Teaching writing in the elementary classroom is often followed by moans and groans for teachers and students alike. BUT - what if as a teacher you could LOVE teaching writing? What if your students LOVED your writing block? What if you had tips and strategies for making writing work in the 21st century classroom. Guest expert Megan Polk from The Literacy Dive tells us how!

Feel like your students are all over the place when it comes to writing? Perhaps a little goal-driven instruction is what they need! Writing goals help students hone in on specific skills and give them an action plan to help them reach those goals. Learn how to create writing goals with your students!

Does your head begin to spin when you think about starting readers and writers workshop in your classroom? With all the moving parts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to planning and prepare for reading and writing in the classroom. Listen in as we cover all the essential questions you need to ask yourself BEFORE starting the workshop model in your classroom!

Writing conferences no longer have to be a confusing, overwhelming process for elementary teachers. Take the simple goal-driven approach that gives your writing conferences the clear structure and purpose that actually improves your students’ writing.

What is one of the most valuable components of your readers and writers workshop? It might not be what you think! It’s the “Share Chair"! How can a simple chair in your classroom be so powerful in your elementary classroom? Simple - it promotes classroom community, accountable talk, student engagement, (and not to mention helps create stronger readers and writers). All that from a chair? Yep! If you need some convincing, then tune in to this week’s episode.

Struggling to make readers and writers workshop work in your elementary classroom? The solutions might be simpler than you think! Check out these common workshop model mistakes, and learn how to fix them.