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

Writing About Theme with an Engaging Musical Twist: An End-of-Course Assignment

Secondary ELA teachers can engage students in meaningful, purposeful writing activities at the end of the school year without burying themselves in grading and their students in hours of work -- it's true. Read on to be inspired.

FREEBIES, Best Practices, Writing Assignments, Writing WorkshopMelissa KruseMay 9, 2017end of year writing assignments, end of year, writing assignments, writing workshop, engaging writers, music-based prompts Comments

Confessions of an English Teacher who does NOT Love Poetry-GASP!

How I overcame my distaste for poetry while still eliciting a love/appreciation of poetry from my students!

FREEBIES, Mentor Texts, Modes of WritingGuest UserApril 18, 2017#ela #edchat #iteachtoo #iteachmiddle #teach #teacher, #ela, #edchat, #iteachtoo, #iteachmiddle, language arts, english, ELA, High School Poetry, Middle School Poetry, Poetry, April Poetry Month Comments

13 Ways Pictures Can Inspire Students to Write Poetry

Picture-inspired poetry writing ideas for middle and high school ELA

FREEBIES, Best Practices, Writing Assignments, Writing WorkshopMelissa KruseApril 11, 2017national poetry month, poetry, fun writing, writing assignments, writing inspiration, writing poems Comments

Writing Instruction that Fosters Future Authors- a Philosophy for Teaching Writing at the Secondary Level

Teaching writing can be an overwhelming challenge. It can rarely be taught sequentially like a math class, which begs the question- where do I even begin? Grammar, sentence structure, idea development, voice, organization?

Philosophies on Writing, Mentor Texts, FREEBIESGuest UserMarch 14, 2017Writing Instruction, writing philosophy, writing Comments

How to Teach Writing: 3 Cornerstones for Writing Instruction with Older Students

"3 Cornerstones for Teaching and Assessing Writing" is a part of a writing philosophy series for teachers who are always learning and adapting to their students' needs and educational demands.

Assessing Writing, Philosophies on Writing, FREEBIES, Best Practices, Editing & RevisionMelissa KruseMarch 7, 2017writing, assessing writing, writing assessment, scaffolding writing, teaching writing, writing philosophy Comment

A Philosophy for Assessing Writing: Aim for Improvement, not Perfection

Over the past 10+ years of teaching high school, my philosophy for writing instruction has changed greatly. It has been a decade of experimentation and adaptation; a decade dedicated to finding what works and trying out new methodologies...