Kids love to talk to each other, they are human and humans are social! In a classroom of thirty plus secondary students how can we balance allowing that innate need to talk with maintaining a quiet, productive atmosphere? The answer: noise levels. If you are a middle...
Teaching writing is so hard! There are many reasons why, but one of the main reasons is distracting student behavior! With a plan in place, your ability to handle the distracting student behavior can improve. No matter what though, it is important to realize that...
Many secondary teachers, like you, are beginning to realize the power of running their English classes using writing workshop. Maybe you keep seeing references to it on Pinterest or in Facebook groups. Maybe a teacher friend is trying it and finding success. Or maybe...
I let students socialize the first day of school. Read on to find out why... After reading this important article by Write On with Miss G (which I highly recommend you read), I thought back to my first day of school, last year. Here's what's written in my plan book...
Don't have time to read all of this?!?! Listen below:) So, some of your students aren't writing during writing? Maybe they are just sitting there staring off into space. Or maybe they are sneaking onto their phone, they'll probably tell you they were looking up a word...
This article outlines exactly what I did to launch both reading and writing workshop in my classroom. If you are an English teacher wanting to teach using the writing and reading workshop model, then this post is exactly what you’ve been looking for! You’ll find my exact lesson outline for 14 total school days. Students will get to know each other, you’ll build a writing community and begin teaching workshop routines in a matter of 14 days.
Every teacher on the planet knows that the first weeks of school are all about routines, routines, routines and more routines. But, over time so many routines in our classrooms go overlooked. This guide discusses five important components of the workshop schedule...
Welcome back! This is part three of a series revealing the truth about writing with mini lessons! In each blog post I provide a mini lesson you can use with your class to discuss topics all students think about but rarely get the chance to talk about in their...
Teachers are masters of winging it. We are resourceful when put on the spot, it's what makes this profession an art. Not only are teachers resourceful they are inventive, they have personality, values, ideas, passions, and creativity. All of this has a huge impact on...
Writing conferences are the toughest part of the writing workshop class. If you are new to writing workshop don’t worry too much about the conferring at first. Just do your best to roam the room while students write with quick tips and encouraging statements.