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Alphabet Knowledge and Handwriting Resources

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Handwriting Without Tears is a proven program for teaching handwriting to children. Developed by OTs, it uses multisensory techniques to make writing fun.

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The Importance of Repertoire for Teachers

One of my favorite lessons to teach during a narrative writing unit involves what stories are really about. Usually I teach this lesson as a whole group minilesson, but last week, I found myself teaching it as a whole group mid-workshop interruption, not even because it was planned, but because the whole class needed that lesson at that moment in time.

Back in August, I wrote a post about the importance of repertoire for students; repertoire is also important for teachers. We can change up how we are teaching depending on the situation and circumstances, but in order to do that, we have to know some choices and moves we can make. Knowing this, there are a few quick ways we can think about repertoire within our whole group instruction.

It can be easy to forget or overlook the idea that we have a few options for whole group instruction during a minilesson.

Minilesson: Typically, we think about the lesson's objective as being part of the presentation within the minilesson at the beginning of the lesson, and most of the time it is. However, minilessons do not necessarily have to come at the beginning. Maybe you have students who come in late, maybe students benefit from settling into writing. Maybe you want them to practice more of what you've already taught. For any of these situations, you can change up the timing of your minilesson, offering independent writing time at the beginning of the workshop. I don't recommend doing this regularly, but it is an option.

Mid-workshop Interruption: In many workshops, twenty minutes is a long time for students to sustain writing stamina. Therefore, another opportunity for instruction is in the middle of workshop. This can be a planned and intentional teaching point, or it can be a reminder or response to some of the work you're seeing happening right then and there. This teaching opportunity doesn't follow the components of the minilesson with a connection, teach, active engagement, and link, but you can consider it as having a teaching point and a link. You can say something along the lines of: "Here's a quick reminder/tip/challenge I want to offer you right now... Here's what it could look like... Consider working it into your writing."

End of workshop share: Many teachers think of the end of workshop share as a time when students talk about their work during their independent writing time, and there is value in those shares and conversations. However, this can also be a time for intentional instruction. Maybe a student tried something many of their classmates are ready for. Maybe there's another strategy that goes along with other learning of the day. In either case, you can use the end of workshop to teach something new and challenge students to try it on the following day.

2. How we teach

Just as we can think about the different moments in our writing workshops for instruction, we can also think about the different ways we can present information to students in a whole class format. At the Graphic Novel Writing Institute at Teachers College in April 2019, Eric Hand did a great job of presenting four different and explicit methods of delivering whole group instruction.

Demonstration: Demonstration is the technique I use the most when I'm teaching a minilesson. I ask students to watch as I use a strategy, voicing over as I demonstrate, and then I give them a turn to try it.

Explanation and Example is slightly different because it involves showing students samples of what you're teaching, as opposed to creating those samples in front of them. Instead of cueing students to "watch as I try" you're pointing out that "I tried that here."

Guided Practice combines teaching and active engagement. While in the first two techniques there needs to be a time for students to try out the concept, even if it's for a short turn and talk, guided practice challenges students to envision what the skill could look like and then have a try at it.

Inquiry is my second go-to technique behind demonstration, and it involves challenging students to explore a question. For example, we might ask a group "What are some ways to hook readers?" or "How can writers bring characters to life?" The important thing to remember if you're using inquiry is that students have to have somewhat of a clue for it to be effective. If they have no idea how to answer the question, then you have to be ready to shift quickly back to demonstration or explanation and example.

Just as we ask students to stretch and try different techniques, we can challenge ourselves as teachers to expand our repertoire. It's also helpful for our own clarity to know not only what we're teaching, but also when and how we're going to teach it. Flexibility is a great attribute in so many elements of life!

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The Importance of Repertoire for Teachers

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We can change up how we are teaching depending on the situation and circumstances, but in order to do that, we have to know some choices and moves we can make. Knowing this, there are a few quick ways we can think about repertoire within our whole group instruction.

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Early in my daughter's cooking career, she learned how to make strawberry shortcake. Cecily had attended a cooking class, and her highlight was the dessert. We ate a lot of strawberry shortcake. At first, we all loved it, but after several renditions, we (might) have gotten a little sick of it. Since then, Cecily has expanded her dessert repertoire. Sometimes she reads cookbooks. Sometimes she watches videos. Sometimes a newspaper recipe will inspire her. She makes many different desserts, including strawberry shortcake, and we are always happy to try them! Now that I'm not having strawberry shortcake a few times a week, I look forward to it and love when she makes it.

