It’s Time to Stop Making Writing Instruction So Messy
Brené Brown is well known for a simple yet powerful phrase: “clear is kind.” Although she’s mostly referring to arriving at clarity within organizations, this phrase can truly be applied…
Are Your Grammar Lessons Going Nowhere?
It’s an understatement to say that poor basic grammar stands out as a big need for kids today. You see it every day–a student shows you their work, and you…
Before You Hand Out That Writing Template…
There’s no question about it: writing is hard for kids. Which, let’s be honest, can make it hard to teach. Knowing this, teachers often begin with having kids use a…
The Workshop Model of Teaching: Misunderstood, Not Misaligned
Lately, the workshop model of teaching has been under heavy fire. Scroll social media and you’ll see plenty of posts claiming it’s not explicit, not evidence-based, or not aligned with…
Teaching Sentence Writing That Actually Sticks
With the resurgent focus on foundational literacy skills, coupled with the dismal results of national writing assessments, teachers see an increasing need to teach sentence writing. It’s a big topic…