Best Practices — K-5th- ADD ARTICLES HERE

3 Meaningful Ways to Get Students to Write about Reading

Connect reading and writing with meaningful activities that will help students grow as readers and flourish as writers with these easy to implement daily writing about reading ideas.

Best Practices, Writing Assignments, Writing Workshopjeanine schneiderOctober 22, 2020write about reading, writing strategies, writing lessonComment

Beat Writer's Block: A Brainstorming Bonanza

To me, learning how to brainstorm is a critical skill to advance the writing process. Students genuinely need direct instruction and allocated time to practice how to brainstorm. Without teaching this skill, students are likely to deem it fruitless, skip to outlining, and eventually find themselves in a writing rut.

Best Practices, The Writing Process, Writing Mini-lessonsGuest UserSeptember 10, 2019writer's block, writing process Comment

Step-by-Step: Tackling the Writing Process

Teaching the writing process to early writers can be challenging. Read along to find helpful strategies and ways to hold your students accountable when it comes to taking ownership of the writing process with fidelity!

Best Practices, Editing and Revision, The Writing ProcessGuest UserAugust 27, 2019writers workshop, writing process, beginning of the yearComment

Top 5 Questions to Help Troubleshoot Your Writing Workshop

It’s that time of year where things are finally starting to click. The procedures have been modeled and practiced, the writing tools have been introduced, and the writing stamina is starting to grow.

Best Practices, FREEBIES, Writing Mini-lessonsGuest UserOctober 18, 2018writing tips, writing workshop, writing in elementary, writing centerComment

4 Activities to Support Creative Writing

During writer’s workshop, I do not deviate from the standards I am responsible for teaching. Here’s where my conflict arises: I want my young writers to experience writing in a fun, free, engaging and enjoyable way; I want them to let loose, relax, smile, and laugh! I will describe four activities I always have available for my students to help them tap into their creative side.

Technology & Writing, Writing Workshop, FREEBIES, Best PracticesGuest UserAugust 23, 2018creative writing, writing, writing workshop, writing center, writing activities, writers workshop, creativeComment

Narrative Writing Mini-Lesson: Narrow Focus

A HUGE mistake I see many Elementary writers make is trying to write a story about a topic that’s too broad. Instead of focusing on a small slice or seed of the story, they try to cover EVERYTHING that happened from when they woke up to when they went to bed. Here is a mini-lesson that will help your students narrow their focus to a specific event.

5 Writing Resources to Get You Ready for Back to School

It’s that time again. You know what I’m talking about. Everywhere you go, you see school supplies on sale. Dollar bins overflowing with markers, scissors, and notebooks. It can only mean one thing… Back-to-school time!

Best Practices, Writing WorkshopGuest UserJuly 26, 2018back to school, back-to-school, Back to School Writing, beginning of the yearComment

Interactive Writing Notebooks: Creating a "Space-Saving" Reference Section

Including a reference section in student writing notebooks is essential! Read to learn more about ways to set up the resource reference section and to gain suggestions on types of resources to include. Students will become more independent writers when writing skills and strategies are at their fingertips!

Get Started With Writing Warm-Ups

Looking to improve students attitudes toward writing? I will show you how to get started with writing warm-ups in your elementary classroom.

Philosophies on Writing, FREEBIES, Best PracticesGuest UserJune 7, 2018elementary, elementary writing, writing in elementary, writing warm-up, writing activity, writing tips, writing support, Writing block, writing endurance, writing fluency, back to school, back-to-school, Back to School WritingComment

Help Your Students A.C.E. Response to Text Writing

In order for students to learn to effectively write responses to text, we must teach them how to cite evidence and explain it. Here is an easy formula to teach students how to write an effective response to text.

