Writing Mini-Lessons: Strategies to Help Students Write Longer, More Developed Pieces

Teachers across the K-12 spectrum want student writers to provide more detail, more idea development, and more elaboration. But until students are taught the skills involved in crafting a well-developed piece, they will continue to fall short of expectations.

During this edWebinar, author and literacy consultant Kristina Smekens will share classroom-tested mini-lesson ideas to help teachers nurture longer, more developed writing from their students. Attendees will:

• Review the importance of idea development and specifically the trait of ideas
• Learn how to use visual triggers to teach students to develop a topic, add details, and incorporate evidence
• Understand the distinction between writing that is long and “listy” versus that which is long and developed
• Learn strategies to increase the length of students’ writing while also growing their writing stamina

This edWebinar will be of interest to K-12 teachers and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

About the Presenter

Kristina Smekens has built a reputation for using enthusiasm, humor, and common sense to equip K-12 educators with practical, demystifying strategies for teaching reading and writing. As President and Lead Consultant for Smekens Education, she is a leader in developing new strategies to help teachers meet the demands of today’s College- and Career-Ready Standards. She and her associates share those strategies with teachers around the globe through on-site professional development, virtual and in-person seminars, and an always-growing pool of print, digital, and video resources. Kristina has authored more than 50 books, guides, and classroom tools designed to help teachers implement best-practice literacy strategies. The Comprehension Playbook; Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades K-2; and Launching the Writer’s Workshop: Grades 3-12 are among the most popular titles.

About the Moderator

Monica Myers is an enthusiastic advocate of best-practice instruction in reading comprehension. As the Playbook Pro remote coach for Smekens Education, she offers timely coaching and guidance to teams and individuals as they work to implement the Comprehension Playbook in their own classrooms. Before joining the team at Smekens Education, Monica taught elementary and middle school English language arts and was a leader in her district as an instructional coach. In her role as a building-level coach, Monica was in the trenches, helping her colleagues implement the Comprehension Playbook with fidelity.

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