In this episode, Stacey talks with Melanie Meehan and Maggie Roberts about their book, Foundational Skills for Writing: A Brain-Based Guide to Strengthen Executive Functions, Language, and Other Cornerstones for Writers. The discussion highlights the "Conversations with a Colleague” sections, which bring expert voices to teachers and promote classroom collaboration. Melanie and Maggie explain how graphic organizers serve as thinking tools that support executive functioning and make writing more accessible. They also discuss the connection between gross motor development and fine motor writing skills, sharing strategies for learners of all ages. The episode offers practical tips on topics like cognitive flexibility and playful sentence combining.

ABOUT TODAY’S GUESTS

Maggie Beattie Roberts is a national literacy consultant, author, and highly sought-after professional learning facilitator. As co-author of DIY Literacy: Teaching Tools for Differentiation, Rigor, and Independence (2016; with Kate Roberts), Maggie continues to empower educators with tools that enhance student learning and independence. Her forthcoming book, Unboxing the Curriculum, helps educators and school leaders navigate prepackaged curriculum and tailor it to their students’ needs. Learn more about Maggie's work at kateandmaggie.com 

Melanie Meehan opened The Writing Clinic, an in-person and online center for inspiring and nurturing competent, confident, and joyful young writers, after retiring from her public school position as an Elementary Curriculum Coordinator. Melanie’s published works include Every Child Can Write (2019), The Responsive Writing Teacher (2021), and Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing (2022), all published by Corwin Press. 

GO DEEPER

• Landmark College in Putney, VT
• Purchase Foundational Skills for Writing: A Brain-Based Guide to Strengthen Executive Func

Send 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.

This week’s TFT episode shifts the conversation about conferring from technique to equity. Even with solid conferring routines, some students, especially multilingual learners, students with IEPs, and quieter voices, can miss out on meaningful conferences. Learn how a quick equity scan of your conferring notes can help close these gaps. You’ll hear practical strategies to ensure every student benefits from your best teaching moves. Tune in to see how a few simple shifts can make your conferences more equitable and impactful for all writers.

Send 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.

Stacey and Melanie dive into the transformative power of the Slice of Life Story Challenge, a writing initiative that has connected educators since 2008. Stacey shares the origins of the challenge, emphasizing the importance of community and daily writing. The discussion highlights how participating in this challenge not only enhances writing skills but also deepens empathy and understanding among teachers, impacting their overall teaching practices. Melanie reflects on a recent meeting with fellow educators who revealed that the challenge has been a game-changer in their careers, enriching their approach across various content areas. Join them as they explore the profound insights gained from being authentic learners within a supportive writing community.

Go Deeper:

• Building on “Rallying a Community of Writers”: A February Support System by Ana Valentina Patton
• Embracing Imperfection as a Teacher-Writer: A Conversation With a Colleague - Stacey Shubitz and Ana Valentina Patton
• Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
• On a Thought by Ona Gabriel
• One Writer at a Time: Fostering An Adult Writing Community by Jessica Carey
• Rallying a Community of Writers by Jessica Carey
• Writing: The Gift We Give Ourselves by Jessica Carey
• Essential FAQs for First-Time Slice of Life Story Challenge Participants
  
  

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 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.

While interval training shouldn't take the place of process writing, there are potential benefits to writing in short spurts. In this episode, Melanie shares some reasons to give interval writing a try, as well as some strategies to get you started.

Go Deeper:

• Interval Training With Writers

Send 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.

This episode features Ana Valentina Patton, an Instructional Coordinator at KLA Academy in Miami and a contributing writer for the Two Writing Teachers blog. Together, Stacey and Ana tackle the challenges teachers face during the mid-year slump, when energy dips and the pressure of test scores can overshadow the joy of writing. Ana shares practical ways to reclaim presence and authenticity as a teacher-writer, focusing on small shifts that make a big difference in the K-6 classroom. Drawing on her global teaching background, Ana offers strategies for connecting and making writing a more joyful, meaningful part of daily classroom life.

GO DEEPER:

• A Teacher's Guide to Mentor Texts, K-5 (The Classroom Essentials Series) by Carl Anderson
• Building on “Rallying a Community of Writers”: A February Support System by Ana Valentina Patton
• Morning message ideas from Responsive Classroom
• “Persistence and Pedagogy” by Amanda Potts
• Rallying a Community of Writers by Jessica Carey
• Sign up for the 19th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge on Two Writing Teachers
• When Teachers Write: Three Shifts Toward Becoming a Present Writing Teacher by Ana Valentina Patton
• Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark

Ana Valentina Patton, the Instructional Coordinator at KLA Academy in Miami. With over 20 years of experience across the globe—taught in Venezuela, Egypt, and now the U.S.—Ana is an expert in literacy coaching and writing workshops. She’s passionate about the 'reciprocal power' of teaching and learning, and she’s here to help us cultivate stronger writing communities in our schools.

