Beyond the Paragraph: Teaching Writing in Middle School with Structure

Robin Mellom
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If you're tired of guessing how to teach writing in middle school, you're in the right place. Robin Mellom is a veteran ELA teacher and published author of over ten children’s books with Disney, HarperCollins, and Houghton Mifflin. She brings the clarity and structure you've been craving without the gimmicks. Hosted by Robin Mellom, author, middle school teacher, and creator of the Structured Writer’s Workshop™, each episode delivers practical, classroom-tested strategies that work in grades 4–8.  Learn how to implement evidence-based writing routines, like CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning), build lasting writing habits, and engage students in meaningful work that actually sticks.  Best of all, they will learn how to write like the pros!

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    The Structured Writer’s Workshop™ CRASH COURSE! Learn how to make writing instruction structured and engaging in under 60 minutes Ep.15

    In this 60-minute audiobook, you’ll learn the complete framework behind the Structured Writer’s Workshop™, a structured approach that helps students in grades 4–8 become confident, independent writers. They also LOVE it.  Why This Workshop Is Different I’m not just a teacher, I’m also a published author of children’s books with Disney-Hyperion, HarperCollins, and Houghton Mifflin. What I learned from working with editors and revising manuscripts under tight deadlines transformed the way I teach writing. The routines in the Structured Writer’s Workshop™ are the same ones professional authors use every day, but they're adapted to fit a real classroom. That means your students aren’t just “doing assignments”… they’re practicing the skills of actual writers. What You’ll Learn in This Crash Course: The 6 SUPER Skills that build strong writers step by stepHow to structure your writing block so students are engaged Simple routines that give students ownership of their writing and revisionHow this framework fits seamlessly into ELA or homeschool instructionReal classroom strategies that work for all learners (reluctant writers included)Get the free eBook PDF here! Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    53 min

  2. 17 AUG

    Revolutionizing Student Writing: Beyond the 4x4 Classroom

    The writing crisis in American classrooms isn't due to lack of teacher effort, it's our instructional model. When the Nation's Report Card reveals only 27% of eighth graders scoring proficient in writing, we need to examine what's really happening in our classrooms. After spending nearly a decade away from teaching to become a professional writer, I returned to education as a "fish out of water," shocked by both how writing instruction had changed and how my professional writing experience contradicted classroom practices. While publishers expected complete manuscript rewrites in weeks or even days, schools were still dedicating entire quarters to single essays. This disconnect revealed a crucial truth: volume matters enormously in developing writing proficiency. Kelly Gallagher's critique of the "4x4 classroom" (four big books, four big essays annually) resonates deeply with what professional writers like RL Stine know instinctively—writing improves through consistent practice, not occasional massive projects. Stine, who produced Goosebumps books monthly, found that "writing fast forced him to stay in the flow, avoid overthinking, and treat perfectionism like the monster it is." My structured writing method transforms reluctant writers through daily sentence combining exercises, perspective-based quick writes using engaging images, and explicit weekly workshop skills. When essay time arrives, we tackle it in focused 10-day blocks with clear checkpoints rather than dragging the process across an entire quarter. Students set line-length goals, building the confidence to overcome writing inertia while developing authentic voice. The results speak volumes! Students who once feared writing now request additional workshop time. Even implementing these strategies mid-year yields remarkable growth. Start tomorrow by replacing traditional warm-ups with sentence combining and perspective-based quick writes, and watch as your students discover that writing can actually be enjoyable. Visit structuredwritingteacher.com to learn more about implementing these volume-based strategies in your classroom. Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    31 min

  3. 27 JULY

    THIS is The Secret Ingredient for Better Writing Across All Subjects Ep. 13

    In this episode, I’m diving into why CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) is the ultimate pivot skill. It’s not just for ELA. Students can use it in science, history, short responses, and full essays—and the more they practice it, the more confident and structured their writing becomes. You’ll hear how I scaffold it with sentence frames, expand it with an “Explain in your own words” step, and enrich it with a hook and a powerful closing statement.  No matter your experience with CER, you’ll walk away with tools to make it more effective, more transferable, and way more engaging.   🎧 Let’s talk about how to teach CER… and why it might be the most important writing move you make all year.  Need CER resources? Go HERE. Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    28 min

