Over the past several years, there's been no shortage of conversation about how we should teach reading. But in all of those debates, the topic of writing barely comes up, even though the two are deeply connected. 

That's what drew Melanie Meehan and Maggie Roberts to write their new book, Foundational Skills for Writing. The book breaks the larger task of writing into smaller skill categories, including transcription skills, oral language, and executive functioning. In this week's episode of the podcast, they share eight of the strategies from the book. Each is from a collection they call "Minute Moves," quick lessons and exercises that can be done in just a few minutes to build different kinds of writing muscles. They're fun and engaging and if you teach writing, I think you're going to love them.  

8 Ways to Squeeze Writing Instruction Into a Few Minutes 

Have a good week!  

Jenn

Equity Resource to Check Out

April is Arab American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans to our nation. In 1962, Dr. Alixa Naff set out to document the stories of Arab American immigrants from Syria and Lebanon — work that was groundbreaking both in subject matter and in its innovative use of oral history. In 1984, she donated her collection of oral histories, archival materials, and artifacts to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. You can explore that collection on the Smithsonian website.