FROM THE DESK OF The Structured Writing Teacher

If you're trying to help your students become stronger, more confident writers, one of the most effective tools you can use is a daily quick write .  But there’s a key twist that makes it work even better— teach them this:   Write a scene, not a story. Why Quick Write Scenes? Quick writes are short, low-pressure writing sessions where students get words on the page without overthinking. They’re perfect for: Building writing stamina Improving fluency Encouraging creative risk-taking Reducing writer’s block Getting them to pull a fist-pump while blurting, "yessssss!" as they enter the room (a teacher's dream, lol) But here’s the catch: not all quick writes are created equal. Skip the “One Day I Was…” When I assign quick writes, I have one important rule: No starting with “One day I was…” Why? That phrase leads to summary and backstory. Instead, I challenge students to drop us straight into the moment. 📌 Example: ❌ “One day I was walking to school...

Let’s talk writer’s workshop —not the Pinterest-perfect, every-kid-scribbling-furiously version. I mean the real one. The kind where some students thrive... and some stare blankly at the page for 20 minutes straight. That’s where I started. I loved the idea of writer’s workshop. Mini-lesson → independent writing → sharing out. Sounds dreamy, right? But in reality? ⛔ Some kids had no idea what to write about. ⛔ Some didn’t know if they were “doing it right.” ⛔ Some barely wrote a sentence and then… behavior issues. So, I changed everything. Yep... everything. After stepping away from the classroom to become a full-time children’s book author (and watching real authors work), I realized something huge: there are specific routines that professional writers use every day—and our students can use them too. Then I noticed something else… At my son’s baseball practice, I saw 8-year-old team captains leading warm-ups while the coach got everything else ready. When it was time t...

Let’s be real—if you teach 5th grade or above, you’re probably required to teach argumentative essays every year ... and every year, it feels like one of the hardest things to get right. The structure. The evidence. The thesis. The counterclaim. The formatting. 😩 It’s a lot. But after years of refining my process, I’ve found a way to make it manageable, effective, and even—dare I say—fun for students and teachers. This post walks you through how I teach the argumentative essay in just 10 days as part of my Structured Writing Method —including my favorite hooks, how I set up digital slides, what I emphasize in each paragraph, and one simple trick that helps students finally stop using rhetorical questions in their introductions. 🙌 Let’s break it down. 🧠 Start With a Hook They Care About Before we ever start writing, I pull students in with a topic they actually want to argue about . One of my go-to questions: 👉 “What have you binge-watched lately?” Suddenly, we’re hav...

  The Best Order to Teach Writing Skills in Middle School (And Why It Matters) When it comes to teaching writing in middle school, the what is important—but the when is just as crucial. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Should I teach figurative language before sentence structure?” or “Why do my students still struggle with writing hooks halfway through the year?” —you’re not alone. After years of trial, error, and real-world writing experience as a children’s book author and middle school writing teacher , I’ve developed a structured approach to teaching writing. More specifically, I’ve figured out the exact order in which to teach six essential writing skills —and today I’m breaking it all down. ✏️ These skills are the foundation of my student-led, real-world-based writing workshop , (that's a lot of hyphens!) and the sequence I use isn’t random.  It’s purposeful, practical, and incredibly effective at getting students confident, motivated, and writing with ...

  The Science of Writing: What Actually Works? If you’ve been anywhere near the world of education lately, you’ve probably heard about the “Science of Reading” movement. The podcast Sold a Story shook up the literacy world by exposing how reading instruction in the U.S. has ignored research-backed strategies for decades. But as I listened to that podcast, I couldn’t stop thinking: What about writing? Where is the research-backed, evidence-based method for teaching kids to write? So, I did what any self-respecting teacher does during a break—I fell down a massive research rabbit hole . And what I found? Well, let’s just say…it was eye-opening . In this post, I’m breaking down: ✔️ The biggest problems with how writing is taught today ✔️ What actual research says about effective writing instruction ✔️ The three essential components of a successful writing program Let’s dig in. The Pendulum Problem in Writing Instruction Education is notorious for swinging back and forth ...

  What Writing Programs Get WRONG (And How I Fixed It for My Students) Have you ever tried to follow a writing program only to find that your students aren’t engaged ? Maybe they rush through assignments, resist revision, or just don’t care about their writing. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. And after years of researching writing programs, teaching middle schoolers, and working with professional editors as a published author, I realized something huge: 🚨 Most writing programs are missing ONE key element. 🚨 This missing piece changed everything for my students—and today, I’m breaking down exactly what it is, why it matters, and how you can transform your students into confident, motivated writers. Why I Created My Own Writing Program For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Robin Mellom , a children’s book author with Disney-Hyperion and HarperCollins and a middle school teacher. When I first started teaching in 1992, I had zero training on how to teach writi...