The new school year is upon us, a time filled with anticipation, excitement, and a very long to-do list. A quote from Benjamin Franklin always comes to mind in August: By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful year of writing instruction, resulting in your students becoming confident, strong writers.
Tip #1
Plan a time in your schedule for writing instruction. At Write Now – Right Now, we recommend primary teachers plan direct writing instruction for 20-25 minutes a day, 4 days a week. Intermediate teachers should extend that time to 35-40 minutes a day, 4 days a week. This instructional time should be spent teaching, modeling, practicing, sharing, and fine-tuning writing skills. Additional practice of skills takes place in other curricular areas, such as Science and Social Studies.
Tip #2
Create a collaborative and supportive classroom community. Writing does not take place in a silent vacuum. Teach your students how to actively listen to one another. Compliments need to be specific: My ears perked up at the words you chose to describe the sluggish turtle. Critiques should be given in a respectful manner. I noticed you did not support your first big ideas with any details.
Tip #3
Build an organization system that works for you and your students. As students are learning and practicing new skills, they need to collect their work to use during the next step of the writing process. For example, students will practice planning to a variety of prompts and will need to collect those plans. Later, they will use the plans to practice writing topic sentences. Composition books, spirals, and three -ring notebooks all work well. Reach out to us if you’d like further organization tips. Darlene-and-terry@writenow-rightnow.com
Tip #4
Teach skills in a sequential manner. Too often, we expect students to create a product before they understand the process and skills necessary to be successful. Students need to be taught necessary skills before they can complete writing tasks. For example, students must be able to write a complete sentence, read a prompt, and organize thoughts before they are asked to write an essay.
Tip #5
Provide feedback on the go! Every time a student practices something incorrectly, that incorrect practice becomes a habit. As students are working, continually circulate the room, providing feedback in real time. Students should frequently be hearing good writing, sharing their own writing, and listening to feedback on their writing.
Direct writing instruction is essential for all elementary students, no matter their age. Research continually points away from the “just let them write” philosophy and recommends the use of direct instruction in the classroom. Taking the time to plan the writing instruction in your classroom, and making it a priority, prepares you and your students to succeed in this important curricular area. For more information on the research, click here. http://www.writenow-rightnow.com/research
Happy Writing!