Two Writing Teachers Podcast

This episode delves into the importance of understanding students as writers and its benefits to educators and learners. We explore how this knowledge fosters a stronger classroom community and informs more tailored instruction. Tried-and-true methods such as kid-watching, utilizing writer's notebooks, and conducting effective one-on-one conferences during the initial weeks of school are discussed. We also highlight the value of listening to students, reviewing previous portfolios, and using digital tools like audio or video recordings for self-introductions. Finally, we examine various ways to assess writing styles and preferences, including surveys and analyzing students' writing processes, to identify their strengths and areas for growth.

Thanks to our sponsor, Book Creator!
Listeners can get 3 months free premium using the code TWTPOD at the checkout when upgrading their Book Creator account. Follow this link:  bookcreator.com/TWTpod

Online Resources:

• Classroom management posts on #TWTBlog
• Passionate Writers (mentioned as single-topic writers in the episode)
• Non-verbal Cues for Writers: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
• Making Space in Writing Workshop for Kids to Be Funny by Beth Moore
• Steve Graham: importance of community 
• Surveys and questionnaires through google forms
  • Self-reflection form 1 and Self-reflection form 2
• What’s a Conferring Scarf?

Books Mentioned:

• The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard by Michael Callahan
• The Responsive Writing Teacher by Melanie Meehan and Kelsey Sorum

Thank you 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 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.

It's the final episode of season two, so we're discussing some of the best practices for writing instruction. We cover the importance of a thriving writing community and the writing process, and we explore the role of oral language in boosting writing stamina. We also discuss the importance of dedicated and intentional writing time, the reciprocity between reading and writing, and the thrill of writing for an authentic audience. This episode will tee you up for the next school year!

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Many thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Texthelp! 

Visit text.help/cowriter to learn more about Co:Writer prediction in Read&Write because everyone deserves the power to read, write, and understand.

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Go Deeper:

• Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing by Melanie Meehan
• Collaboration and Community in the Writing Workshop
• Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz
• Exploring the Power of Oral Language: A Conversation with a Colleague (with Lainie Levin)
• Exploring Voice Typing During Writing Workshop
• Family Resources for At-Home Learning
• Research Round-up (Build Your Expertise Blog Series)
• The Editing Minute
• #TWTBlog Posts about Audience
• Writing Instruction Considerations by Carl Anderson & Matt Glover

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Thank you 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. 

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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.

Melanie explores critical strategies to help you plan for your summer learning. Discover practical tips for organizing your classroom, finding or forming a study group, curating mentor texts, and engaging in personal writing. You'll leave this episode invigorated to try one or more ways to enhance your teaching skills for the upcoming academic year.

Go Deeper:

• Join a hybrid book study and writing group led by #TWTBlog co-author Lainie Levin this summer. Learn more at this Summer Writing Refresh: A Grown-up Writing Circle.
• Simple and Functional Classroom Design
• The 9th Annual TWTBlog Author Spotlight Series

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 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.

Stacey explores the importance of co-creating goals with students to help them grow as writers. She discusses how collaboration during goal-setting enhances students' ownership, motivation, and personalized learning. It also allows for individualized growth and fosters collaboration and communication with the teacher. If you haven't tried co-creating goals with your students before, this Tip for Tomorrow will inspire you to do so with future groups of students.

Go Deeper with These #TWTBlog Posts:

• Aim Higher: Conferring and Student Goals
• Creating Clarity for Writers
• How Many Stars? Tools for Self-Assessment and Goal-Setting
• ICYMI Aim Higher: Outgrow Old Goals and Set New Ones (Blog Series)
• Setting Goals with Students
• Student Agency, Self-Assessment, and Small Group Instruction
• Students and Goal Setting: My Choice, My Growth, My Responsibility
• The Power of Goal-Setting
• When Your Reality Doesn’t Match Your Expectations
• Writing Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-Setting

Thanks to our affiliate, Marley Spoon!
Get $235 off through 5 boxes. This makes the first box portion price start at $4.99. Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=6988&id=1261005. 

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, Melanie guides you through the art of crafting concise and well-structured paragraphs that are easy to follow and understand. With her expert tips on oral rehearsal and the use of sentence frames, she empowers young writers to hone their writing skills and develop a unique voice. Tune in to learn how to help students move from writing formulaic paragraphs to composing authentic pieces that truly showcase their writing talents.

Thanks to our affiliate!

• Libro.fm: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership. 
  • Check out Stacey’s audiobook playlist.

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.

