5 Things Corking Writing Teachers Do

Writing was ever my toughest too to the lowest degree favorite bailiwick to teach. Anyone relate?

Don't acquire me wrong, I LOVE writing! As a immature nipper I genuinely wanted to live an author. I wrote mini chapter books too submitted my writing to immature authors competitions. I read the thesaurus for fun. Yup, I was a large ol' nerd.

Did yous view the film My Girl? I totally wanted to live inwards that summertime writing degree amongst Vada. (It doesn't wound that Mr. Bixler was pretty proficient looking.😉)

As a teacher, I chop-chop learned that liking to write too beingness a dandy writing instructor are 2 solely dissimilar things. I was NO Mr. Bixler. 

Writing is thus subjective. I mightiness dearest the way a educatee wrote a even too some other instructor mightiness shout out back that it needs important revisions. There is no i correct way to write too that makes it crazy difficult to teach.

Plus, somewhere along the occupation many students have got decided that they don't similar writing. This tin live caused yesteryear pitiful writing instruction. Boo. 

The neat affair close struggling every bit a writing instructor is that at that spot was only i direction to go. I read close teaching writing. I tried novel things. I grew every bit a teacher. And immediately I tin part my ah ha moments amongst you. 

I shout out back at that spot are 5 things that every dandy writing instructor should do. This is only my sentiment based on my ain experience, but I hope that it is helpful to you.

1. Use Mentor Text

If yous genuinely desire students to grow every bit writers, yous necessitate to present them dandy examples that they tin emulate. When students pass fourth dimension studying proficient writing, they have got a meliorate agreement of your expectations.

Mentor texts tin come upward inwards the cast of degree read alouds or fifty-fifty passages. I prefer passages because I tin allow my students underline too circle aspects of the writing that I desire them to model. 

"Underline the topic sentences inwards carmine too the lastly sentences inwards blue." 

"Circle tradition words."

You acquire the idea.

Mentor texts tin live read whole group, used inwards reading small-scale grouping didactics or fifty-fifty read independently yesteryear the students. 

I included mentor text passages inwards all of my writing units!

You tin listen to a greater extent than close how I utilisation mentor text to instruct writing inwards THIS video.

2. Model

Are yous writing stories inwards front end of your kiddos? If not, why not?!!!

During virtually every mini lessons, students should live able to picket yous write. Use the white board or nautical chart paper. Teach a lesson too thus model how to utilisation that science on your ain writing piece.

For example, yous mightiness instruct a lesson close using an interesting claw inwards their introduction. Then locomote to your writing too brainstorm a few introductions. Think out loud every bit yous pick out the introduction that is most probable to claw your audience. Let them listen your thought process. 

This helps them to have got similar conversations inwards their heed when they locomote dorsum to their seats to write.

3. Let Students Choose Writing Topics

Stop telling students what they HAVE to write about! Giving them assigned prompts (on a regular basis) is a quick way to have got away their dearest for writing. 

No i gives their all when they are non interested inwards what they are writing about. But when the topic fascinates them, students volition excitedly spot their words downwards on paper.

Also, choosing the topic for them agency that yous mightiness live missing out on that A-MAY-CRAY even that is only waiting to live written yesteryear your lilliputian author. Maybe Little Grant can't hold back to write close the fourth dimension he got lost at the zoo. It could live the coolest story, but instead he is required to write close his favorite vacation tradition (a prompt he was asigned). That topic only isn't inspiring him too thus he stares at the clock too doodles inwards his notebook.

"But Jamie, my students don't know what to write about!"

Yeah. I totally acquire it. That is why nosotros have got to instruct them how to come upward up amongst topics that involvement them. In all of my writing units, I include lessons that present students how to generate a listing of potential topics. I model these lessons too give my students the tools they necessitate to come upward up amongst a topic that gets them excited.

It is totally worth the time!

4. Conference amongst Writers

H5N1 dandy writing instructor gives her writers flexibility too choice, but she yet needs to give them feedback. The best way to give individualized feedback is to run into amongst students for writing conferences.

"WHAT? How am I supposed to have got fourth dimension for that?!"

Good question.

I won't lie. Writing conferences are difficult to check into our crazy daily schedule. But nosotros are superheroes too nosotros abide by a way to acquire inwards work.

Here are some tips:

• meet amongst writers inwards small-scale groups rather than independently
• have students read their writing outloud to the grouping thus yous don't have got to decipher handwriting 
• only have got students part i utilisation of their even at a conference (ie. the atomic number 82 or a house that they used dialogue, etc.)
• spend lots of fourth dimension preparation your writers on expectations too occupation solving thus that they do non necessitate to interrupt your conferences to inquire questions

You tin listen to a greater extent than close conducting writing conferences inwards THIS video.

5. Give Students Time to Write Daily

Writing is non something that yous only do on Fridays or only do when yous have got extra time. It takes continued do to locomote an author.

Create a degree schedule that includes at to the lowest degree xxx minutes of writing each day. Spend only 10 minutes of that fourth dimension teaching too allow your students to write for the remaining time.

Sound impossible? 

It mightiness have got been impossible if yous weren't an incredible teacher. But yous are. So yous tin do this.

Check out THIS video to larn to a greater extent than close what writing workshop is too how yous tin check it into your schedule.

Can I assistance yous to locomote the bomb diggity writing instructor that yous were meant to be? 

I have got a FREE electronic mail course of didactics that is total of tips too strategies for improving your writing instruction. Plus, yous volition have a FREE resources every day. #notjoking

Are yous create to acquire started?
Day 1: What is writing workshop? {Free calendar week of "getting started" lesson plans!}

Day 2: What should I include inwards the mini lesson? {Free anchor charts!}

Day 3: How tin I brand educatee locomote fourth dimension meaningful? {Free notebook dividers!}

Day 4: How inwards the Earth am I going to conference amongst all of my students?! {Free conference information forms!}

Day 5: How volition I ever have got fourth dimension to degree all of this writing? {Free rubrics!}

Did I cite that this entire course of didactics inwards FREE- every bit inwards no moolah necessary?! I am serious. I don't nipper close materials similar this!

These freebies are ideal for grades 2-4!

The daily lessons volition live delivered to your electronic mail box. You tin read the lesson whenever yous have got the fourth dimension too locomote through the course of didactics at your ain pace. I hope to maintain the lessons curt too sweet- spell yet jam packing them amongst useful too practical ideas!

You volition have all of the following FREE resources:

• Getting Started lesson plans (Your starting fourth dimension calendar week of writing is planned for you!)
• Anchor charts for the starting fourth dimension week. (Can yous believe that I am giving yous digital instructor versions too mini educatee versions for their notebooks?!)
• Student writing notebook dividers. (Hello, organized notebooks!)
• Conference information forms
• Rubrics

... for FREE!!!

I hope these tips, videos too the gratis course of didactics volition give yous the tools yous necessitate to live Mr. Bixler for your students!

Have a Not So Wimpy day!