Part One of my S5E24 ⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ ⁨conversation uncovers why underdeveloped executive functioning for kids can impact areas like working memory and response inhibition. Melanie Meehan and Maggie Beattie Roberts make foundational writing skills accessible by highlighting how understanding executive function deficits can completely change how we approach literacy education. We discuss how addressing these executive dysfunction challenges can support a child's development into a more confident writer.

Discover why writing instruction can't wait any longer in literacy conversations. In this powerful episode, Maggie and Melanie reveal the foundational skills we've been overlooking in writing instruction and how understanding executive functions transforms everything—from that first capital letter to complex compositions.

As a special education teacher turned writing coordinator and a national literacy consultant, Maggie and Melanie unpack their groundbreaking book Foundational Skills for Writing: A Brain-Based Guide to Strengthen Executive Functions, Language, and Other Cornerstones for Writing. Learn how eight regions of the brain coordinate when a child picks up a pencil, why handwriting is a gateway to literacy, and how the solar system writing model changes everything we thought we knew about teaching writing.

Some episode mentions:

• ➡️Young-Suk Grace Kim
• ➡️Steve Graham
• ➡️The Writing Clinic
• ➡️Melanie's other books
• ➡️Two Writing Teachers
• ➡️Maggie's books: DIY Literacy & Unboxing the Curriculum

Stay tuned for Part Two on Friday, where we dive into practical strategies you can use tomorrow!

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: The Hidden Challenge in Writing Instruction
1:00 - Meet Maggie Roberts and Melanie Meehan
2:00 - Foundational Skills for Writing: The Book Overview
3:00 - Research That Changed Everything
5:00 - The Origin Story: A Conference Napkin Conversation
7:00 - The Solar System Writing Model Explained
10:00 - Brain at Work: Understanding the Writing Brain
13:00 - Executive Functions: The Stage Hands of Writing
16:00 - Handwriting as a Gateway to Literacy
19:00 - The Writing Clinic: Supporting All Writers
20:00 - Lightning Round: Myths, Truths, and Strategies
24:00 - Coming Up in Part Two

Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.

🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

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#schoolutions #forevergettingbetter #WritingInstruction #LiteracyDevelopment #FoundationalSkills

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