6-12th- ADD ARTICLES HERE — TeachWriting.org

Five Ways to Target Commentary for Essay Writing

This is a topic that I have spent quite a bit of time on simply because it is the one skill that my students struggle with the most. You can find more posts from me on this topic here and here. Here are FIVE ways to target commentary in essay writing:

5 Biggest Obstacles English Teachers Face & How to Overcome Them!

Teaching reading and writing is challenging! It is so difficult that often teachers default to what they know best…reading books and then writing essays. But it doesn’t have to be this way! In this article you’ll learn the five biggest obstacles writing teachers face and how to overcome them.

Amanda WernerMay 15, 2019Comment

Celebrate Earth Day with a Writing Activity

Looking for an Earth Day writing activity? This works well for secondary students.

Guest UserMarch 27, 2019Comment

Fun Acronyms to Teach Writing

I am always looking for ways to make writing instruction more engaging for my students. I love using fun and interesting acronyms to help students as they draft their work. I want these acronyms to be memorable so that students can use these to draft their writing long after my graphic organizers are there to support them.

5 Creative Response to Reading Activities

Your students are reading. Hooray! Writing about reading has research-proven benefits, and it’s important that we ask students to respond to reading on a regular bases. Those responses don’t always have to be formal, though. Let’s take a look at some ways we can engage students in creative written responses to reading.

FREEBIES, Writing AssignmentsMelissa KruseFebruary 19, 2019reading response, creative writingComment

Best Places to Find Upper Grade Writing Mini Lessons Online

Teachers are busy! The last thing they have time for is writing their own lessons, but sometimes it can be really challenging to find the right lesson. In this article you’ll find links to the best places online for writing mini lessons!

Writing Mini-lessons, Writing WorkshopAmanda WernerFebruary 3, 2019writing mini lessons, mini lessonsComment

Google Doc Do’s and Don’ts

Teaching writing? Here are some tips for using Google Docs in the classroom. #writing #highschoolela

Best Practices, Technology & Writing, Distance LearningMelissa KruseNovember 18, 2018google docs, digital, tips for teachers, GoogleComment

The Gingerbread House Story Project: A Brave Teacher's Guide

It’s the perfect time for a holiday writing project. Something that mixes a little magic in with the skills you want your students to be practicing anyway. Something the elf on your shelf will be able to report back to your department chair actually kept students on task right before break.

Holiday, Creative WritingGuest UserNovember 6, 2018Christmas, creative writingComment

6 Holiday Writing Ideas for the English Language Arts Classroom

Keeping students engaged during the holiday season can be challenging. It becomes difficult in the older grades when teachers can’t do all of those cute crafts and activities that the younger grades take part in.

HolidayMeredith DobbsOctober 30, 2018holiday, Christmas, ThanksgivingComment

5 Holiday Inquiry Questions Students Will Love Reading & Writing About!

The holiday season is crazy pants in the classroom. Inquiry based learning can be a life saver during this time! When you implement an inquiry based project students do most of the work, it’s truly brilliant! Use these five inspiring essential questions to launch your holiday inquiry writing unit!

Amanda WernerOctober 23, 2018Comment

4 Mini-Lessons for Teaching Suspense Writing

I love teaching students the skill of writing suspense during the spooky Halloween season. This is a great time for introducing suspenseful mentor texts and writing suspenseful narratives. I love having students read spooky tales in preparation for writing their own spooky tales.

Fun Holiday Writing Activities for Secondary

Read about a handful of fun and engaging yet meaningful holiday writing assignments for middle school and high school ELA. #holidaywritingassignments #middleschoolela #highschoolela

Argumentative Writing: 5 Important Teaching Points

In this post, guest blogger Jamie from Write on! with Jamie details five critical teaching points to consider with argumentative writing.

Creative Writing Projects: Writing Genres Series

Wondering what creative writing projects to include in a class or unit? Read on!

The more I teach creative writing, the more I see students come alive. I was very unsure of myself when I began teaching a creative writing class last year. As I’ve continued, our projects have expanded and improved.

Guest UserSeptember 25, 2018Comment

Three Essential Editing and Revision Mini-lessons for Argumentative Writing

Argumentative writing is a cornerstone of writing across content areas. Essentially, all pieces of writing are an argument.

Teaching 21st-Century Writing: Are Instagram Captions a Genre Now?

Empower students to thrive in the digital mediums they are likely to encounter in most jobs these days. It’s time to dive into how to write video scripts, podcasts, blogging and even social media captions. Let students experiment in these modern writing genres and you’ll be surprised to discover all that they can do.

Technology & WritingGuest UserSeptember 4, 2018social media, 21st century, InstagramComment

There’s More to Writing Genres Than Meets the Eye

When students begin writing, instruction starts with the essential genres. Elementary school students are taught descriptive, expository, persuasive, and narrative forms of writing. Typical assignments may include writing stories, opinion pieces, and how-to essays.

Best Practices, Modes of WritingMeredith DobbsAugust 28, 2018genres, modes, tips for teachersComment

Neglecting Fiction

Fiction writing is neglected in English classes everywhere for many reasons. We don't have enough time. Or we know students will write pages and pages and pages and we feel too guilty about not reading all of those pages!

Amanda WernerAugust 21, 2018Comment