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
Writing Independence
13 Ways to Motivate Resistant Writers
We all have resistant writers in our classrooms. This is a fact of teaching life. In the video below learn 13 different ways that you can help resistant writers become much more motivated. Not all of these ways will work. You need to try different combinations with different students until you've found the key to unlock your students' motivation! Below the video, you will find some more resources related to this topic. Related Resources Supporting Writers At All Levels My Students Don't … [Read more...] about 13 Ways to Motivate Resistant Writers
What does workshop actually look like in a secondary classroom?
I get a lot of emails every week asking a wide range of questions. One question that seems to come up over and over again is, what does workshop actually look like in a secondary classroom? Here's the simple answer: workshop can look however you want it to look. You could choose to do workshop every day, once a week, for a month or for six months and then quit! It's really up to you! It can look how you want it to look. That's the beauty of being a teacher. We get to decide how our classroom … [Read more...] about What does workshop actually look like in a secondary classroom?
5 Common Distracting Student Behaviors During Writing Workshop & What to do About Them
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 students are people who don't necessarily value what you, the teacher, values. For most students, writing is just not a priority. So, it's our job to approach students positively, to convince them of the value of writing and … [Read more...] about 5 Common Distracting Student Behaviors During Writing Workshop & What to do About Them
My Students Don’t Write During Writing
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 on thesaurus.com. Or maybe they are whispering with a friend, about...who knows what? It is aggravating, isn't it!?! You work so hard and these rascals could care less! The thing we need to remember is that … [Read more...] about My Students Don’t Write During Writing
Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three
Welcome to Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three! Part One: Coming to the Meeting Area and Hooking Students In Part Two: Teaching a Targeted Skill & Modeling with Mentor Texts Part Three: Guided & Independent Practice Here's a quick overview of everything covered in this series so far... Step One: Transition to the Meeting Area Step Two: Connect with Students Step Three: State the Teaching Point Step Four: Model the Skill Step Five: Make Time for Guided Practice Step Six: … [Read more...] about Mini Lessons Step By Step Part Three