Repertoire is all that we know and are prepared to do within our craft. While many people think of repertoire and music in the same wavelength, the term can apply to almost anything. In Cecily's case, it applies to desserts. In writing classrooms, repertoire applies in a few different ways.

At one level, maybe the highest level, repertoire relates to students in terms of what they know and are able to do as writers who consider audience and purpose. Even kindergartners arrive with a set of understandings about writing, and we can tap into their knowledge right away. One way to do this is to co-create a chart of different writing types early in the year.

This sort of a chart does not have to be elaborate, but it helps remind students of what they already know as writers, and that is always a good thing!

Repertoire involves not only what students know and are able to do in terms of various genres, but also what they know and are able to do within genres.

Sometimes I visit classrooms, read one student's writing, and feel impressed with how they hook readers with a question. But then, I walk around the room and realize that everyone is beginning their introduction with a question. And, if I read other pieces the students have written, all of the pieces begin with a question, too. So how can we inspire students to begin pieces in different ways other than asking questions? That's where repertoire comes in again. Think about charts that are set up along these lines:

From that chart, we can show students the different ways these strategies could go. I'll use the following idea:
Which is better for ordering ice cream? Cups or cones? Question

Have you ever ordered an ice cream cone and had the scoop hit the ground when you take the first lick?
Three Questions in a Row

Have you ever ordered an ice cream cone and had the scoop hit the ground when you take the first lick? Have you ever had your cone melt faster than you could possibly eat it so that your hand ends up a sticky mess? Or have you ever had ice cream drip out of the bottom of the cone onto your shirt or your lap?
A Quick Story

I remember the time I ordered an ice cream cone at Scoops. Maybe it was the server's first day, and maybe I should have watched her more closely as she packed the ice cream into the cone (or did NOT pack the ice cream into the cone). In any case, I took the first lick of my peppermint ice cream and the whole scoop landed kersplat on the ground. I had to clean it up and get back in line for a new cone.
An Image or Scene

Imagine waiting in line and finally getting your ice cream cone, taking a first lick, and having the entire scoop land in a heap in front of your feet.

Once we have these sort of samples in front of us and students, we can have important conversations about which one we think is the most effective lead and why. Whenever we ask students to rank, we are almost always asking them to do higher-order thinking. Also, we are modeling the importance of experimentation and process for writers.

My sample is for leads in opinion writing, and I envision this sort of lesson in a third or fourth-grade classroom, but we can expand this thinking to fit any genre and any level. The important element is that we are acknowledging and showing students that there are different ways to do something within the process. Just thinking within a narrative lens, there are different ways to:

Think of ideas

Plan

Begin a story

Make characters come to life

Incorporate dialogue

Show how characters are feeling

Spell words

...and I could go on. The important thing is that we show students those choices, give them opportunities to try them, and let them decide which will work for them as writers. We can have conversations about why they made the decisions they did, and we can challenge them to try out other strategies. Rather than tell them to plan by drawing across pages in a way that communicates an assignment as opposed to a process (we want a process and not an assignment in our writing instruction!) we can have conversations that go along the lines of:

"You planned by drawing across pages. How is that easier for you than making a timeline? How about you try a timeline as well, and see what feels better to you as a writer?"

When these types of conversations happen, our writers internalize various ways to address a challenge instead of one way. And, they can make decisions in future situations with an understanding of themselves as learners and writers. The truth in writing - and in many aspects of life - is that there isn't really one way to do anything. The strongest writers understand their options and are flexible and intentional with their choices. That's repertoire!

Sometimes it's hard to know how to fit this kind of experimentation into our workshops. Maybe what's important is that not every piece has to meet every expectation. Students can try out some options even during a minilesson. Minilessons have specific components that include a connection, instruction, active engagement, and a link to students' work. During active engagement, we can say something along the lines of:

"Choose two strategies that you think might work for you and give them a go. Practice saying how they could go with your writing partner."

This sort of statement empowers writers to weigh options and make decisions without being told what to do. And it's this kind of empowerment that leads to more courage, greater independence, and a more expansive repertoire for developing writers.
Giveaway Information:
This giveaway is for a copy of No More "I'm Done!" and No More "How Long Does It Have to Be?" by Jennifer Jacobson. Thanks to Stenhouse Publishers for donating a copy of each of these books - one book for a primary educator and one book for a secondary educator. (You must have a U.S. mailing address to win a print copy of this book.)

