In this episode, I invite you to consider how you are setting the stage for writing in your elementary or middle school classroom in the first few days of school.

Do you want your writers to be excited, confident and ready to engage in writing? How you begin writing time-the words you say and the activities you ask your students to do-needs to support those goals.

This means your "go-to" writing prompt may not be the right choice for the first day of school.

Listen in to hear how to start off your writing time on the right foot!

About Melissa:

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!

You will enjoy this episode with my guest, Ms. Hannah Roudebush! Hannah was a teacher who truly cared for her students and did everything she could to make learning "relevant, engaging, and perhaps the most important aspect of that, enjoyable."

Hannah is passionate about getting learners participating in the learning process and in this episode, she shares ideas for doing just that!

Listen in to hear about:

-thinking outside the box

-finding teacher autonomy alongside teaching standards

-getting students out of their seats

-building writing fluency

-mixing up the routing

-the "foot" writing piece

-the "sweater" project

-capitalizing on curiosity

This is not an episode to miss!

About Hannah Roudebush: Hannah is a Training Consultant at Gale, part of Cengage Group, where she develops and delivers training to K-12 teachers and school media specialists, as well as special, government, and public library staff on a wide variety of digital resources supporting lifelong learning.

 She earned her BA in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies from Marshall University in 2012. She later went on to gain certification in English 5-Adult, as well as MAs in both Instructional Processes and Strategies and School Principalship. After teaching 8th grade for 10 years, Hannah joined the EdTech world as a training consultant.

 She has a passion for making learning fun and teaching in unconventional ways, while still making instruction both rigorous and relevant. Targeting different learning styles, fostering critical thinking skills, and getting participants engaged in the learning process are her educational passions!

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!

Sometimes using a mentor text to teach writing seems scary, but I promise you, it is not!

In this episode, Melissa covers:

~The what and Why of Mentor texts for writing

~How to choose a mentor text for writing

~Using your own library or Read Alouds as mentor texts

~Ideas for strategies to teach using a mentor text

Your young writers need to see writing strategies in action in order to grow as writers.

Listen in and "up your game" when it comes to teaching writing!

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!

Shared Writing is a highly-effective writing instructional practice for elementary and even middle school students in which the teacher holds the pen while collaboratively composing a piece of text with their students. Students are involved in all stages of the writing process with support from the teacher.

Students need a high number of opportunities to see and practice many types of writing.

Shared Writing allows the time for students to be free of the transcription part of writing so they may concentrate more on the composition and the thinking that goes along with it.

In this episode, Melissa shares her views on the use of Shared Writing as well as:

-How long each session should take

-Key practices to utilize (such as ways to engage students)

-Choosing topics for all students

-and what NOT to do!

Shared Writing can be implemented in all grade levels and is extremely helpful for student progress as it provides a real-time model for the steps of the writing process.

This practice is meant to be tailored to the needs of your students and has flexibility in implementation while following a few set techniques and routines.

Listen in and get ready to implement Shared Writing in your classroom!

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!

Do you give enough time to new practices in writing instruction?

Or perhaps you throw in the towel as soon as things don't go as planned?

I have definitely been guilty of "poo pooing" a new strategy or technique when it doesn't magically fix everything right away. But the truth is, everything takes time!

Plus, sometimes a small adjustment is all it needs to work smoothly.

Oftentimes we feel like something is wrong when the thing that's meant to help us falls short.

This episode will share examples of common challenges with new workshop practices and how to overcome them with time, understanding and action!

Don't miss this helpful episode for your elementary or middle school writing time!

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!

You won't want to miss the second part of my interview with these two fabulous educators!

We continue our discussion on the topics of:

Handling the "expectations" of teaching writing:

-considering each writer's "default"

-letting go in order to prevent holding writers back

-creating school-based progressions

-focusing on growth

Editing in a new light

-editor vs writer

-risk vs perfection

-non-negotiables

Our guests' favorite pieces of advice

I left this interview with so many new learnings to share with teachers and I know you will too!

Books mentioned: The Unstoppable Writing Teacher by Colleen Cruz, Teaching Fiercely by Kass Minor, Why They Can't Write by John Warner.

