Stop Skimming the Surface: Teaching Prepositional Phrases That Actually Stick
📌 “Getting students to add details is like pulling teeth!” Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many teachers find themselves begging students to add more, but what they get is a random adjective here, an unnecessary adverb there, and not much else. Here’s the thing: if…
Continue Reading Stop Skimming the Surface: Teaching Prepositional Phrases That Actually Stick
Routine Reflection: The Small Move That Builds Better Writers
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from coaching teachers across the country, it’s this: sometimes the smallest shifts spark the biggest growth. In his article, Changing How Writing Is Taught, Steve Graham offers a powerful overview of why writing instruction often falls short. He highlights…
Continue Reading Routine Reflection: The Small Move That Builds Better Writers
Micro Writing: Small Bursts, Big Results
📌 Why A common writing frustration—“Getting students to add details is like pulling teeth!” If you’ve ever heard this in your classroom, you know how difficult it can be to help students move beyond basic writing to more descriptive, refined work. ✍️ Why It’s Important…
5 Foolproof Ways to Get Elementary Students to Form Opinions in Writing
Opinion writing can be a struggle when students don’t even know what they think. Before they can craft a strong argument, they need to form one. Here are five engaging strategies to help students develop opinions—and back them up with solid reasoning. 1. Would You…
Continue Reading 5 Foolproof Ways to Get Elementary Students to Form Opinions in Writing
Pre-K Sentence Builders: Namers, Actions, and Big Wins!
Building Sentences in Pre-K? Absolutely! Think Pre-K students are too young to learn about parts of speech? Spoiler alert: they’re not! Last month, I worked with a Pre-K class transitioning from Writers’ Workshop to a more structured writing approach. The goal? To introduce the idea…
Continue Reading Pre-K Sentence Builders: Namers, Actions, and Big Wins!
Active Reading, Dynamic Conversations, and Powerful Writing Strategies
Middle schoolers don’t often come to class eager to discuss global warming, but when you hand them a vivid image and ask them, “What’s going on in this picture?”—well, you just might surprise yourself. Recently, I had the chance to work with an incredible group…
Continue Reading Active Reading, Dynamic Conversations, and Powerful Writing Strategies