For a chance to win this copy of No More "I'm Done!" or No More "How Long Does It Have to Be?", please leave a comment about this or any blog post in this blog series by Sunday, August 11th at 6:00 p.m. EDT. BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN THE GRADE LEVEL OR GRADE BAND YOU TEACH SO WE CAN PUT YOU IN THE RUNNING FOR THE BOOK THAT MATCHES THE GRADE BAND YOU TEACH. Betsy Hubbard will use a random number generator to pick the winner's commenter number. The winners will be announced in the ICYMI blog post for this series on Monday, August 11th.

Please leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment so Betsy can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, our contact at Stenhouse will ship the book to you. (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)

If you are the winner of the book, Betsy will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS - NO MORE BOOKS within five days of receipt. A new winner will be chosen if a response isn't received within five days of the giveaway announcement.

I am the Writing and Social Studies Coordinator in Simsbury, CT, and I love what I do. I get to write and inspire others to write! Additionally, I am the mom to four fabulous daughters and the wife of a great husband. View all posts by Melanie Meehan

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The Importance of Repertoire: Nurturing Independence From the Start

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The truth in writing -- and in many aspects of life -- is that there isn't really one way to do anything. The strongest writers understand their options and are flexible and intentional with their choices. That's repertoire!

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5 essentials to know about generative AI from Google

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Jun 24, 2024

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Editor's note: This week we're joining thousands of educators and students at ISTE, the United States' biggest educational technology exhibition. Visit us at Booth 1424, where you can check out new Chromebooks and features in Google Workspace for Education. Follow along on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.

Every teacher and student deserves to have access to meaningful educational experiences and AI is helping us make that possible. As part of our commitment to make AI broadly accessible, we're providing a variety of tools for educators and learners to use in the classroom. Last year we released a responsible Gemini experience for teens using their personal Google Accounts after consulting with child safety and development experts to help shape our content policies and an experience that prioritizes safety. Since then we've taken a number of additional steps to ensure we're bringing this technology to students responsibly, partnering with learning science experts, testing with youth advisory panels and committing to add extra data protection for all education users free of charge, meaning Google will not use data from chats to improve AI models.

In the coming months, we're making Gemini available to teen students in over 100 countries around the world, free of charge. Part of our commitment to making AI helpful for everyone, in the classroom and beyond, Gemini and other AI-powered tools can be used to personalize and enhance the learning experience across Google Workspace for Education and Chromebooks.

How we're making learning more personal and differentiation more achievable

Helping teen students learn responsibly and confidently in an AI-first future with Gemini: In the coming months, teen students that meet our minimum age requirements will be able to chat with Gemini in English with added data protection while using their school-issued accounts, free of charge. To ensure schools are always in control, Gemini will be off by default for teens until admins choose to turn it on in the Admin console. After enabling it, admins can install the Gemini web app on Chromebooks so everyone has easy access. Parents and guardians can learn more about using AI with teens in our Guardian's Guide to AI in education.

Grow reading skills with Read Along in Classroom: Now a Google Workspace for Education service, Read Along in Classroom helps students get real-time support with the help of AI. Educators can assign reading activities for individual students based on Lexile® measure, grade level or phonics skills, with over 800 books from Heggerty, ReadWorks and more to choose from. Educators can also view insights on reading accuracy, speed and comprehension. Going forward, we're piloting the ability for teachers to generate personalized stories tailored to student needs, and you can sign up to be a part of the pilot program. Read Along in Classroom will be available globally, so students around the world can practice their reading skills in English. Teachers can also enable additional support in a student's native language, starting with Spanish, for certain books.

Enable differentiated instruction with Google Classroom: To make lesson and content planning easier, we're piloting Gemini in Classroom features informed by LearnLM, our new family of models fine-tuned for learning, based on Gemini and grounded in educational research. Separately, educators will soon be able to define groups of students in Classroom to assign different content based on each group's needs. AI-suggested questions for certain science videos are also available now in English to help quickly create YouTube assignments.

Supercharge teacher productivity with Gemini in Chromebook Plus: We recently announced that we're bringing Gemini to Chromebook Plus, powerful devices to supercharge productivity for both teachers and staff, starting at just $350. With new features for all users over the age of 18 coming soon like Help me write, Help me read, generative AI backgrounds, AI powered noise cancellation and admin policies to control all of the features, Chromebook Plus will be your trusted teaching companion. Choose from devices from Acer, ASUS, and now, CTL, too, like the new CTL Chromebook Plus PX131GXT.

