Two Writing Teachers Podcast

Give the kids the freedom to tell many kinds of stories during a narrative writing unit. Melanie shares three ideas you can use to help students have a surge of writing during a narrative writing unit.

Go deeper with these posts from the TWTBlog archives:

• Continuing Along the Narrative Pathway
• Let's Pretend!
• Narrative Writing: Expand the Possibilities of Genres You Teach
• Some Narrative Writing Fun
• Tapping Into the Power of Some New Mentor Texts

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Send us Fan Mail

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.

Join us to explore the potential of minilessons as a forum for whole-class instruction. Peeling back the layers, we delve into the art of teaching writing behaviors, behaviors, strategies, and more in ten minutes or less. We thoroughly examine the four essential parts of a minilesson: connection, teach, active engagement, and link, shedding light on how each part impacts young writers. 

Past #TWTBlog Posts and #TWTPod Episodes:

• Mastering the Art of a Successful Writing Workshop: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
• Minilessons: Writing Workshop Fundamentals
• Plan Boxes Will Inspire You: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
• Showing, Not Telling: Demonstrations Matter
• Six Tips to Keep Minilessons Short: Maximizing Writing Time
• Top Ten Ways to Keep Minilessons from Turning into Maxilessons

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THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATES!

• BrainPOP: Use TWTPOD15 for 15% off your first BrainPOP Family or BrainPOP Homeschool payment.
• Libro.fm Offer: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership. 

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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 shares five valuable steps for cooperating teachers who are hosting with student teachers in leading a writing workshop for elementary school students. Stacey begins by sharing her personal experience and the challenges she faced when initially handing over the reins to student teachers. The five steps for empowering student teachers are: establishing clear expectations, modeling effective teaching practices, gradually increasing responsibility, providing constructive feedback, and engaging in reflective discussions. Stacey emphasizes the importance of communication, collaboration, and support in helping student teachers succeed in leading a writing workshop.

Click here to read past #TWTBlog posts about working with student teachers

Some Book Suggestions:

• A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences, Grades K-8  by Carl Anderson
• A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Workshop Minilessons by Lisa Eickholdt & Patricia Vitale-Reilly
• Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz
• Every Child Can Write: Entry Points, Bridges, and Pathways for Striving Writers by Melanie Meehan
• Kids First From Day One: A Teacher’s Guide to Today’s Classroom by Christine Hertz & Kristi Mraz
• Mentor Author, Mentor Texts: Short Texts, Craft Notes, and Practical Classroom Uses by Ralph Fletcher
• Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6, 2nd Edition by Lynne R. Dorfman &Rose Cappelli
• Patterns of Power by Jeff Anderson et. al. (Select the grade-level resource corresponding to your student teacher’s certification level.)
• Practical Punctuation: Lessons on Rule Making and Rule Breaking in Elementary Writing by Dan Feigelson
• Talking, Drawing, Writing: Lessons for Our Youngest Writers by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe
• Teaching Writing in Small Groups by Jennifer Serravallo
• The Revision Toolbox: Teaching Techniques That Work, 2nd Edition by Georgia Heard
• Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today’s Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz & Lynne R. Dorfman 

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THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATE!
Use TWTPOD15 for 15% off your first BrainPOP Family or BrainPOP Homeschool payment.

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Unlock the secrets of a successful writing workshop! Dive into the dynamic framework that increases student growth. Every workshop begins with an engaging minilesson and ends with intentional sharing time. Discover the power of independent writing time with conferring, small group work, and the short, but mighty mid-workshop interruption. Listen until the end for several tips for maximizing your writing block and fitting it all in. 

Read more about the fundamentals of the writing workshop:

• A Special Idea About Your Mid-Workshop Interruption: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
• Building Independent Writing Time Stamina: A Tip For Tomorrow from Stacey
• Don't Forget to Share: The Crucial Last Step in the Writing Workshop by Leah Mermelstein
• Plan Boxes Will Inspire You: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
• Six Tips to Keep Minilessons Short: Maximizing Writing Time
• Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today’s Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz and Lynne R. Dorfman
• The Importance of Establishing Routines: Nurturing Independence from the Start
• Writing Workshop Fundamentals Blog Series

*****
THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATES!

• BrainPOP: Use TWTPOD15 for 15% off your first BrainPOP Family or BrainPOP Homeschool payment.
• Libro.fm Offer: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership. 