Guests

Coley Conter: Coley Conter brings deep experience as a curriculum writer, lead teacher, and literacy innovator to her work at TC Advancing Literacy. She’s been a contributor to new editions of Units of Study in Writing and an instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University. Her educational experience spans grades 3-12. Coley is passionate about cultivating brave classroom communities and increasing interdisciplinary literacy in schools, both of which she continues to explore as a student in the Literacy Specialist program.

Katy Wischow: Katy Wischow has been a staff developer, supporting schools and teachers around the world, since 2013. Before that, she found her way to workshop teaching, seeing how it transformed her students' work in her Newark, NJ middle school classroom. Her students' response led Katy to enroll in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, where she earned her M.A. Katy is the co-author of the professional book Unlocking the Power of Classroom Talk, co-written several Units of Study for middle school, and the Ida & Jake series in the Jump Rope Readers decodable book collection. She is passionate (and super nerdy!) about curriculum, writing instruction, and all things 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!

In this episode, you will hear from two literacy experts who have worked with a number of districts to support them in best practices in reading and writing.

Coley Conter and Katy Wischow are a pleasure to speak with and I you will gain so much from hearing what they share with us!

Our discussion begins with Katy and Coley's favorite part about teaching writing and moves on to discuss:

-tapping into "out of school" writing

-children's writing communities

-strategies for getting writers started

Books mentioned in this episode: How to Tell a Story by The Moth

Guests

Coley Conter: Coley Conter brings deep experience as a curriculum writer, lead teacher, and literacy innovator to her work at TC Advancing Literacy. She’s been a contributor to new editions of Units of Study in Writing and an instructor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University. Her educational experience spans grades 3-12. Coley is passionate about cultivating brave classroom communities and increasing interdisciplinary literacy in schools, both of which she continues to explore as a student in the Literacy Specialist program.

Katy Wischow: Katy Wischow has been a staff developer, supporting schools and teachers around the world, since 2013. She currently works for the Reading & Writing Project at Mossflower. Before that, she found her way to workshop teaching, seeing how it transformed her students' work in her Newark, NJ middle school classroom. Her students' response led Katy to enroll in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College, where she earned her M.A. Katy is the co-author of the professional book Unlocking the Power of Classroom Talk, co-written several Units of Study for middle school, and the Ida & Jake series in the Jump Rope Readers decodable book collection. She is passionate (and super nerdy!) about curriculum, writing instruction, and all things 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!

What does writing time FEEL like in your elementary or middle school classroom?

Is that feeling something your students need in order to enjoy and engage in writing?

Writing instruction needs to be explicit and effective, but in order for our students to WANT to write, writing time needs to be enjoyable, collaborative and engaging!

If you want to see a classroom full of students excited to write, taking risks and writing more,

this episode will help you reflect on the structure of your writing time and provide ways for you to create an environment that is conducive to writing for your students.

Ready to Shake Things Up? Press play!

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!

In a previous episode (#57) I spoke about the "composing" aspect of writing instruction.

It is vital to understand that our young writers need to learn how to compose!

Oftentimes, because the conventions are what stands out to us when we read a student's writing piece, they become our focus, and lessons and discussion on the composition portion of writing fall to the wayside.

Fear not, because this episode will help you to stop the war between conventions and composition so that you will help your writers to grow with well-balanced writing instruction!

Mentioned in this episode: Jennifer Serravallo's The Writing Strategies Book.

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!

Elementary

Middle School

Teaching Writing

This episode was inspired by a recent keynote speech given by Mr. Eduardo Briceno.

His speech resonated with me and the work I do with writing teachers and writing instruction in elementary and middle school classrooms!

We all want to do our best, but do we really know how to make change in our work?

Teachers are always performing, trying to give their best to their students. However Mr. Briceno tells us that living in the "performance zone" hinders our ability to learn and grow.

If you want to truly grow as a teacher of writing and help your student writers to grow as well, this is the episode for you!

Eduardo Briceno's Book The Performance Paradox

Freebie- Building Independent Writing Stamina Checklist

Grab the Checklist Here

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!