In the final episode of our third season, we dive into the foundational beliefs that shape effective writing instruction. From emphasizing explicit teaching to fostering a community led by a teacher who writes to foundational skills like handwriting and spelling, we explore key elements that support student success. This episode will inspire educators to reflect on their teaching philosophies and empower students within any curriculum framework.

GO DEEPER:

• How Great Leaders Inspire Action: Simon Sinek
• Perplexity 
• Research Roundup (from the Build Your Expertise Blog Series on #TWTBlog)
• The Evolving Landscape of Writing Instruction: The Writing Roundtable with Lester L. Laminack

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You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

The Salad Bowl Game is one of our family's favorite games to play when we're all together, and it's also a great game for building students' vocabulary in writing, as well as any other content area. Give it a try with friends when you have some time, and have some great laughs and learning in classrooms with students. 

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You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Introducing the 10th Annual Author Spotlight Series on the Two Writing Teachers blog, featuring daily interviews with children’s authors and illustrators who share their creative journeys and writing processes. Listeners get a preview of the week’s lineup, including stories of resilience, identity, and collaboration from Tim Donohue, Tyler Gordon, Maham Khwaja, Rebecca Gardyn Levington, Patty McGee, and Padma Venkatraman. The episode also highlights exciting book giveaways and virtual author visit opportunities for those who leave a comment on the guest authors’ posts. 

Get ready to be inspired by the featured authors’ experiences!

Click here to read posts from the Author Spotlight Series on Two Writing Teachers!

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Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In this special episode, Melanie turns the tables as she interviews Stacey about her forthcoming book, which helps parents understand how to make the school system work for their child with disabilities. Hear about the personal passion that fueled this project, get an overview of the book’s three-part structure, and demystify the language of special education. The episode concludes with a discussion on the vital role of self-care, agency, and advocacy for parents, underscoring the book’s unique focus on caregiver well-being and empowerment.

Go Deeper:

• Follow Stacey on Instagram, where she shares tips for parents and caregivers.
• Sign up for emails from Guilford Press, which will publish Stacey's book, to stay in the know about new releases.

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Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In this Tip for Tomorrow, Melanie provides three ideas for differentiating that can work across grade levels and across genres. 

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Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Let’s revisit the Spring 2017 blog series "Keep Learning Going Throughout the Summer," which explored various strategies to maintain children's writing skills during the summer break. Stacey highlights key ideas from the 2017 co-author team, including creating personalized writing spaces, gamifying the writing process, and using books to inspire writing projects. The episode emphasizes the importance of making summer writing fun, engaging, and tailored to each child's interests and needs. Listeners are encouraged to share these strategies with colleagues and students’ families to prevent summer writing loss. 

GO DEEPER:

• Recap of the Keep Learning Going Throughout the Summer Blog Series
• Twitter Chat Archive (Many participants’ tweets are no longer present due to deactivating their accounts.)

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In our second Writing Roundtable episode, renowned literacy expert Lester L. Laminack joins us to discuss his Ferris wheel of education concept, providing a fresh perspective on educational trends. Lester examines the current state of writing instruction, investigating how recent developments influence students' writing experiences and skills. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of writing pedagogy as Lester addresses the promising advancements and potential challenges facing educators. 

GO DEEPER:

• Read Lester's original "Ferris Wheel" piece on The Robb Review

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Lester Laminack, Professor Emeritus, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina is a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the United States and abroad. He is the author of over 25 books for teachers and children. His academic publications include Climb Inside a Poem (Heinemann) Cracking Open the Author’s Craft (Scholastic), Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Aloud and Guided Conversations (Heinemann), The Writing Teacher’s Troubleshooting Guide(Heinemann), Writers ARE Readers: Flipping Reading Strategies into Writing Instruction (Heinemann), Reading to Make a Difference(Heinemann), The Ultimate Read Aloud Guide 2nd Edition (Scholastic) and The Ultimate Read Aloud Collection Fiction and Nonfiction (Scholastic), Critical Comprehension: Lessons for Guiding Students to Deeper Meaning (Corwin). 

Lester is also the author of several children’s books including: The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins, Trevor’s Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth, Saturdays and Teacakes, Jake’s 100th Day of School, Snow Day!, Three Hens and a Peacock  (2012 Children’s Choice K-2 Book of the Year Award), and The King of Bees all published by Peachtree Publishers. His most recent book for children is Three Hens, a Peacock, and the Enormous Egg.  His most recent book, A Cat Like That was released in January 2025.

Lester is available for professional development and school author visits. You can contact him via his website, and follow him on Facebook.

Thanks to our affiliate, Zencastr! Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. 

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Fun test prep may seem like an oxymoron, but in this tip for tomorrow, Melanie shares a few ways you can bring movement, collaboration, and agency into getting students ready to take assessments. 

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

In this episode, Stacey interviews Melanie about her upcoming book (co-authored with Maggie Beattie Roberts), tentatively titled THE WRITING BRAIN: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS OF WRITTEN EXPRESSION. The book emphasizes developing foundational writing skills through research- and evidence-based instructional methods. We discuss the five guiding principles featured in the book: Cognitive Load Theory, Neurological Response to Learning, The Zone of Proximal Development, Universal Design for Learning, and the Gradual Release Model. Melanie explains how their book helps teachers identify and address individual students' writing challenges. She also shares insights about the collaborative writing process with Maggie. 

GO DEEPER:

• Cognitive Load Theory: Sweller, J. Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning. Cogn. Sci. 1988, 12, 257–285. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
• Zone of Proximal Development - Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
• Gradual Release Theory- Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3), 317-344.

Thanks to our affiliate, Zencastr! Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. 

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

There is a lot of research about spelling and how students learn to spell words, and there are important connections between how students spell and how they learn to read. In this episode, Melanie shares a few changes she's made as she works with students who ask how to spell words. 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• How Words Cast Their Spell
• Rebecca Treiman

Send us a text

Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.

You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.

• Melanie Meehan: [email protected]
• Stacey Shubitz: [email protected]

Email us at [email protected] for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.

For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.