- Mar 30, 2018
- 2 min read

The Writing Round-Up {3.31.18}

Welcome to the March 31, 2018 edition of The Writing Round-Up, a gathering of tips for teaching writing and for growing as a writer yourself. We are glad you are here!

For Teachers of Writers

Blast Through Writing Instruction Roadblocks:

Are you ready to ramp up your writing instruction? Don't know what's holding your students back from growing as writers? Brian Kissel has some tips for you in his ASCD Educational Leadership journal article, "Six Roadblocks to Writing Instruction -- and How to Find Alternative Routes." I am a true believer in overcoming roadblock #6, but love them all.

Keep Your Pen in Your Pocket:

When conferring with or helping your student writers, do you often find yourself writing on their paper? Melanie Meehan has some good reasons why you should not do this and some suggestions of what you can do instead in her Two Writing Teachers' post, "Do Not Write On That Paper!"

Poetry Mentor Texts:

If you are looking for some poetry mentor texts to use for Poetry Month, don't forget about Amy Ludwig VanderWater's site, The Poem Farm. Amy often shares the thought processes behind her writing and offers tips to students to help them write their own poetry.

Supporting ADHD Students with Writing:

Sure, spring makes many of us a little antsy, but for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD), the struggles to focus are real every day. Writing is especially challenging because it involves the combination of so many distinct skills. This excellent article, "Writing Strategies for Students with ADHD" from Tracy Collins and Edutopia identifies some of the struggles your students may face and offers suggestions of how you can accommodate them so everyone can be successful in writing.

For Teachers Who Write

Just Do It:

Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird is a classic among writers for the way she cuts to the chase about writing. If you are looking for more inspiration from Lamott, check out "13 Writing Tips from Beloved Writing Teacher Anne Lamott." I especially like tips #1 & #3.

Join the NWP!:

Now is the time to think about your professional development plans for the summer. The National Writing Project's Summer Invitational Institutes (ISI) are forming now at sites around the country. Participating in the ISI will not only help you grow as a teacher of writers, it will help you grow as a teacher who writes. "5 Reasons You Should Accept My Invitation to Join the NWP" from Deanna Mascle and the Morehead Writing Project explains more.

5 Quick Writing Tips:

Austin Kleon has five quick tips for writing that you HAVE to read! My favorite is the one about editing. How about you?

Let's Ponder Together:

Join us on Monday, April 2 at 7:30 pm ET for our monthly #TeachWrite Twitter Chat. This month, we are PONDERING POETRY. All are welcome -- poets and non-poets alike! (If you'd like a text reminder for our monthly chats, sign up for the Remind here.)