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.

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➡️ Learn more about the FULL Structured Writing training PD

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🎥 Watch the teaching strategies in action on YouTube

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