Create videos for teaching and learning with Google Vids: We recently announced Google Vids, a collaborative video creation app in Google Workspace that makes it easy to make engaging videos and inspire the next wave of storytellers. We're releasing a version of Vids without generative AI exclusively to students and educators with Google Workspace for Education Plus later this year; the version powered by generative AI will be available with a Gemini for Google Workspace add on.

Helping young people safely navigate an AI internet with a new media literacy curriculum: Developed with leading experts, including NAMLE (National Association of Media Literacy Education), Google's Be Internet Awesome launched a new Media Literacy Handbook for teachers designed to build the foundational media literacy skills needed to prepare students for a future with AI.

How we're helping educators and students connect across our platforms and products

Making sure our products and services work together seamlessly is another way we help educators and students have a great experience. Here are some of the new ways we're creating connectivity across not only our own products, but also other apps you know and love.

Stay organized with Google Task and Calendar integrations. Check and update your to-do lists right from your Chromebook desktop. Students can also use Google Classroom to help them track assignments and complete their work on time, rolling out in the coming weeks.

Collaborate with Meet and Assignments in your LMS. Google Workspace Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)™ is our collection of products that connect Google Workspace for Education with popular learning management systems (LMS). In the coming weeks, students and educators who use Canvas and PowerSchool Schoology Learning will be able to access Google Meet directly from their LMS with Google Meet LTI. Educators who use Canvas have already been using Assignments LTI to better distribute, analyze and grade student work. In the coming weeks, Assignments LTI 1.3 will be available in PowerSchool Schoology Learning as well.

Integrate your Student information System (SIS) with Google Classroom to enable educators to export grades to select SIS gradebooks. Soon, you can set up classes with OneRoster SIS partners, including Aspen, Infinite Campus, Skyward and PowerSchool SIS and import information like student lists, co-teachers and grading settings.

Discover new apps that integrate with Workspace for Education and Chromebooks in the Google for Education App Hub. We're launching 16 new Classroom add-ons (Kami, Quizizz, Screencastify, Boom Learning and more) and expanding the app licensing program with six new partners coming soon (Canva, codeSpark, Equatio, Genially, Sora, and Sumo), providing educators with a wider range of integrated tools to enrich the teaching and learning experience.

How we're supporting safe, secure and inclusive learning

As part of our commitment to fostering safe and inclusive learning environments, we're rolling out new security and accessibility features across Chromebooks and Google Workspace for Education.

Chat safer with new settings for students in Google Chat. In the coming months, admins will be able to restrict students from initiating direct messages and creating spaces, helping provide a safer and easier way for teachers to communicate with students.

Protect data with improved controls in Admin console. Now available, multi-party approval allows admins to require additional approval by another admin to complete a sensitive action, like changing two-step verification settings. And, admins can now proactively block compromised mobile devices using context-aware access. With Chrome Education Upgrade, admins can configure apps and extension permissions in Google Admin console for groups - now, admins can do so for user and browser settings, too. And on the revamped device hub and details page, you'll notice a refreshed device list page with integrated notifications and a dedicated dashboards tab to help you be more proactive in managing devices. You can simply click on a notification and get a filtered device list affected by that notification and an info icon providing you with information on how to remediate that notification or link to relevant help center articles or settings within the admin console.

Support inclusion with new accessibility features. On Chromebooks, we're adding a new read aloud feature to reading mode in Chrome browser. And to make PDFs accessible by screen readers, you can now extract text from PDFs using Optical Character Recognition on Chrome browser and in the Gallery app on Chromebooks. And later this year, you'll be able to control your Chromebook actions hands free with your facial expressions and head movements. We're also adding new handwriting fonts in Google Workspace for Education to help educators teach handwriting based on regional research.

We're all about making things easier for teachers and students by giving them the best tools and resources to help them thrive in this ever-changing world. Reference this guide for each feature's availability, including the Google Workspace for Education edition or add-on required to access them. We're excited to see what you do with them next school year.

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Updates on how we're using AI to support students and educators

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New features from Google for Education, including Gemini for teens and Chromebook Plus.

