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

March 04, 2025 Episode 98 Writers Struggling? Try a New Perspective!
We all get stuck in a rut with our teaching. Sometimes it just takes a different perspective to figure out what works!
This episode shares a few examples of looking at parts of teaching writing in a new way and provides you with steps to try it out yourself!
Listen in to this short episode for some helpful tips for improving your writing instruction.
**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!
15 min
February 25, 2025Episode 97 Little Things Make a HUGE Difference!
Implementing effective writing instruction is a big task. There are many moving parts and lots of important young writers to take care of!
I find it helpful to know and remember that often times the little details are what also make a huge impact on your student writers.
This episode shares examples of those small practices and hopefully helps to spark even more ideas for you to implement.
Listen in to hear about writing tips such as:
including your writers
positive energy
student collaboration
and more!

**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!
15 min
February 18, 2025 Episode 96 Why Can't We Just Use the Oreo Planner?
Teaching is hard. Teaching writing is hard...and, it's not the only thing you have to teach!
I get it. Trying new things can be time-consuming and a bit scary.
But also...it can be so worth it!
If you want your students to be engaged and successful in writing, it's time to take a risk!
If you are frustrated with lack of student progress and even student interest and motivation for writing, then it is time to think differently about writing time in your classroom.
The goal for writers is not to get something "good enough" on paper. The goal is to enjoy, experience, understand, learn about and become better at writing.
This episode will encourage you to push through the uncertainty of new practices and do what is needed to provide your writers with new opportunities to learn and grow.
**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!
14 min
February 11, 2025Episode 95 Peer Feedback that Works with Michelle Ruhe Pt 2
Part 2 with Michelle Ruhe of Coach from the Couch continues with more actionable steps for implementing peer feedback with your writers.
In this episode we discuss:
the importance of slow, strategic implementation
using checklists and rubrics
providing quality, exemplar writing pieces and
how to set goals while staying within a writer's ZPD

This conversation will get rid of any fears and frustrations with having students work together as writers!
Michelle Ruhe is a 20+ year veteran elementary educator dedicated to helping others find the joy in teaching--because confident, happy educators are the key to inspiring confident and successful students! She wants others to love teaching as much as she does...and wouldn't dream of doing anything else!
Michelle has experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach and virtual consultant and holds great knowledge of literacy!
Coach from the Couch Website www.coachfromthecouch.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!
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!
23 min
February 04, 2025Episode 94 Peer Feedback that Works with Michelle Ruhe Pt 1
It can sound scary and impossible, but it's not!
In this first episode with Mrs. Michelle Ruhe of Coach from the Couch, we share the power of peer feedback to:
enhance writing quality
engage students and
distribute the feedback workload

You will hear about the transformative potential of peer feedback in fostering student ownership and improving writing through collaborative learning.
Listen in to this and next week's episode for practical and effective tips on implementing peer feedback in your writing classroom.
Michelle Ruhe is a 20+ year veteran elementary educator dedicated to helping others find the joy in teaching--because confident, happy educators are the key to inspiring confident and successful students! She wants others to love teaching as much as she does...and wouldn't dream of doing anything else!
Michelle has experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach and virtual consultant and holds great knowledge of literacy!
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!
17 min
January 28, 2025 Episode 93 Are You Over-Scaffolding your Writers?
Can't stand the mess? Then get out of the kitchen!
I couldn't help but think of that saying when writing show notes for this episode!
Just like I over-supported my children when baking cookies to avoid the "mess" of little hands, writing teachers often over-scaffold their writers.
If you have ever said, "I taught you how to do that!" or "We've been over this!", it's very likely you have provided too much support for your writers.
In this episode, I share what over-scaffolding can look like in writing instruction and why it is so important to allow students to "get into the mess" of writing and truly take hold of the skills they need as writers.
Be ready to get messy and provide more opportunities for writing growth in your students.
20 min
January 21, 2025Episode 92 Writing Strategies Series: Volume
I recently had a teacher I am coaching say, "That's going to be hard for me," when we discussed allowing students to try multiple drafts on different topics for their informational books.
I completely understand why this fabulous teacher was hesitant...and there are so many reasons!
But the truth is, we all need repeated practice to improve our skills, and developing skills as writers is no different!
In this episode, I share the importance of increasing the volume of student writing as well as providing opportunities for students to cycle through the writing process over and over again.
You will hear about the significance of:
Setting expectations for volume
Focusing on student goals
Making revision a bigger part of the process
And more!

I will also share helpful advice for those nagging worries that I know are lurking in your mind!
28 min
January 14, 2025Episode 91 Writing Conferring Series: Research-Decide-Teach
Melissa saved one of the best, but possibly "scariest" writing conference for last!
The Research-Decide-Teach conference originates from Lucy Calkins and is a highly effective method for truly meeting your writers' needs and moving them forward as writers.
In this final installment of the Writing Conference Series, Melissa discusses how to gather information from students, make instructional decisions, and effectively teach targeted strategies during a writing conference.
Melissa provides an overview of the RTD conference, a comparison of RTD to other conferences previously discussed in the series, an example of a student conference and practical tips for implementation.
Listen to hear:
Melissa's encouragement for trying this new conference
How to use unit goals to help make conference decisions
The importance of trusting your teacher intuition
The benefit of strong pedagogy and student agency

This episode will take away the fear of making "in the moment" decisions and help you to implement this conference with success!
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!
31 min
January 07, 2025 Edited! Episode 90 Writing Strategies Series: Elaboration
Are you looking for more than "use describing words" and "tell me more" when it comes to helping students elaborate in their writing?
In this episode, Melissa dives into strategies for improving writing elaboration for students by first considering a few overall understandings and techniques for opinion, narrative and informational writing and then sharing specific strategies for ways to elaborate.
Emphasizing the importance of purposeful writing and understanding the audience, Melissa offers a range of techniques and specific strategies tailored for different genres. She also introduces practical elaboration strategies like twin sentences, using question words, and acting out scenarios, along with more advanced techniques such as developing characters in narratives and organizing information in informational texts.
This episode is jam-packed with helpful elaboration strategies for writing in the elementary and middle school classroom!
AND! Listen in for a chance to receive a FREEBIE-Melissa's writing strategies one pager!
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!
21 min
December 17, 2024Episode 89 Lessen Your Mental Load by Establishing Student Agency
Raise your hand if you have felt unsure, ill-equipped, or stressed out when making decisions about writing instruction.
Teachers tend to place too much responsibility on themselves when it comes to instruction in general, and definitely with writing instruction! This creates unnecessary stress that can be alleviated by establishing student autonomy and agency.
Involving students in their learning and putting more of the responsibility on them will:
Increase engagement and motivation
Make learning stick
Lesson your mental load
Increase student growth

In this episode, Melissa shares examples of ways to include writers in their learning that you can implement tomorrow.
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!