Two Writing Teachers Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Developing as a Writer in the Slice of Life Community: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Jan 21, 2024

Show notes

We explore the profound benefits of participating in the month-long writing challenge. Listeners will discover the power of making connections and gaining a true understanding of being a writer while cultivating a writing practice. The episode briefly overviews the Slice of Life Story Challenge's origins and purpose, pointing listeners to last year's Digging Deeper Dialogue for a more in-depth understanding. Whether new or returning, challenge participants will find a supportive global writing community filled with educators at all stages of their careers who want to connect and grow themselves as writers.
Click here for an overview of the 17th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge hosted by the co-authors of Two Writing Teachers.
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Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

A Quick Game for Convention Practice: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Jan 14, 2024

Show notes

Bring the power of play into your writing instruction. Melanie explains how to teach kids to play PROVE IT in an effort for them to show evidence of the skills you're teaching in their writing.

Check out these posts on TWTBlog for more ideas:

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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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Energizing Writing Lives: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Jan 07, 2024

Show notes

Let's explore ways to energize your writing workshop! In this episode, we discuss strategies for revving up individual minilessons and units of study by opening up options, changing perspectives, bringing in magic, promoting collaboration, and creating authentic purposes for students to think about their audience.
Resources mentioned in the episode:

Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge -- Scroll down to Challenge #3 for more information.
Collaborative Writing -- Discussed in this Conversation with a Colleague episode.
A Pathway for Opinion Writing
Mentor Texts for Navigating Second-Person Point of View
Past Tip for Tomorrow Episodes:
- Independent Writing Projects
- Mid-Workshop Interruption
Quote from Haim Ginott
Some Narrative Writing Fun
Some Summer Writing Motivation (Writing Contests)
Thinking About Audience
Three Ideas for Energizing Writing
Writing as a Gift Center

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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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Refresh and Renew with Choices for Every Writer: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey Dec 31, 2023

Show notes

In the final episode of 2023, Stacey discusses the importance of shedding anything that isn't serving us and applies this idea to the classroom, specifically focusing on providing students with a diversity of writing supplies. She offers three suggestions for obtaining different types of notebooks at a lower cost or for free. Stacey also emphasizes the significance of paper choice as an accommodation for students, highlighting the developmental needs of young writers and providing resources for different paper formats. This episode will leave you ready to embrace changes and create an environment that empowers students to express themselves more fully in the year to come.

SHOW NOTES

Find a Buy Nothing group in your area.
DonorsChoose Posts from the #TWTBlog Archives
Little Letters for Lunch
Examples of Recycling Centers: Art of Recycle and Lancaster Creative Reuse
Paper Choices & Materials on Beth Moore’s Literacy Together
Paper Choices for Opinion and Argument Writing: Reaching Your Writers
Paper Choices: What’s up with that?
Paper Power: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
The Importance of Paper: A Tip for Tomorrow Episode

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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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

The Beauty of Nonfiction Writing: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Dec 10, 2023

Show notes

Let's explore the importance of information writing and address common problems writers face in this genre. The episode delves into the need for explicit instruction in note-taking, emphasizing the purpose of notes as a tool for critical thinking rather than mere proof or text transfer. It also offers various approaches to enhance information writing by incorporating lists, exploring different text features, and integrating tricks like twin sentences and transitional phrases.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:

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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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Infusing Stories Into Essays: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey Dec 03, 2023

Show notes

This Tip for Tomorrow explores the art of essay writing beyond the traditional structure and formula. Stacey delves into "writing to think" and how students can infuse microstories into their essays to enhance their ideas. From choosing relevant stories to crafting concise microstories, she provides practical guidance on engaging the reader and connecting these stories to the central message of the essay. By balancing storytelling with other writing techniques, students can create impactful essays that take their readers on a journey of thought.
Go Deeper:

Essay: What I Think, What I Am by Edward Hoagland
Moving Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay: Expand the Possibilities of the Genres You Teach
The Journey Is Everything: Teaching Essays That Students Want to Write for People Who Want to Read Them by Katherine Bomer

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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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Maximizing Writing Time: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Nov 26, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we address the challenge of finding enough time to teach writing workshop daily in elementary school. We discuss the importance of writing instruction for students' literacy development and provide practical strategies for teachers to maximize their writing instruction time. This episode covers topics such as establishing efficient writing routines, ways to prioritize writing instruction, integrating writing across the curriculum, utilizing technology for writing instruction, and offering practical examples and activities to promote writing in various subject areas.

Research mentioned in this episode:

Go Deeper:

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Thanks to our affiliates!

Marley Spoon: $235 off through 5 boxes -- 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.
Libro.fm: 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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Starting Off Strong With Information Writing: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Nov 19, 2023

Show notes

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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Ten Ways to Keep Minilessons Mini: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey Nov 12, 2023

Show notes

This Tip for Tomorrow episode explores ten practical tips for keeping minilessons brief and effective. Stacey discusses the importance of preparedness, including having all teaching materials ready and communicating clearly with students about what they should bring to the meeting area. She highlights the benefits of assigning "talking partners" and minimizing interruptions during the lesson. In addition, she delves into using checklists, teaching management skills, recording lessons for self-reflection, and time management. Listen now for essential tips to optimize your minilessons and enhance student engagement.
More on Minilessons:

Structuring a Minilesson: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
TWTBlog Archive of Minilesson Posts
Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today's Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz and Lynne R. Dorfman

*****

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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Help Kids Move from Ideas to Words: A Conversation With a Colleague Nov 05, 2023

Show notes

Sarah Valter, one of our TWTBlog co-authors, joins Melanie this week to discuss ways to inspire word explorers, the children in our classrooms who, for various reasons, need additional support or scaffolding to commit words to the page.
For more inspiration, check out these books, podcast episodes, and blog posts:

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Thanks to our affiliate, Babbel! Get up to 55% OFF your subscription by clicking here. You may also copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://babbel.sjv.io/c/4684049/1057532/13589.
*****

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: meehanmelanie@gmail.com
Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com

Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.
For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

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