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Delve into the essential elements of building your conferring toolkit! Melanie explores the valuable tools, demonstration writing, and paper choices you'll want to stock in your toolkit. She'll even share a suggestion about the surprising impact of mints! Unlock the key to effective conferring by equipping yourself with everything you need to confidently engage and support your students. 

Go Deeper

• Archive of TWTBlog Posts About Toolkits
• Building Toolkits for Writing Instruction: A Digging Deeper Dialogue

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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 what a conferring toolkit is, why it's essential, and how to create one that suits your needs. This episode will share must-have items, tips for organizing, and the benefits of incorporating digital setups. Get valuable advice on updating your toolkit, embracing change, and capturing photographs of your resources. Remember, tools don't teach—people do. So let us help you get started building your conferring toolkit today!
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Items We Mentioned in the Podcast:

• Chart Podcast Episode
• Chartbooks
• Conference cards
• Conferring cheat sheets
• Digital Record-Keeping with Evernote
• DIY Literacy
• Padlet Toolkits

*****
THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATES!

• BrainPOP: Use TWTPOD15 for 15% off your first BrainPOP Family or BrainPOP Homeschool payment.
• Libro.fm Offer: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership. 

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Join us as we explore how filling out conference cards alongside students makes them more responsible for their learning journey.   Also, conference cards are an excellent way to check what's been taught, and what's been accomplished between writing conferences and plan the next steps for student success! 

Some useful links:

• Conference cards
• A Few Ideas for Conferring
• Record Keeping: A Digging Deeper Dialogue

Send us Fan Mail

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, we explore the concept of greenbelt writing and its profound impact on young writers. We discuss why children must be free to play with words without grading pressure. We discuss how allowing kids to choose their preferred genres empowers creativity and fosters a genuine love for writing. Through discussion, we share the true essence of greenbelt writing—an unmanicured and imperfect form of expression that prioritizes the growth and well-being of the writer. We explore how this approach can unlock hidden talents, build confidence, and ignite a lifelong passion for writing.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, literacy coach, or curriculum director, this episode will inspire you to rethink traditional approaches to writing instruction. Tune in to this enlightening episode and celebrate the beauty of ungraded writing, encourage creative exploration, and unlock the full potential of every young writer.

Some resources we mentioned in this episode:

• Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge on Two Writing Teachers
• End the School Year with Independent Writing Projects: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
• Independent Writing Projects Archive on Two Writing Teachers
• Joy Write: Cultivating High-Impact, Low-Stakes Writing by Ralph Fletcher
• The Poem Farm (Amy Ludwig VanDerwater)
• Writing Clubs: Fostering Choice, Collaboration, and Community in the Writing Classroom by Lisa Eickholdt and Patricia Vitale-Reilly

*****
THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATE!

• Libro.fm Offer: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership. 

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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're diving into a game-changing strategy to help students struggling with spelling. Not only will it provide immediate assistance to kids when they need it, but it will also become a strategy for monitoring student progress. You won't want to miss this episode that will empower you and your students on the spelling journey!

Link to the keyrings mentioned in the episode.

Check out more Two Writing Teachers blog posts about spelling.

*****

Send us Fan Mail

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.

Learn how to kick off the school year with successful writing partnerships. Discover the benefits of pairing young writers together. Get tips on how to pair students effectively, teach effective communication, and make writing partnerships joyful. Take advantage of this valuable information to help your students grow as writers.

Elevate your writing partnerships with our top #TWTBlog posts. Whether you’re just starting or looking to strengthen your skills, we’ve got you covered with our expert advice. 

1. Building Stronger Writing Partners
2. Intentional Talk with Writing Partners
3. Making Space for Partnerships
4. Partners in the Process
5. Play Up Partner Time! 3 Quick Games That Yield Joy, Ownership, & Success
6. Seven Ways to Help Students Catch Up After a School Absence
7. Strengthening Writing Partnerships
   1. Part 1
   2. Part 2
8. Three Keys to Writing Partnership Success
9. Top Five Lessons to Teach to Writing Partners of All Ages Right Now
10. Writing Partnerships to Establish Community

Send us Fan Mail

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.