The Literacy Dive Podcast: Reading and Writing Strategies for Upper Elementary Teachers and Parents

Getting students to write can often feel like pulling teeth. Can you relate? It doesn't have to be that way! Sometimes it just takes bringing some new ideas to the table, and I'm here to help. 

Have you ever heard of the phrase "writing long"? Essentially it is when you turn a short idea or response into a longer well-developed reading response paragraph. I'm showing you how to implement this strategy with your students. It is an actionable practice that you can begin in your classroom right away! The best thing about this strategy is that it is beneficial for all students, whether they are below, on, or above grade level.

In this episode I share:

• What writing long is and how to use it starting with a general sticky note response
• 4 reasons why I love having students write long
• When it's best to implement this strategy
• How to make writing long a very low-prep activity
• Using write long reading responses as assessment data

Resources from the episode:

• Episode 21: "Think Marks" Reading Responses
• Reading Response Sheets
• Reading Response Stem Cards
• Reading Response Bookmarks
• Reading Graphic Organizers
• Reading Response Graphic Organizer Sticky Note Templates

Connect with me:

• TpT Store
• Join The Literacy Dive Facebook group!
• Instagram
• Blog
• Facebook Page
• YouTube

For full show notes, head to misspsstyle.com/podcast-episode22

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

In case you don't already know, I have a major sticky note addiction. Seriously, I use them for everything! I get asked all the time, "what in the world do you do with all those sticky notes?!". To be honest, there was a time when I would just toss them in the trash can, but not anymore! Now I have several favorite ways to repurpose sticky notes to help document authentic student work.

Sticky notes are my favorite teacher tool because they can be used in small group and whole group lessons. They can also be used during independent work, and the kids love them! They don't find them intimidating to write on because of their small size. There is so much you can do beyond just basic writing on a sticky note. Before you think about throwing yours away, try these tips. 

In this episode I share:

• The 4 ways I love using sticky notes the most
• Why anchor charts with student examples should be utilized more
• How to use sticky notes for informal observation and assessment
• My favorite teacher hack for printing sticky note templates when you're short on time

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 20: "Think Marks" Reading Responses
• Sticky Note Data Trackers
• How to Print on Sticky Notes blog post
• Reading Response Graphic Organizer Sticky Note Templates
• Writing Process Sticky Note Templates
• Reading Response Bookmarks
• Reading Graphic Organizer

Connect with me:

• TpT Store
• Join The Literacy Dive Facebook group!
• Instagram
• Blog
• Facebook Page
• YouTube

For full show notes, head to misspsstyle.com/podcast-episode21

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

Having your students write about their reading is something that should be happening every single day! It gives them practice to develop their writing skills and helps build thoughtful reflection while reading. If you're feeling like you've run out of ways to motivate your students to write about their reading, I have a great tool for you that you can implement today!

My secret is a chart called the "think marks anchor chart". Teachers, this is the solution to getting even your most reluctant writers to think and write about what they are reading! And guess what? All you need is chart paper, sticky notes, and a pencil! 

In this episode I share:

• What think marks are and how to link them to questioning
• How to make a think marks anchor chart that is right for your students
• 8 quick tips for using the think marks chart in your classroom
• The benefits of using visuals during literacy instruction
• The process of creating symbols to connect to each student response type

Resources from this episode:

• Check out the readers use "think marks" anchor chart
• Reading Response Question Ring
• Reading Response Stem Cards Bundle

Connect with me:

• TpT Store
• Join The Literacy Dive Facebook group!
• Instagram
• Blog
• Facebook Page
• YouTube

For full show notes, head to misspsstyle.com/podcast-episode20

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

How many of your students still struggle with writing complete sentences? I know I have experienced this in my classroom year after year. Today, I am sharing the 5 necessary parts to a complete sentence. I will share a breakdown of how I have found success with teaching each part and ways I implement several opportunities for sentence writing practice in the classroom setting.

