Have you ever felt you weren’t supporting a group of students with writing? Maybe these students had IEPs, maybe they didn’t, maybe they were the students who turned in writing that was all over the place, spelling mistakes, run-on sentences, no paragraphs...you know what I’m talking about. And you just didn’t know how to support these students or even where to start!?!You are not alone. I’ve felt at a loss for how to support struggling writers every single year of my 13 years as a teacher.There … [Read more...] about 5 Mini Lessons to Teach Writing Explicitly to Support Struggling Writers
Podcast
15 Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Discussions in Person and Online
There are so many discussion tech tools available to teachers these days! Parlay, Jamboard, Back Channel, Voxer and even Google Slides and Docs can be used to facilitate discussions among students virtually. But, what always gets me thinking is...these tools are great, but how do we get students to actually have meaningful conversations with each other? You know what I’m talking about, a real conversation...not the fake kind, where everyone is trying to compete to impress the teacher and … [Read more...] about 15 Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Discussions in Person and Online
How to Actually Accomplish Your Goals for Teachers and Students
I’m a goal setting master. However, like many other humans out there (maybe you?), I lose motivation quickly and eventually my goals disappear into the ether only to be heard of again when it’s time to make a change and set a new goal...and the cycle continues. A few years ago I did Whole30 in January. It was rough. Clean eating for 30 days! No chocolate, no cookies, no alcohol, no cheese, no bread, no, no, no. There were easy days and there were hard days even towards the end. But, I did end … [Read more...] about How to Actually Accomplish Your Goals for Teachers and Students
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
How to Quit Grading So Much…
Amanda Write Now · How To Quit Grading So Much And Make It More Meaningful So, you want to know how to quit grading so much? Or maybe you just want your grading process to be more systematic and meaningful for students. Well, reading this blog post is the first step to making both of these things happen! My mission is to make teachers' lives easier. I resigned from teaching because of COVID-19. After making this huge decision one question has been on my mind constantly...how can I help … [Read more...] about How to Quit Grading So Much…
How to Teach Reading and Writing Workshop from a Distance
Amanda Write Now · How To Teach Reading And Writing Workshop From A Distance Many teachers are wondering, can I still teach reading and writing workshop from a distance? The quick answer is... absolutely! Whether you want to admit it or not, the current state of the world requires we simplify what we normally do. This is exactly why we should continue doing workshop... I've been arguing for years that workshop makes teaching simple! At this point, you might be thinking, … [Read more...] about How to Teach Reading and Writing Workshop from a Distance
Distance Learning Community Building Activities for Middle and High School
Amanda Write Now · 15 Community Building Distance Learning Activities Middle Schoolers Will LOVE! Students in our class need to feel that their unique voices, opinions, and experiences matter. In this article, you'll get inspiration and ideas for distance learning community building activities for middle school and high school students. We can do this by giving them opportunities to share their personal lives, interests, passions, fears, hurts, mistakes, happy places, funny moments, and … [Read more...] about Distance Learning Community Building Activities for Middle and High School
My Best Tips for Managing a Book Club Unit
Managing a book club unit is tough! Some teachers may feel so overwhelmed by all the moving pieces that they avoid book clubs altogether. This is completely understandable. During a book club unit, students are reading different books, analyzing a wide range of literary elements and many discussions are happening all at the same time. Some students may struggle to understand the book, some may zoom past their group and finish their book early. How do we manage all of this? In the latest … [Read more...] about My Best Tips for Managing a Book Club Unit