  4. 20 JULY

    Before the Rubrics: What to Teach the FIRST WEEK of Writing Ep. 12

    When it comes to writing instruction, the first week can make or break your year. In this episode, I’m walking you through exactly how I start the school year in my writing classroom. You'll hear about the phone call I make before students ever step through the door, and the voice lesson my students beg to do again. I’m sharing: The one question I ask families that tells me everything about a student’s writing mindsetHow I get an honest, messy, meaningful baseline writing sampleWhy I don’t open the writing workshop right away (and what we do instead)The unexpected activity that teaches voice better than any anchor chartHow I use my ELA Three-a-Day to build grammar skills and writing stamina, all year longThese are the exact lessons I use to set the tone, build trust, and kick off a student-led writing program that actually works.  Mentioned in this video: Back to School: Icebreaker activities and writing prompts How to Write a Scene, not a Story Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    35 min

  5. 13 JULY

    The Science of Writing: My Hunt for Research-Based Writing Instruction in Middle School Ep. 11

    This episode is the audio from one of my most popular YouTube videos, so if you hear me say “look at this” or reference something on screen, don’t worry! I've linked the full video below! In this deep dive, I unpack what I discovered after listening to the Sold a Story podcast and asking myself a big question: Where’s the research on writing instruction? Spoiler alert: it’s complicated. But I share what I found, what’s missing, and what we can do right now to teach writing with more clarity and confidence. You’ll also hear: What the 10 essential components of effective writing instruction areWhy sentence combining is a powerhouse strategyThe surprising research around grammar instruction (and what to do instead)And the one line from Mel Robbins that changed everything for me🔗 Watch the full video with visuals on YouTube: The Science of Writing - My Hunt for RESEARCH-based Writing Instruction in Middle School Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    22 min

  6. 6 JULY

    Don't Ask Comprehension Questions When Reading a Novel: The Brilliance of TRACKING Ep 10

    Traditional comprehension questions are holding your students back. It’s time for a shift. This method flips the script on how we approach novel studies and writing in middle school, moving beyond recall questions and into deep, authentic engagement. Instead of asking students to remember what happened, this strategy teaches them to track what matters. By gathering purposeful evidence on theme, characterization, world-building, and author’s craft as they read, students naturally build the foundation for high-level literary analysis. And the best part? It all connects seamlessly to evidence-based writing using the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) framework. Use this approach to bring more meaning to your novel studies, elevate your writing instruction, and finally answer the question: how do you truly teach writing in middle school? You start here. Want a closer look at the Literary Evidence Trackers? Go HERE. Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    23 min

  7. 30 JUNE

    Stop Teaching Narrative Essays First: My Game-Changing Essay Sequence for Grades 4–8 Ep.9

    What if the reason your students hate writing isn’t because they’re unmotivated but because you’re asking them to do too much, too soon? In this episode, I’m breaking down why I stopped starting the year with narrative writing and how changing the order of essay instruction completely transformed my classroom. I’ll walk you through the exact essay sequence I use, why it works, and how each step builds skills (and confidence) without overwhelming students. If you’ve ever felt like writing instruction just isn’t clicking... this might be the missing piece. Need done-for-you essay lessons? Go HERE Get my Literary Evidence Tracker for ANY novel HERE Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    30 min

  8. 25 JUNE

    If You Teach Writing in THIS Order, Everything Will Click into Place Ep. 8

    If teaching writing feels like one long game of catch-up… this episode will flip your perspective. In today’s episode, I’m revealing the six writing skills I teach first in my student-led writing workshop and why the order of instruction matters more than you think. You’ll learn how to teach skills that build on each other and give students instant momentum. We’ll talk about:  ✔️ The confidence-building skill you should always start with  ✔️ Why “show, don’t tell” can wait  ✔️ How to build writing fluency one layer at a time   If you’ve ever felt like your writing block is just… not clicking, this episode will give you the structure and strategy to change that. 🎧 Plus, I’ll share how to keep these six skills spiraling through everything you teach all year long. Thoughts? Questions? Send me a text message! ➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD 📆 Grab my yearlong writing planner for free (it includes my eBook!) 🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube 📝 Read the latest blog posts for writing tips & ideas HAVE A QUESTION? Email me at robin@structuredwritingteacher.com

    21 min
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About

If you're tired of guessing how to teach writing in middle school, you're in the right place. Robin Mellom is a veteran ELA teacher and published author of over ten children’s books with Disney, HarperCollins, and Houghton Mifflin. She brings the clarity and structure you've been craving without the gimmicks. Hosted by Robin Mellom, author, middle school teacher, and creator of the Structured Writer’s Workshop™, each episode delivers practical, classroom-tested strategies that work in grades 4–8.  Learn how to implement evidence-based writing routines, like CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning), build lasting writing habits, and engage students in meaningful work that actually sticks.  Best of all, they will learn how to write like the pros!

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