Episode Highlights:

• Determine whether sentence writing is a whole group or small group concern
• Explain that a complete sentence, at minimum, should include a subject, a verb, and an object or thought (when the verb and object/thought are joined together, it becomes the predicate)
• Explain that a sentence must have a capital letter and an end mark
• Begin with teaching basic sentence structures; more complex sentences can be explored once your students display they are ready
• When sharing the 5 parts upfront, it becomes a lot to digest; separating the structure from the grammatical components will help with sentence retention
• You can embed these moments for sentence practice in/during
  • Morning Meeting
  • Writing Workshop warm-ups
  • Writing Center/Literacy Workstations
  • Exit Tickets
  • Responding to Reading
  
  
• Be intentional and allow for plenty of practice each day
• Learn easy-to-implement ideas and ways to create opportunities for your students

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

Paragraph writing can be hard, but it can be easier! A major part of the battle is that our students just don't understand how a paragraph works. If you are ready to make that a thing of the past, today's episode is for you! I am going to share 4 components to paragraph writing that will have your students writing clear, focused paragraphs in no time!

Episode highlights:

• A paragraph is a group of sentences that are organized around a central idea or topic
• A basic paragraph structure usually is comprised of 5-6 sentences: a topic sentence, 3-4 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence
• 4 components of a paragraph: unity, order, coherence, and completeness
• Unity - a paragraph needs only one topic sentence
• Order - main focus on organization
• Coherence - main focus on the quality of writing with the use of transition words
• Completeness - the celebration of a well-developed paragraph and the focus is on the concluding sentence to make it complete
• Tip #1 - Allow students to write about what they like and know
• Tip #2 - Do not focus on an entire essay
• Tip #3 - Partner practice
• Tip #4 - Provide paragraph stems for student reference

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

Black History is celebrated this month, but I have been one to celebrate Black and diverse history all year long. This episode will support teachers who are wanting to implement African American history into their classrooms whether it's their first year or tenth year. You will gain helpful reminders when navigating your conversations about Black influential individuals with students, as well as activities that can be easily implemented throughout this month and beyond.

Episode Highlights:

• Black History Month is celebrated in February but is encouraged to be taught year-round
• It is the duty of teachers to help fill in the gaps that are left out of textbooks and omitted from curriculum standards
• 3 helpful reminders when discussing Black history with students
• 5 ways to implement Black history in the classroom - activities you can get up and running today!

Links referenced:

• Printable & Digital Black History Biographies and Research Activities
• Digital-Only Black History Biographies and Research Activities
• Diverse Read Alouds + Books for Black History
• Donorschoose
• BrainPop
• Creating an Amazon Wishlist

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

There are many benefits to having students write daily in the classroom. When I say "writing daily", I mean an intentional moment for writing. While I find opportunities to insert writing during every guided reading group, not all students are present during that small group time. Today, I will be diving into why I started implementing daily writing prompts into my classroom and the many positives of using them! I chat about how to help students understand what writing prompts are asking, what to do with writing prompts, when to incorporate them, and other helpful tips to get them up and running in your daily schedules.

Episode Highlights:

• Writing prompts provide topic ideas or starting points for original writing to follow
• The purpose of a writing prompt is to invite  students to think and develop a perspective about a topic... then students will write about it
• Ask these 4 questions about the prompt before releasing students to write
• The process of implementing writing prompts for maximum impact and effectiveness
• Writing prompts are great to show the writing process, foundations, and fundamentals of writing
• Learn 7 ways to incorporate writing prompts into your schedule
• Ultimate Benefits: Writing prompts take the guesswork out of daily planning and ensure there are fresh ideas available each day for students; the prompts allow for student choice in a stress-free. non-threatening environment; they spark interest specifically when connected to National Days; daily writing prompts allow for a variety of genres to be spiraled consistently

Links referenced:

• 40 Writing and Conversation Starters FREEBIE
• February Writing Prompts & Journal
• Year-Long Monthly Writing Prompts & Journal

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe, leave a rating, and a helpful review! It is much appreciated and thank you for listening!

