Beyond the Paragraph: Teaching Writing in Middle School with Structure
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!
Beyond the Paragraph: Teaching Writing in Middle School with Structure
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