Every classroom has struggling writers. There are many reasons young writers struggle during our writing units. They may feel overwhelmed, be uninterested, have writing skill deficits because of past experiences with writing, or have learning differences. Often these struggling writers tend to be writing far below grade level and their writing abilities cause many unforeseen problems throughout their school careers. For struggling writers, any writing assignment no matter how small or big can … [Read more...] about 28 Essential Strategies to Support Struggling Writers in the Secondary Classroom
Equity
Rethinking Elementary and Secondary Reading Instruction and Assessment with Equity in Mind
I wrote this six part equity series to better understand the inequities surrounding the ways in which we teach and assess reading and writing skills in the United States. I wanted to know more. Not only that, I wanted to find practical solutions for the problems all teachers (not just English teachers) face, such as: A lack of understanding about how to teach reading and writing effectively and with equity in mindThe immense challenge of helping 30+ students with many differing needsStudents … [Read more...] about Rethinking Elementary and Secondary Reading Instruction and Assessment with Equity in Mind
Rethinking Writing Assessment with Equity in Mind
In this six-part series, I outline exactly how I’m rethinking my workshop classroom with an equity lens. You can find the other parts of this series here:Part 1: Rethinking Writing Workshop with Equity in MindPart 2: Rethinking Reading Workshop with Equity in MindPart 3: Rethinking Conferencing with Equity in MindPart 4: Rethinking Unit Design with Equity in MindThere are many things I take issue with when it comes to the way we go about grading writing. But, before going into the topic of … [Read more...] about Rethinking Writing Assessment with Equity in Mind
Rethinking Unit Design with Equity in Mind
In this six-part series, I outline exactly how I’m rethinking my workshop classroom with an equity lens. You can find the other parts of this series here:Part 1: Rethinking Writing Workshop with Equity in MindPart 2: Rethinking Reading Workshop with Equity in MindPart 3: Rethinking Conferencing with Equity in MindBefore we get started with part 4, we need to define workshop and we need to define equity. Here is my very brief definition of both…Workshop- a method of teaching that empowers … [Read more...] about Rethinking Unit Design with Equity in Mind
Rethinking Conferencing with Equity in Mind
In this six part series I will outline exactly how I’m rethinking conferencing with an equity lens. Check out part 1 about rethinking writing workshop here. Check out part 2 about rethinking reading workshop here. Before getting started, we need to define workshop, conferencing, and equity. Here is my very brief definition of all three…Workshop- a method of teaching that empowers students to become readers and writers in and outside of the classroom. This method of teaching involves a system … [Read more...] about Rethinking Conferencing with Equity in Mind
Rethinking Reading Workshop with Equity in Mind
In this six part series I will outline exactly how I’m rethinking my workshop classroom with an equity lens. Check out part 1 about rethinking writing workshop here. Before getting started with part two about rethinking reading workshop, we need to define workshop and we need to define equity. Here is my very brief definition of both…Workshop- a method of teaching that empowers students to become readers and writers in and outside of the classroom. This method of teaching involves a system … [Read more...] about Rethinking Reading Workshop with Equity in Mind
Rethinking Writing Workshop with Equity in Mind
Amanda Write Now · 56. Rethinking Writing Workshop With Equity In Mind In this six part series I will outline how I’m rethinking the workshop classroom with an equity lens. But, first of all, we need to define workshop and equity. Here is my very brief definition of both…Workshop- a method of teaching that empowers students to become readers and writers in and outside of the classroom. This method of teaching involves a system wherein students work toward publishing pieces of writing and … [Read more...] about Rethinking Writing Workshop with Equity in Mind
Mentor Texts for Writing and Discussions About Race
Our classrooms are microcosms of the society we live in. The sad reality (that many have a hard time admitting) is race matters in our society and it matters in our classrooms. The majority of teachers in America are white and female. Schools and neighborhoods are segregated by race. Students socially group themselves by race (and so do adults). Everyone who walks onto a school campus (or in neighborhoods) sees these realities and yet very few people (especially white people) talk … [Read more...] about Mentor Texts for Writing and Discussions About Race