There is an art to implementing sentence stems intentionally in the classroom. Without proper explanation, modeling, and practice, sentence stems lost their effectiveness. I have found increased student achievement when using sentence stems, more specifically for reading responses. This episode unpacks my process for using the stems and explains how they are tools to boost, versus hinder, student ability.

Episode highlights:

• Sentence stems are a learning scaffold that helps students respond orally and through writing using complete sentences
• Sentence stems reduce pressure on students
• Sentence stems support students who need more time to formulate thoughts and responses
• Sentence stems improve student writing and sentence structure
• Teachers can use sentence stems to structure meaningful conversations, activate prior knowledge, respond to a question, reinforce key details, clarify information, use new vocabulary, summarize information, respond to peer discussion, and to work through a problem - modeling and using sentence stems help students greatly
• There is a process for incorporating sentence stems in the classroom: C.M.P.R. (Create, Model, Practice, Review)
• Sentence stems support student learning by using them as a resource, using them as a practice, and using intentional questioning to prompt the need for sentence stems in the response
• Sentence stems improve student language proficiency which results in improved writing and overall communication
• Sentence stems promote higher order thinking skills

Links referenced:

• Reading Response Sentence Stems and Starters Anchor Charts
• Reading Response Stem Cards
• Reading Trifolds (with sentence stems)

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive Podcast, please subscribe to the show! Rating and leaving a review is appreciated!

Teaching small groups can be tricky, however, teaching small groups through distance learning can pose a whole new set of challenges. On today’s episode, I am chatting with a 3rd grade teacher from New Jersey who went into distance learning at the start of the pandemic (March 2020) and still has not returned to teaching in-person (now January 2021). Raffaella De Martinis will share her strategies and tips for keeping reading and writing small groups going, especially in a virtual setting. Her methods, words of encouragement, and simplicity are golden! I will also share my fangirl moment here by adding that Raffaella taught Jennifer Serravallo’s daughter and has a mention in one of her books! So cool! I hope you enjoy this informative chat with my literacy friend!

Here are the questions asked in this interview:

• What one word describes your school year so far?
• How do you create small groups?
• How do you know what you are going to teach in your small groups each day?
• How do you check in with your small groups?
• How do you track data?
• Are there any other tips to share regarding small groups?
• Do you have any words of encouragement for teachers to find confidence and success with finishing the school year strong?

Ways to get connected with Raffaella:

• TpT Store: Thinking About Third
• Instagram: @thinking_about_third

Resources mentioned in this episode by Raffaella:

• Reading Goal Bookmarks
• Reading and Writing Strategies Post-Its
• Reading (Lower & Higher) Toolkits and Writing Toolkit
• Small Group Editable Sheets
• Data Keeping Google Sheets Document
• Reading Strategies book by Jennifer Serravallo *Amazon affiliate link*
• Writing Strategies book by Jennifer Serravallo *Amazon affiliate link*
• Jennifer Serravallo books and resources

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram

Returning back to school after a break takes some easing into. In this episode, learn 11 ways to make your writing block fresh and more engaging! These ideas will for sure spice up your writing time and keep your students having fun! Spiral these ideas throughout the year to gain a boost in your day!

The 11 ways to increase engagement during your writing block are:

Idea #1: Writing Materials

Idea #2: Student DJ

Idea #3: Flexible Seating Options

Idea #4: Writing Outdoors

Idea #5: Writer of the Week

Idea #6: Quick Writes

Idea #7: Free Write

Idea #8: Writing Choice Boards

Idea #9: Partner Writing

Idea #10: Classroom Book

Idea #11: Publishing Party

Links mentioned:

• Would you like to use the FREE Writing Choice Boards mentioned during this episode? Grab them here!
• Listen to episode 9 to learn more about Quick Writes!
• Select partners at random using www.online-stopwatch.com

Connect with Megan on social media:

• TpT Store
• Instagram
• Blog
• Facebook Page
• The Literacy Dive Facebook Group

If you are enjoying The Literacy Dive, please subscribe and leave a review!