Best Practices, Writing Mini-lessons, FREEBIESGuest UserMay 8, 2018elementary writing, writing in elementary, elementary, third grade writing, second grade writing, fourth grade writing, fifth grade writing, sixth grade writing, writing activity, writing practice, response to text, responding to text Comment

Student Collaboration Strategies for Writing Workshop

When the classroom expectation is that students will be collaborating about their writing and sharing what they wrote with others, they begin to take ownership in their written pieces. Learning how to effectively collaborate is a skill that must be explicitly taught, practiced, and then practiced some more!

FREEBIES, Best Practicesjeanine schneiderMarch 22, 2018writing workshop, collaborative writing, writing conference, freebie, anchor chart, writing lessonComment

Writing Engaging Leads for Narrative Writing

Grabbing and holding the reader's’ attention is what makes or breaks a story. I don’t know any teachers who get excited to read 30 narratives that begin with the same boring opener. I have taught 2nd - 6th grade and I expect more from my students. The lead is an important element of the story and should take effort and thought.

3 Ways to Motivate Writers: An Exclusive Interview with Teaching in Room 6

Stephanie Moorman from Teaching in Room 6 has been inspiring teachers and supporting student writers for two decades now. She has graciously agreed to share her best tips for motivating students to write here on teachwriting.org! Read this post to find out what Stephanie has to say about motivating students to write.

Best Practices, Philosophies on Writing, The Writing Process, Writing WorkshopAmanda WernerNovember 14, 2017elementary writing, elementary, writing process, writing structure, writing workshop Comment

Writing in the Elementary Classroom: An Interview with the Teacher Next Door

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Jenn Larson, also known as The Teacher Next Door, about her top tips for implementing a writing workshop in elementary and the relationship between reading and writing. Jenn has been teaching for over 20 years, and over the course of her career, she has developed strategies to help students produce their best pieces of writing and to help teachers navigate writing workshop.

Graphic Organizers vs. Creative Writing- Why Students Need Both to Improve Writing

I love graphic organizers. There is something about the organization and structure they provide. With regards to writing, there is often some debate about whether or not graphic organizers are appropriate for elementary school children. Some educators believe that writing should be totally creative and free flowing. However others believe students need support and structure with writing. In order to be successful writers, I believe students need exposure to both.

Best Practices, Philosophies on Writing, The Writing Process, Writing WorkshopGuest UserOctober 26, 2017writing tips, writing strategies, writing support, elementary writing, writing in elementary, 3rd grade writing, 2nd grade writing, 4th grade writing, graphic organizers, creative writingComment

Peer Writing in an Elementary Classroom

During the last couple years, I started to embrace collaborative peer writing strategies. You know the old saying, "Two heads are better than one?" Why should it be any different with writing? With a collaborative, peer writing culture in the classroom, students inspire each other, become exemplars, generate dynamic ideas, increase confidence, and become critical observers.

Best Practices, The Writing Process, Writing WorkshopGuest UserAugust 15, 2017peer writing, peer review, elementary writing, writing, writing tips, writing strategies, writing workshop, writers workshop, peer editing, collaborative writing, classroom culture, writing process, the writing processComment

Essential Elements for Setting Up an Elementary Writing Workshop

Back to school. A fresh start. A new year. Oh, the possibilities! In this post, I'll share some of my tips for setting up a writing block in elementary school.

Let’s get this year started right…with writing!

Best Practices, The Writing Process, Writing WorkshopGuest UserJuly 21, 2017Writing block, back to school, back-to-school, writing, writing strategies, writing tips, writing workshop, writers workshop, writing structure, writing warm-upComment

12 Strategies to Support Struggling Writers in Elementary

Just like our students, not all struggling writers are the same. Some students struggle with writing because they are stuck for ideas. You know the kid…the one who proclaims, “I don’t know what to write,” then shrugs and stares blankly at you. Those are also often the students getting up to get another drink of water and staring at a blank page. These students struggle with getting started and knowing what to write about.

Best PracticesGuest UserJune 21, 2017writing strategies, writing tips, writing, writing support, struggling writers, elementary writing, writing in elementary Comment