8 Ways to Get Your Students Writing

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Teaching writing, as I mentioned in my post last fall about the systems I use with my student writers, is probably the hardest subject there is to teach. And I am without a doubt NOT an expert on how to teach writing. Writing is so subjective. The reader’s opinion is the determining factor as to whether or not the writing is any good. And while there are definitely benchmarks we can use to help guide our way, the subjective nature of it is what makes it so hard to model, explain, and teach.

Another aspect that makes teaching writing so challenging is the dreaded “student moan of death”. Please tell me that you know what I’m talking about. It happens whenever you say, “it’s time for writing workshop,” and at least three separate students moan or whine in chorus, because they dislike writing so much. Writing takes too much thinking, too much time, and they just have not built the confidence or the stamina to write for more than half a sentence.

However, I’m here to tell you that all hope is not lost. Here are ten ways to get your students writing without the “student moan of death”.

Start a Dear Mrs., Ms., Miss, or Mr. Journal

I’ve done a form of this pretty much every year that I’ve taught writing, but last year I made dedicated journals. This year, I’ve implemented Daily 5, so it has become a part of our “Work on Writing” time. The concept is very simple – have your students write a letter to you each week. This can be done in a journal or on a separate piece of paper. You can use whatever system works best for you.

Students can write to me as many times a week as they want, but the goal is to write at least once. They are not only practicing writing, itself, but becoming familiarized with how letters are formatted, and many times are able to use this activity as a way to express emotions and thoughts and feelings they may not be comfortable expressing otherwise.

Slip Writing In (Without Them Even Noticing!)

Write in every single subject. Let me say that again: every. single. subject. Incorporate writing into your reading lessons, your science lessons, your social studies lessons, even your math lessons. How in the world are my kids going to write about math, you ask?

Students can reflect on their learning through the written word no matter what the subject matter.

Math: “Explain to me in your math journal how you arrived at the quotient of 4 in that problem.”

Science: “Make a prediction in your science journal about what will happen when I add this vinegar to the baking soda.”

Social Studies: “Share your opinion as to whether or not The Boston Tea Party was a good way for the Americans to stick it to the British.” Oh my gosh, don’t really put it like that, y’all.

Reading: “What makes Jenny an unlikeable character? Reflect on that in your reading notebook.”

Make It a Center

There are so so so many ways to turn writing into a fun and engaging center. Photo prompts are one way to get kids thinking and writing about what a picture shows and how it makes them feel.

If room allows, set up a writing station with different kinds of fancy writing paper, colorful pens, and stickers. Set clear expectations for what students are to do with those materials and let them write away.

Let Them Type!

Two things I have learned about my students during this pandemic year (plus) – they love typing and they need lots of practice typing. Not only will this get many students excited to write, but it will give them much needed practice using a keyboard.

One of my sweet virtual students this year even told me that it is so much easier for her to type out her thoughts rather than write them. Try it out with your in person students too, if you have them. I’m willing to be you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much more productive they are when writing a composition on a device vs. the same old paper and pencil.

On a side note, check out typingclub.com. It’s a free web based program that teaches students keyboarding skills.

Make It a Game

Write silly sentences on the board. Have students see who can make the sentence even sillier while still making some sort of sense.

Model a paragraph or even just a sentence and challenge students to change one sentence in the paragraph (or one word in the sentence) and completely change the meaning of what is being said.

Publish a Book

There are companies out there who will send you a free classroom book, beautifully bound and published, featuring your students own writing and illustrations. In fact, on the very day I am typing this, we just received our classroom book and it’s gorgeous! The kids did such a great job and it honestly looks even better in print than it did on the original copies. They were so excited to see it.

Even if you choose not to go that route, you can still publish your own classroom book. I know of teachers who publish multiple classroom books each school year on a variety of topics. The books are housed in their class libraries for future classes to read and enjoy.

Pen Pals

Last year, another teacher organized pen pals for her class and mine. The kids absolutely loved it. Every couple of weeks, they’d get a new letter. They couldn’t wait to tear them open and read them. The added benefit was that the students knew that the sooner they wrote back, the sooner they’d get the next letter.

A note of caution: make sure you at least skim your students’ letters before sending them. This is important in order to check not only for anything that could be inappropriate, but also to make sure the letters are readable and make sense. Students can do a quick edit to fix any glaring problems. Additionally, be aware of what the students on the other end are writing to your students.

Journal Prompts

Giving your students a head start on what to write about is a great way to get them excited to write. Our principal asks a question of the day each morning during our announcements. Students can discuss the question orally before writing about it in their journals.

If you are looking for a great way to prime your students’ thinking for journal writing time, I have a solution for that! I have Creative Writing Prompts for every single month of the year in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. What’s more – they are available in both print and digital versions! Want to check it out for free? Keep reading!

In Closing…

I will never stop thinking that teaching writing is challenging. However, find ways to get my kids excited about writing has definitely helped make writing time go much more smoothly in my classroom.

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Want a free sample of all TWELVE of my Creative Writing Prompts resources in both printable and digital formats? Sign up below and I will send it your way!

I will see you again (virtually!) soon!

Deedee