Two Writing Teachers Podcast
Since 2007, Two Writing Teachers has been a vibrant community of reflective writers. We're excited to take our passion for teaching writing to new heights in the second season of our podcast. Join us as we explore ways to create, lead, and sustain joyful and productive writing workshops, empowering educators to help their students become competent, brave, and confident writers. Let's make writing instruction engaging and rewarding for everyone involved!
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Episodes
126 episodes
Maintain & Nurture Writing Skills During Summer Break: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
Let’s revisit the Spring 2017 blog series "Keep Learning Going Throughout the Summer," which explored various strategies to maintain children's writing skills during the summer break. Stacey highlights key ideas from the 2017 co-author team, in...
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8:19
The Evolving Landscape of Writing Instruction: The Writing Roundtable
In our second Writing Roundtable episode, renowned literacy expert Lester L. Laminack joins us to discuss his Ferris wheel of education concept, providing a fresh perspecti...
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45:44
Three Ideas for Writing Test Prep: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
Fun test prep may seem like an oxymoron, but in this tip for tomorrow, Melanie shares a few ways you can bring movement, collaboration, and agency into getting students ready to take assessments.
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6:24
Foundations of Written Expression: Digging Deeper Dialogue
In this episode, Stacey interviews Melanie about her upcoming book (co-authored with Maggie Beattie Roberts), tentatively titled THE WRITING BRAIN: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS OF WRITTEN EXPRESSION. The book emphasizes developing foundational writing s...
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32:59
Some Spelling Shifts: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
There is a lot of research about spelling and how students learn to spell words, and there are important connections between how students spell and how they learn to read. In this episode, Melanie shares a few changes she's made as she works wi...
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6:55
Igniting a Passion for Poetry: The Writing Roundtable
Welcome to The Writing Roundtable, where we explore writing topics with guest authors. In this inaugural episode, Stacey discusses poetry’s significance in elementary education with poet Amy Ludwi...
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48:36
Master the Art of Reflection with Process Logs: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
Explore the transformative power of process logs in writing instruction. Stacey reveals how process logs provide accountability, track progress, and offer authentic glimpses into the writing process. Discover how sharing these logs can make wri...
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8:22
The Importance of Oracy in Language Development: A Conversation With a Colleague
Shawnda Fukano, a literacy coach and contributing writer to TWTBlog, chats with Stacey to expand on her blog post about oracy and its importance for multilingual learners. The discu...
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33:18
Motor Skills in Written Expression: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
Motor skills are fundamental for written expression. In this Tip for Tomorrow, Melanie shares some strategies for building and leveraging large and small motor skills.
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6:06
Research Around Writing Instruction: A Conversation with Colleagues
In this episode, Melanie talks with Two Writing Teachers co-authors, Leah Thomas and Lainie Levin, about their presentation from NCTE 2025. The presentation and discussion focus on important research supporting fundamental writing instruction p...
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34:12
Using Sticky Notes in Writing Workshop: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
Stacey explores how sticky notes enhance writing workshops through three key uses: spelling assistance, sentence revisions, and personalized mini-charts. These practical ways promote student independence and offer non-intrusive feedback for cus...
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6:04
Modernizing Mentor Texts Blog Series Recap: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
The Two Writing Teachers co-authors shared ideas for modernizing mentor texts in the most recent blog series. Melanie summarizes some of the ideas she has already implemented with children and teachers within her work. Go Deepe...
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5:22
Unpacking and Implementing Insights from the 2024 NCTE Convention: A Conversation With Colleagues
Jess Carey and Sarah Valter, Two Writing Teachers Co-Authors, join Stacey to unpack the transformative insights from the 2024 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention, diving deep into the conference's "Heart, Hope and H...
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33:00
The Power of Pens and Pencils: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
Writing tools are deeply personal, with each individual having a preferred instrument that feels comfortable and enables smooth writing. For children, selecting the right pen or pencil can significantly impact their writing experience and learn...
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7:01
Transfer Writing Skills Across Genres: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
This week, Stacey explores the concept of planning and implementing a series of small group lessons to enhance students' writing skills across different genres. Drawing from her books Craft Moves and Welcome to Writing Workshop, the episode pro...
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7:12
Alternatives to Marking Up Student Work: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
We explore the reasons against writing directly on children's work in progress, including potential negative impacts on learning and agency. The episode discusses why educators might feel compelled to write on student work and offer alternative...
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39:19
Using Google Forms: A Tip for Tomorrow From Melanie
In our final episode of 2024, Melanie shares three ways to streamline your record-keeping using Google Forms. She explains how to use Google Forms to have students share something specific, reflect on conferences, and sign up for small group in...
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8:54
Your Small Group Instruction, Your Records: A Tip for Tomorrow From Stacey
This week, Stacey chats about the critical role of record-keeping in small-group instruction within the writing workshop. The episode highlights five key reasons why educators should prioritize record keeping. We’ll explore effective record-kee...
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12:26
Celebrating Student Writers: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
This week, we explore the transformative power of writing celebrations in elementary classrooms. Discover how these joyful events showcase student work, nurture young writers' identities, strengthen classroom communities, and foster a sense of ...
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34:13
Leverage Instructional Minutes: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
Melanie shares three practical strategies for maximizing classroom time. She emphasizes managing transition times to maintain student engagement and minimize downtime. In addition, she suggests creating a collection of valuable and doable activ...
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6:56
Build Executive Functioning with Time Management Techniques: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey
Stacey explores the vital executive functioning skill of time management as it applies to the writing workshop. She identifies common challenges students face, from grasping time concepts to meeting deadlines, and offers practical strategies to...
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6:33
Tackling Tricky Topics: A Digging Deeper Dialogue
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 c...
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37:20
Sentence Structure for Young Writers: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
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...
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7:26
Prepping for Fall Conferences: A Conversation with a Colleague
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-tak...
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36:14
Energizing Editing: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie
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 ...
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7:21