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When it comes to teaching writing, there is one thing I could not survive without: Google Classroom. Early on in my teaching career, I even went rogue and used Google Classroom when I was supposed to be religiously using my school's other LMS. (Whoops! Anyone else who hated My Big Campus?) I used Classroom before my students had Chromebooks, back in the old computer lab days. I would jokingly tell my teacher friends that "Google was taking over the world" and that we would eventually go Google. Maybe I was a little obsessed, but we did go Google! And once you go Google, you can't go back. (Trust me...I tried. And I resigned.)

But seriously, Google Classroom makes it ridiculously easy to streamline your writing instruction. And with the new normal of remote learning, Classroom is more important now than ever. Admittedly, I don't have much experience with other platforms, and I am biased, but Google Classroom will help you make the most of distance learning, especially when it comes to teaching writing. Not only will Classroom improve your writing instruction, but it will help you stay connected to students throughout the entire writing process.

Google Classroom is intuitive enough that you figure out the basics on your own (assigning work, posting materials, grading, etc), but you can really maximize the platform with a few tips and tricks. Teaching writing will never be easy, but it can be much more manageable with the help of good old Google. Whether you're brand new to Google Classroom or a techie teacher who is figuring out how the heck to teach during this time, here are 10 practical tips for teaching writing remotely:

1. MONITOR STUDENT PROGRESS WITH GOOGLE CLASSROOM & GOOGLE DOCS

Instead of assigning an essay and hoping for the best when it's deadline time, you can use Google Classroom & Docs to monitor students' progress throughout the entire writing process. The next time you want to assign an essay, create a template for the assignment in Google docs. It can be as simple as instructions and text that says "Type here." You can even set it up with the right formatting (font size, double-spacing, MLA header) if you're feeling generous. Then, assign that doc on Google Classroom and select the "Make a copy for each student" option. Selecting this option is crucial because it will create individual copies for every single student.

This way, you will be able to see students' writing progress in real time. If a student is writing, you can simply open up their doc and watch them type. Students' docs live in their Google drives and your drive, so you can't lose anything. Everything is already organized in Google drive folders for you, which is a blessing for Type-B teachers like me. You can leave comments and even use the Chat feature to instantly message students as they write. While it's not as ideal as communicating with students face-to-face in a classroom, it's definitely the next best thing.

2. PROVIDE FEEDBACK VIA GOOGLE DOC COMMENTS

THIS is the real reason I went rogue back in the day. THIS is why once you go Google, you can't go back. Once you have the ability to give students instantaneous feedback at every step of the writing process, you'll never be able to teach writing the same way again. The more feedback you can give students during the writing process, the more they will grow as writers. More feedback also means less time writing comments on final drafts. Win-win! To give feedback via comments on Google docs, simply select (highlight) the text you want to comment on, and then select the plus sign speech bubble icon that should appear in the right margin. As students view your comments and make the necessary revisions, they can "resolve" your comments and effectively check each edit off their list.

I always try to give as much feedback as I can, especially in the earlier phases of the writing process. So I have students brainstorm and submit topic proposal docs, draft different versions of their thesis statements, and send in their topic sentences to make sure they support their thesis.

Feedback is my number #1 priority in the earliest stages of teaching writing, because I want my students to have a successful foundation for the rest of the process. Before I "release" my students to really, really write (as in draft their entire essay), they have already received lots of feedback from me. The best part? It's all documented...so if weeks later, I'm grading an essay and thinking, "I know I told this student to revise their thesis," I can quickly check the comment history.

3. SCAFFOLD THE WRITING PROCESS WITH MINILESSONS, GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS, AND OTHER RESOURCES

The writing process is already daunting for students, so it's even more intimidating in the virtual setting. To make writing more manageable, scaffold the process by breaking it down into smaller chunks/steps. Here's how I support my students when I'm teaching writing:

Giving students an outline to help them structure their writing. This helps me give students feedback before they really dig into the rest of the writing process.

Posting mini-lessons for each step/element of the writing process. I usually provide these in slideshow form AND screencast video form. (Loom is my favorite tool for creating screencast videos.) I provide students with writing workshop minilessons on everything from crafting a thesis statement to selecting strong & thorough textual evidence.

Offering students additional graphic organizers and resources to use if they need them. These resources, like the thesis statement "fill in the blank" organizer pictured below, help scaffold the writing process for students.

Familiarizing students with the rubric I will use to assess their final drafts. This means posting it on Classroom, explaining it, referring to it during minilessons, providing feedback that gives students an idea of where they are on the rubric, asking students to self-evaluate throughout the writing process, and making sure all expectations are 100% clear.