Task initiation is one key to student success, particularly in the context of writing instruction. The episode highlights some students' challenges with executive functioning skills and how they struggle to begin tasks efficiently. The host provides nine effective strategies to help students overcome task initiation challenges, such as normalizing task-avoidant behavior, emphasizing work quality, preparing materials, using visual aids and organizers, breaking tasks into smaller steps, employing backwards planning, facilitating getting started, limiting distractions, and incorporating planned breaks. The episode also references Admiral William H. McRaven's "Make Your Bed" speech, emphasizing the significance of small tasks and their impact on productivity and motivation.

GO DEEPER:

• Plan Boxes Will Inspire You: A Tip for Tomorrow
• Conversation with a Colleague Episodes (with Lainie Levin)
  • Addressing Perfectionism in Writing Instruction
  • Exploring the Power of Oral Language
• University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address and Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World  both by Admiral William H. McRaven  
• What Is Executive Function? And How Does It Relate to Child Development? from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child
• Work Quality Continuum

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 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 today’s Conversation with a Colleague, Stacey chats with Lainie Levin, a gifted interventionist and coach, about helping learners conquer perfectionism. Lainie unveils the manifestations of perfectionism in students, particularly during writing instruction, highlighting key signs to watch for. She shares an innovative work quality continuum she co-created with her students, as a powerful tool to address perfectionist tendencies. Practical strategies are discussed for reframing perfectionist behaviors, fostering a growth mindset, and embracing mistakes as opportunities for growth. Stacey and Lainie also explore the impact of perfectionism on partnerships and group work. Finally, they discuss where perfectionism is most prevalent during the writing process while discussing effective methods for addressing it.

ABOUT LAINIE LEVIN:

Lainie is a dedicated educator with 28 years of teaching experience and a strong advocate for children and public education. She is a gifted interventionist and coach in language arts and math, specializing in meeting the needs of gifted/talented elementary school students. Since 2021, she has been a valued colleague at Two Writing Teachers.

Check out Lainie’s personal blog, Soapbox: The Way I See Things, follow her on X @mrslevin11, or read her Two Writing Teachers blog posts. 

GO DEEPER: 

• Advice for the Perfectionists in Writing Workshop
• Reframing Avoidance: Writers and Perfectionism
• Work-Quality Continuum

THANKS TO OUR AFFILIATES!

• Libro.fm: Use the TWTPod Code
  • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership.
• Zencastr: Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. 

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.

Make sentence structure more straightforward for students with Melanie's intentional activities in this episode. Melanie shares ways she helps students understand the definition of sentences, create sentences with phrases and pictures, and combine sentences. You'll help students recognize and create simple and increasingly complex sentences with Melanie's playful and purposeful ideas.

Go Deeper:

• Sentence Patterning Charts
• Bring on the Fun in Sentence Construction
• Word, Sentence, Paragraph

Thanks to our affiliate, Marley Spoon! $235 off through 5 boxes -- The first box portion price starts at $4.99. Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=6988&id=1261005. 

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.

Explore the origin and significance of end-of-year reflection letters in this week’s episode. Stacey highlights the unique nature of these letters, which go beyond self-evaluations of academics and instead focus on students reflecting on their growth as learners and individuals. Practical guidelines for structuring the letters are shared, emphasizing flexibility in paragraph structure to suit individual needs. The episode also features touching excerpts from actual student letters, showcasing their accomplishments, thoughts on cooperative group work, and advice for the teacher. The power of these reflection letters as tools for student self-awareness and goal-setting is celebrated, emphasizing the importance of taking a step back to recognize personal growth.

Looking for what you can do after you receive these letters from your students? Check out “My Hope and Dream for You,” which explains how you can respond to your students as they exit your classroom door for the final time.

Thanks to our affiliate, Marley Spoon! 

$235 off through 5 boxes -- The first box portion price starts at $4.99. Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=6988&id=1261005. 

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.

We explore the vast potential of student-facing AI tools. Join us as we delve into the benefits of tools like Co:Writer Universal, EverWrite, Grammarly, Read&Write, and Speechify. Discover how these cutting-edge tools revolutionize students' learning, writing, and communication and empower students to reach new heights of academic excellence.

Check out the Los Angeles Unified School District’s AI policies. 

Listen to our previous episode: Boost Writing Instruction with AI.

Related TWTBlog Posts:

• AI Tools for Writing Teachers
• Can AI Write a Good Speech?
• Co:Writer
• Exploring Voice Typing During Writing Workshop
• Three Ways to Use ChatGPT…Tomorrow
• We Need to Talk About AI Essays

AI Tools We Mentioned:

• Co:Writer Universal
• EverWrite
• Grammarly
• Read&Write
• Speechify

Thanks to our affiliates!

• BestSelf: Use code TWTPOD for 15% off your purchase. Valid from 1/28-4/30/24.
• Zencastr: Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. 

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.