Two Writing Teachers Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Tackling Tricky Topics: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Nov 10, 2024

Show notes

We delve into the challenging subjects that often arise in elementary school writing workshops, ranging from bodily functions and violence to mental health issues. We explore the non-negotiable aspects of topic choice and discuss establishing clear boundaries in the classroom, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe space for young writers. This conversation unpacks the various reasons why people write, highlighting the benefits of self-expression and examining audience awareness's crucial role in navigating sensitive topics. Drawing inspiration from Ralph Fletcher’s book Boys Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, we offer insights on encouraging passionate writing while addressing concerns about violence, humor, and other potentially controversial themes in student work.

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GO DEEPER:

Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices by Ralph Fletcher
"I saw them at Sinai"
Press Start Series by Thomas Flintham
TWT Help Desk: What If a Child’s Topic Makes Me Uncomfortable?
Uncomfortable Topic Choices in Writing Workshop
Visit TWTBlog on 11/20 for a mentor text post that will list books that deal with burps, farts, and poop. (Stacey is working on it now.)

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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: 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.

Sentence Structure for Young Writers: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Nov 03, 2024

Show notes

Writing complete sentences is tricky for most elementary school students. This week's Tip for Tomorrow provides concrete ways to make sentence construction sticky for students. From a visible, tactile teaching method to progressions of examples, Melanie shares various strategies to help kids gain a more concrete understanding of sentence structure playfully and effectively.
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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.

Prepping for Fall Conferences: A Conversation with a Colleague Oct 27, 2024

Show notes

Leah Thomas, a co-author of the Two Writing Teachers Blog, chats with Melanie to reflect on her recent experiences with parent-teacher conferences, discussing the challenges and rewards of connecting with families. She shares effective note-taking strategies, what assessments to present, and the impact of showcasing student writing samples. Leah also explains her writing workshop philosophy and offers guidance for teachers who are apprehensive about these meetings. By addressing common parental concerns and emphasizing the importance of building rapport, she provides practical advice for fostering strong partnerships with families. Tune in to discover how to celebrate student growth and support young writers!
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Listeners who want to try out Factile should head over to playfactile.com. When you sign up, you’ll get 500 free tokens to use AutoGen. You can buy 15,000 tokens for just $5.
Go Deeper:

More About Leah:
Leah Thomas is a 2nd-grade teacher in St. Louis, MO. Leah has taught for seven years in the primary grades and loves sharing thoughts about writing workshop on the Two Writing Teachers blog. Outside of teaching, Leah loves to read, run, and write.
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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: 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 Editing: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Oct 20, 2024

Show notes

In this podcast episode, Melanie will share creative strategies to make the editing process engaging for students. Discover how to infuse fun into editing by using gamification techniques and various tools. You will also learn how to integrate editing into the drafting process and support students with scaffolds, checklists, and reminders to strengthen their editing skills.

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TWTPod listeners can go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including THREE months of full access!

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Go Deeper:

Pickerwheel
TWTBlog posts about editing:
- Editing Along the Way Often in 5 Minutes or Less
- Something Do-able to Try: The Editing Minute
UDL Guidelines

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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.

Refine Your Writing Conferences: A Digging Deeper Dialogue Oct 13, 2024

Show notes

Discover the art of building meaningful writer-to-writer relationships and managing time effectively in brief, impactful sessions. The discussion delves into the importance of individualized focus, highlighting how concentrating on a single aspect of writing per conference can lead to more manageable and absorbing lessons for students. Additionally, the episode explores the critical skills of deep listening and intentional questioning, offering insights into how these practices can transform writing conferences and enhance student engagement.

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Go Deeper:

Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing by Melanie Meehan
Peruse the #TWTBlog Archives on conferring.
Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today’s Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz and Lynne R. Dorfman

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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: 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.

Five Tangible Tools to Transform Writers: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey Oct 06, 2024

Show notes

In our 100th episode, Stacey explores the power of tangible artifacts in writing conferences. She discusses five essential tools to enhance the writer-to-writer relationship: mentor texts, demonstration texts, mini-charts, personalized word walls, and individualized checklists. Learn how to introduce and utilize these artifacts to support student writing effectively. Stacey also shares strategies for helping students leverage these tools independently. This episode will help you discover practical insights to make your writing instruction more impactful and foster deeper connections with your students.
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Thanks to Our Sponsor, Bookelicious!
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Included for only $149:

Admission to the virtual author event for your school
5 hardcover copies of the author’s book
Student activity guide

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Go Deeper:

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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 a Writing Unit: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Sep 29, 2024

Show notes

Melanie shares four ways to reenergize student writers whose enthusiasm and stamina dwindle during more extended writing units. Her ideas are sure to reinvigorate students in engaging and meaningful ways.
Go Deeper:

Thanks to our sponsors!

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
Speakable: Listeners can go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including 3 months of full access.

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 K-8 Students with Executive Functioning Needs: A Conversation with a Colleague Sep 22, 2024

Show notes

This episode features Betsy Hubbard, an experienced educator and co-author at Two Writing Teachers. The discussion explores the critical role of executive functioning skills in writing and how deficits in these areas can impact students' performance. Betsy shares practical strategies for teachers to support executive functioning in writing workshops, including techniques for breaking tasks into manageable chunks and providing organizational templates. The episode also covers the importance of incorporating executive functioning activities into the classroom environment. It offers examples of self-regulation techniques to help students overcome challenges in the writing process.

Previous TWT Podcast Episodes Mentioned

Go Deeper

Contingency Maps for Writing Workshops
FLIPP the Switch
Quick Facts on Executive Functions from Child Mind Institute

More About Betsy Hubbard:

Personal Blogs
- I’m Living My Words
- The Power of Poetry
TWTBlog Posts
X (formerly Twitter)

Thanks to our sponsor!
Speakable is being incredibly generous to listeners of the Two Writing Teachers podcast. Go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including 3 months of full access.

Thanks to our affiliate!

Zencastr: Use our special link (https://tinyurl.com/TWTPodZen) 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: 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 Power of Oral Language: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie Sep 15, 2024

Show notes

In this week's episode, Melanie shares six innovative strategies for using verbal rehearsal to empower young writers. She discusses techniques such as purposeful storytelling, visual cue cards, and fostering student collaborative partnerships. Enhancing oral language skills aims to strengthen writing abilities, demonstrating the powerful connection between speaking and writing. Discover how these approaches can help students recognize and harness their writing potential.
Thanks to our sponsor!
Speakable is being incredibly generous to listeners of the Two Writing Teachers podcast. Go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including 3 months of full access.

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.

Build Writing Confidence with the "Ready, Do, Done" Model: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey Sep 08, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Stacey explores the "Ready, Do, Done" model by Sarah Ward and Kristen Jacobsen to help students with executive functioning challenges become confident writers. She discusses the importance of setting clear intentions and gathering necessary materials ("Ready"), breaking down tasks and using visual aids ("Do"), and celebrating accomplishments to boost confidence ("Done"). Practical tips for teachers are provided to support students in the writing workshop. The model's flexibility and potential to empower learners in all areas are highlighted.

This episode builds on a previous discussion about task initiation and is part of a series on executive functioning in writing instruction.
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Thanks to our sponsor!
Speakable is being incredibly generous to listeners of the Two Writing Teachers Podcast. Go to speakable.io/twt to sign up for a free account or check out special offers, including 3 months of full access.

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Go Deeper:

A Clinical Model for Developing Executive Function Skills by Sarah Ward and Kristen Jacobsen
Cognitive Connections website
Unlock Strategies for Task Initiation: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey

*****

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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