I give my students this Google Slides thesis statement graphic organizer to help them craft thesis statements.

4. CURATE & ORGANIZE RESOURCES WITH HYPERDOCS

It's easy for students to become overwhelmed with all of the resources you are offering them. Even though students have the entire internet at their fingertips, they don't always know how to use it. That's where hyperdocs come in. Like its name suggests, a hyperdoc is a document of hyperlinks to other documents, resources, videos, websites, etc. Depending on how you use it, a hyperdoc can function as a self-paced lesson module or a resource hub. When it comes to writing workshop, I use hyperdocs for the latter, linking up all of the minilessons, videos, graphic organizers, and outside resources students might need throughout the writing process. I carefully curate resources to help every type of learner at every step of the writing process.

In this way, hyperdocs help me scaffold and differentiate for students. Not to mention, they answer students' questions and free up more of my time to provide valuable feedback. I love hyperdocs because everything is in one place, and anytime students have questions, you can direct them to the hyperdoc. (Eventually, you'll train them to head straight to the hyperdoc when they need some help.) A hyperdoc is a great way to accommodate all of your learners and support them as they work through the writing process. To learn more about how to create your own hyperdocs, check out this blog post.

5. USE DAILY "CHECK INS" TO SUPPORT EVERY STUDENT, EVERY DAY

Checking in with every student is challenging enough in the traditional classroom, but it can feel even more overwhelming in the virtual setting. But there's an easy solution that will allow you to check in with every student, every day of writing workshop: A daily check-in. You can do this via Google forms OR Google Classroom questions. (I prefer the latter.) I assign these as exit tickets at the end of each writing workshop day, and the check-in reads the same almost every day: What did you accomplish today? What questions do you have, and how can I help you?

If students want specific feedback on their writing, I encourage them to give me specific instructions. It takes some time and practice to move students away from the "Can you check my writing and see if it's good?" questions to the "Can you check my thesis to see if it clearly previews my claims?" questions. But within a few days, you'll see students asking specific, purposeful questions. These simple check-ins will give you a chance to help the student who need it the most. They'll help you provide more precise, helpful, and efficient feedback for students.

While you can easily create a check-in Google form, I prefer using Google Classroom questions because I can easily reply to students, whether it's with a general "I left a comment on your doc!" or "It looks great; keep up the good work." Helping students is even easier when you have a hyperdoc of resources, because you can direct students to the appropriate minilesson and post the link in the comments on Classroom.

6. ASSIGN CHECKPOINTS TO BREAK UP THE WRITING PROCESS

In addition to daily check-ins, I also like to assign formative checkpoints for essential parts of the writing process. Once again, I do this to a) scaffold the writing process and b) provide meaningful formative feedback along the way. Here are examples of various checkpoints I use:

Topic Proposal: Students submit a topic proposal via a Google Classroom question. I provide feedback and approve their topics by replying to their submissions.

Thesis Statement Checkpoint: After rounds of drafting and revising a thesis statement, students submit their thesis through a Google Classroom question. Once again, I offer comments in the replies. After reviewing my feedback, I ask students to revise their thesis and post it as a reply. This way, I can visually see how they have taken my feedback into account and revised their thesis.

Outline Checkpoint: After completing an outline on a Google doc, I ask students to copy/paste the "bare bones" of their outline (thesis, claims, and one piece of evidence per claim) in a Google Classroom question. I usually use a rubric to assess the outline and provide formative feedback. Students do not begin the rest of the essay until I have approved their outlines in this way.

7. ADD IN OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEER FEEDBACK

Writing can feel like a lonely, tedious process, especially in the online setting. Give your students the opportunity to connect with peers and offer feedback. Yes, it can be done online! Here are a few different ways to incorporate meaningful peer feedback remotely:

For focused peer feedback on a specific part of an essay (such as a thesis, topic sentence, even an entire paragraph), I love using a Google Classroom question. For example, I will ask students to submit their thesis statement via a question, and then I will have them give feedback to 2 of their peers. Sometimes, I will give students the option to pick a specific part of their paper and ask for feedback on that. For example, a student could post their introduction and ask their peers if it's engaging and clear. Or they could post a claim, piece of evidence, and commentary, and ask their peers if their evidence and commentary is strong enough to defend the claim.

