Episodes
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Episode 30: Reading Like A Writer
One of Mrs. Spencer's favorite topics, this week Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer share personal experiences coupled with strategies for our young writers on how to read with the purpose of enhancing writing. This week focuses on how to read like a writer. If you have no idea what this means, you…
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Episode 29: Surviving Summer Reading through Writing
Most kids are reading books this summer assigned by their teachers. Although the books may be excellent reads, students sometimes feel the pressure of reading them and struggle getting started...or finishing. This week, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson tackle this problem with some tips for parents...
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Episode 28: Write about what you know...Or Not
Summer camp is one week away and Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer are excited to spend two weeks guiding kids through the writing process. This week, they are discussing what to write about and some practical activities for parents to help their children build new ideas for writing. Listen in for…
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Episode 27: Writing Centers for kids
After spending a week in Kentucky grading papers from all over the country, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer are back! And excited about a new adventure for parents to advocate at their schools in the Fall. Spending a week talking with college professors, high school teachers and others in the...
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Episode 26: Summer Reading
In the studio this week, we have Melissa Galvan sitting in for Mrs. Larson. Mrs. Galvan comes to us from Oxford Academy, Cypress. She has experience teaching 7th grade through 12th grade and has a love for teaching like no other. Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Galvan share stories of reading and…
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Episode 25: Reflecting on the Year Gone By
Summer is here, or almost here! As parents, we all want to know our kids are learning and growing in school. One of the greatest differences in a writing class is that we have solid evidence of what is happening in our classes. This week, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer share practical ideas on how...
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Episode 24: Tribute to a Legend
Maya Angelou writings embraced her passion and commitment to improving the moral standards in the United States. Her poetry inspired all of us to stand up for change and taught us about race, oppression and hatred. Her death last week saddened us as we remember all she stood for and her…
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Episode 23: English Matters
With Common Core came new math and our schools are concerned about what it looks like for our kids. Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer talk about why we need to be paying attention to English as well. Literacy is the foundation for everything we want to do in life. You don't have to be an English major...
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Episode 22: Inspiration from the Outdoors
Summer is getting close and the weather is beautiful here in So Cal, so Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson talk about how to get the kids outside and inspired by the surroundings. Listen in for new ways to encourage writing while camping, hiking, walking the dog or just sitting out in the yard.
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Episode 21: Summer Camp Rocks!
Summer is coming and while this is very exciting for the kiddos, it can be very stressful for working parents. This summer, Write Away Academy can help you out with two weeks of fun and academics. We offer two locations in the OC (Los Alamitos and our new location, Fountain Valley), and day care...
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Episode 20: Working on Style
It is that time of year, when kids are working projects for school. It is getting close to the end and teachers and students see the light at the end of the tunnel. As kids work on final projects and writing pieces, we have some great strategies we have been using to help take the writing to the...
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Episode 19: Writer's Notebooks
Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson discuss the benefits of letting kids create their own Writer's Notebooks. They give parents practical tips on getting starting, encouraging kids, and making notebooks a fun place to generate new ideas for fun and for school.
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Episode 18: Blending Genres
With Common Core quickly approaching, you may see changes in your child's assignments and the expectations from the classroom. Kids will be working on writing that combine multiple genres and assignments will be addressing real audiences. Listen in as Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson discuss how to...
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Episode 17: The Homework Hassle
As parents and teachers, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer agree that homework can become burdensome and frustrating for families. After reading a few articles this week on this very topic, the girls talk about how they view homework as teachers and how they have handled some of the challenges of...
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Episode 16: Tackling the Timed Write
With testing season coming up, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer share their thoughts and strategies on helping kids with the timed writing situation. They discuss focused strategies to help kids plan before and during the on demand writing situations kids will encounter through the months of March,...
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Episode 15: Writing to Heal
Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson discuss how writing can heal. The ladies talk about a variety of ways kids and adults can use journaling, blogging and drafting can heal. Listen in and if you know someone who may need to hear this, send them the link. If you have had an experience when writing helped...
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Episode 14: The New SAT
Last week, an announcement came out with changes to the SAT. Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer respond to the writing section and discuss first thoughts on the news.
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Episode 13: Rainy Day Activities
It's raining outside and the kids are bored. You don't want them playing more video games and watching more movies. You are trying to find some engaging activities to keep them busy and be a little more productive. Whether you are a parent with young children at home, or it's the weekend and the...
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Episode 11: Annotating-Marking Text for Better Writing
Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer take on annotating as a way to become a better reader, thinker and writer. The conversation looks at various strategies and ideas for parents to encourage their children to notice, question and summarize what they read.
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Episode 10: Helping your Child with Research Papers
It is the season of the expository paper, specifically, the research paper for elementary students. This week, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson provide insight on helping your child understand the purpose of the research paper and instruct on specific strategies to help parents encourage their kids…
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Episode 9: Train to Write
After training for eight weeks to run a half marathon, both Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer discuss how their own training compares to the endurance of a writer. Listen in to hear how they challenged themselves on the pavement, as well as how to train your young writer to endure the distance by...
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Episode 8, Part 1: Multitasking and Academics
We want to thank our parents for always thinking about us. This past week, we received a great article on technology and multitasking while doing homework. After reading the article, Mrs. Larson and I couldn't help but talk about it with our listeners. We had so much to say, we will continue the...
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Episode 7: Fluency
Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer, Oxford Academy teachers, discuss what fluency is and how to help kids achieve it in their writing. They offer practical strategies to help all writers with fluency.
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Episode 4: Why Writing Matters
Oxford Academy teachers, Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson discuss why writing matters beyond the classroom and as a life-long skill for students.
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Episode 3: Common Core Writing
Oxford Academy teachers, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer, discuss how Common Core will change instruction and learning for students. They focus on writing instruction and the changes parents will see in their child's writing assignments.
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Episode 2: Writing in the Classroom
Oxford Academy teachers, Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Spencer, discuss how parents can support their children in school and work with the teacher on writing instruction.
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Episode 1: College Application and Personal Statements
Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson discuss how to tackle the personal statement for college admissions.
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Episode 6: Writing Tutors Vs. Small Group Instruction
Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Larson chat about the benefits of small group instruction and individual tutoring.
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Episode 5: Technology at Home and School
Writers and Teachers from Oxford Academy, Kasey Spencer and Cathy Larson discuss how technology continues to increase at home and in school. Together, they share ideas on how to engage kids at home using any device along with supporting academic success at school.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Essentials have?
Essentials currently has 30 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Essentials about?
Essentials is a podcast covering topics in education.
How often does Essentials release new episodes?
Essentials has 30 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Essentials on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Essentials?
Essentials is created and hosted by Write Away Academy.
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