feels it is her calling to help schools make it front and center, providing teachers with the knowledge and support necessary to implement effective and engaging writing instruction.
Teaching to Transform, LLC was founded by Melissa in 2018 and partners with school districts to provide professional development in writing instruction.
If you would like to learn more or refer Melissa to your district, check out her website below!
Website and Blog Read the latest blog posts and find out more about services provided by Melissa
TikTok Follow Melissa for tips and support with writing instruction!
YouTube Find out more about teaching writing as you watch webinars and model lessons taught by Melissa
LinkedIn Connect with Melissa!
20 min

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

From the publisher's feed

Are you a K-8 Elementary or Middle School ELA teacher wondering how to get your students to write? This podcast is for teachers looking for a way to revamp and transform their writing time! You don't need daily lesson plans or prompts-you just need to understand what writers need!