For peer feedback on an entire essay, I often ask students to share their Google doc with a peer and require that they provide feedback via the comments or even the rubric. To structure this, I give students a checklist, the rubric, or other guidelines.

No matter how you facilitate peer feedback, the most important part is giving students some structure and guidelines. Instead of just asking them to give comments, tell them what to look for. Give them your rubric and allow them to familiarize themselves with the language of instruction/assessment as they peer-edit.

8. SCHEDULE VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS OR CONFERENCES

In my opinion, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching writing is simply talking to students about their writing. While there is a certain magic in face-to-face writing conferences, you can still find a way to "meet" with students in the online setting. Depending on your district's guidelines, video conferencing through Zoom or Google Hangouts may be an option. If it's not, you can still arrange virtual meetings by scheduling times to "meet" on a student's document at the same time. This way, you can communicate in real time through comments or the Chat feature (if your district has this enabled; some may not). It's certainly not as good as the real thing, but at least you'll be in the same doc at the same time, looking at the same piece of student writing.

To create a virtual sign-up sheet like the one pictured below, create a Google form with your time slots in check-boxes. Then, use the add-on Choice Eliminator so that slots are removed from the form when students claim them. For a slightly easier option, simply create an editable Google doc and allow students to sign up directly on the document.

9. ENCOURAGE THE USE OF OTHER TECH TOOLS

Even with all of the wonderful technology at your disposal, you can only do so much for students. Foster some independence by encouraging students to utilize the various other tech tools that exist outside of Google Classroom and your arsenal of resources. Learning to maximize the internet's resources is a skill that will serve students well when they attend college, join the workforce, and enter the "real world." While there are countless options out there, here are my favorites:

Grammarly is a Google Chrome "writing assistant" that will help students understand and correct their grammar and spelling mistakes. Once Grammarly is activated, students will see suggestions and explanations as they type in docs.

Diigo is a convenient bookmarking website and extension that allows users to curate, organize, and annotate various sources. It's especially helpful for research writing or projects where students need to keep track of a body of articles.

Kami is a helpful tool that allows students to annotate PDFs right in their browser. It integrates with Google Classroom, and the premium subscription is currently free due to COVID-19.

Read&Write is a Google Chrome extension that can help scaffold the writing process with its text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools. While it is a paid extension, students can access it free for 30 days. (FYI: Teachers can receive a free premium subscription, but obviously that doesn't help students at home.)

10. ASK STUDENTS TO REFLECT & SELF-EVALUATE

Don't let the writing process abruptly end when students attach their doc and click submit on Google Classroom! Instead, facilitate thoughtful reflection and connect with your students one more time by asking them to self-evaluate. In my experience, this works well with a Google form or a rubric copied/pasted at the end of the essay document. If you feel disconnected from your students, this exercise will help you stay connected AND it will give you meaningful data that goes beyond what any rubric or grade could tell you.

When I ask students to reflect, I keep it simple by giving them a copy of the rubric I use to assess them. I ask them to give themselves scores in the different categories, justify those ratings, and then reflect on the writing process. I also give them a chance to tell me what I could have done to better support them and express any other concerns about the writing unit. My students' reflections always teach me more than any other kind of data I could collect and analyze.

BONUS TIP: SHARE OR "PUBLISH" STUDENT WRITING

The act of writing can feel isolating, and even more so in the online setting. Don't forget to find a way to publish student writing and celebrate the last (but often forgotten) phase of the writing process. Publishing doesn't have to be as formal as it sounds; even the simple act of sharing one's work and connecting with fellow writers will go a long way in the virtual environment. Thankfully, technology gives us plenty of options for sharing & publishing student writing. Here are just a few ideas:

Share student writing on a class blog or Google Site. (Or better yet, have students create their own sites and update them throughout the process).

Invite students to share their work via a Padet or Flipgrid (video responses).

Create a virtual gallery walk, or compilation of student work, via Google docs, slides, or forms.

Combine student submissions into an e-book, and post it on your LMS. (It's as simple as combining all docs, adding a nice cover, and converting the file to a PDF).

Whatever you do to share, celebrate, or publish student writing, I guarantee it will help you and your students stay connected and feel rewarded for your hard work!

I hope these tips help you navigate the uncertain world of teaching writing remotely. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there are any other blog posts I can write to help you during this time. Best of luck, and stay healthy!

If you're interested in digital writing resources, you may find the following materials helpful:

If you liked this post, check out these other blog posts on virtual teaching, technology, and writing:

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