One of the most important decisions teachers make is what to teach each day in a writing unit. The classroom teacher is the only one who can decide what a class of students needs tomorrow, because the classroom teacher is the only one who was there today. Someone who wrote a writing resource but has never met your students can’t decide exactly what to teach each day.
As classroom teachers, our job is to translate curriculum goals, proficiency standards, and resources into daily action in a classroom. And since all classes aren’t the same, writing instruction will play out in different ways in different classrooms.
In this session, we will use a projection process that utilizes stacks of authentic mentor texts to design genre studies, craft studies, and process studies that engage student writers. By preparing for a unit by studying a stack of texts and writing a process text, we will be better equipped to make responsive decisions day by day.
After his morning presentation, Matt will host an interactive book club launch for school teams participating in the How to Become a Better Writing Teacher Book Club from 1:00 – 2:30pm. This book club is part of the larger Responding to Writers initiative being offered for the 2025/26 school year. Learn more HERE.