Instagram: @anavpatton

Blog: https://anavpatton.org

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 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.

Discover how teaching self-advocacy during writing workshop empowers students to express their needs and take charge of their learning. Drawing on insights from her upcoming book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future, Stacey shares practical sentence starters to help students ask for help with revision, clarify instructions, and participate in peer conferences with confidence. Learn how teaching your students these sentences can foster independence and help them speak up for themselves clearly. 

Six Self-Advocacy Sentences for Writing Workshop

1. I’m feeling confused about my writing. Can you help me understand what to do next?
2. I need help with this part of my writing. Could you help me?
3. I’m not sure how to revise this. Could you show me again?
4. Can you please check if I understood the instructions correctly?
5. I’m struggling with giving feedback. Can we talk about how to do it?
6. I’m not comfortable sharing this piece. Is there another way I can participate?

Learn more about Stacey’s book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future (Guilford Press, 2026).

*****

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 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, Melanie talks with Stacey about her forthcoming book, Make the School System Work for Your Child with Disabilities: Empowering Kids for the Future. From its three-part structure and recurring features, such as tips for cultivating joy and engaging in self-care, to its asset-based approach that builds partnerships while fiercely advocating for services, the book offers practical guidance. Designed primarily for parents and caregivers, it also benefits educators and service providers by demystifying technical language, procedures, and processes, serving as a quick-reference roadmap—making it valuable for non-special ed teachers, new special educators, administrators, and more. It offers key insights on self-advocacy, agency, and strategies to empower kids for lifelong success ahead of its January 20 release from Guilford Press.

​Use promo code AU2E to receive 15% off your pre-order this text at Guilford.com.

​Connect with Stacey Shubitz online:

• Instagram: @thestaceyshubitz
• LinkedIn: @staceyshubitz
• Subscribe to her Substack: Your Ally in Advocacy
• Website: staceyshubitz.com

Send 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, Melanie provides a few tips for building students' automaticity with letter formation. 

Go deeper

• Effective Strategies for Teaching Handwriting in Grades 3-8
• The Handwriting Part of Writing

Send 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.

This week, we examine cognitive flexibility and its importance for young writers and learners. Listeners will hear clear, classroom-based examples—such as switching from an outside voice to an inside voice, adapting to new assignments, and seeing disappointing grades as growth opportunities. The discussion links cognitive flexibility to writing, emphasizing how it aids in planning, revising, experimenting with different leads and endings, and responding to teacher feedback productively. Practical strategies like perspective-taking, word play, experimentation, writing within constraints, and goal-setting are shared to help teachers develop this skill. The episode also features picture book mentor texts such as Don’t Feed the Bears, Beautiful Oops, The Dot, and One Word from Sophia, using them as springboards to discuss flexible thinking with students.

Sources Mentioned

• Dr. Nelson Cowan
• Pip the Guide Dog
• Valerie Boling podcast
• Jess Mazzonne’s post
• Mindset by Carol Dweck
•  Beauty of Opinion Writing podcast
• One Word From Sophia

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 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.

Opinion writing in grades K–6 is more than just persuasive essays. It lets kids express what they really think and see their ideas matter on the page. In this episode, we look at what makes opinion writing special: children sharing real opinions on topics they care about, building their sense of self, and bravely taking risks with their words. You’ll hear how opinion writing grows from simple preferences with pictures and labels to more thoughtful arguments that consider other viewpoints. We also share a list of mentor texts you can use to lift the level of your students’ opinion writing. Finally, we offer ways to celebrate students’ work, like author’s chair, hallway displays, family mailings, and online publishing, all focused on giving students a voice and the joy of sharing their opinions with real audiences.

Go Deeper 

• Doug Kaufmann
• Tracey Lafayette
• Beth Moore’s website for paper
• The New York Times’ Writing Contests

Books We Mentioned:

• 1,000 Awesome Things by Neil Pasricha
• Breakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays: Your Favorite Authors Take A Stab at the Dreaded Essay edited by Brad Wolfe and Rebecca Stern
• Don’t Feed the Bear by Kathleen Doherty
• Can I Be Your Dog by Troy Cummings
• Eating to Save the Planet by Ann Broyles
• Our Favorite Day of the Year by A.E. Ali
• The Black Mambas by Kelly Crull

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 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.