Before Writing: Engage and Plan
“Develop students’ understanding that writing provides a way for them to get things done in their daily lives, including conveying information, making an argument, providing a means for self-reflection, sharing an experience, enhancing understanding of reading, or providing entertainment.” (WWC, p. 3)
Options for sharing and publishing their writing are many, but here are a few ideas:
Provide an authentic writing purpose (or prompt). Be sure to consider out-of-school connections.
Provide a few interesting books about the topic to help students build requisite knowledge.
Provide graphic organizers to support students planning and knowledge-gathering.
Provide ample time for students to talk about the topic and what they will write about, with the teacher, with a peer or a small group, or as a whole-class discussion.
Teach a mini-lesson to support use of a particular writing skill or strategy (e.g., writing a good lead, using vivid descriptions of places, characters, important events, writing a strong conclusion.)
During Writing: Guide and Provide Feedback
“Students should learn to move easily back and forth between components of the writing process, often altering their plans and revising their text along the way. Teachers can help students become effective writers by teaching a variety of strategies for carrying out each component of the writing process and supporting students in applying the strategies until they are able to do so independently.” (WWC, p. 3)
Provide sustained time for writing.
As students engage in the writing processes of planning, drafting, revising, editing, encourage them to enact strategies that support effective writing, such as:
Use their graphic organizers to help them collect and organize ideas to include in their writing.
As they draft, look back at their graphic organizers to make sure they are following their plan.
Reread their writing, to make sure they are including the information they gathered with sufficient details and in a logical order.
Share their work with others, asking for help if they are confused or “stuck” on any part of their writing.
As they revise, focus on specific words, checking to see if they can improve their writing with more precise or interesting words.
As they edit, check the types of sentences they are composing, with an eye toward making their writing engaging by including both simple and complex sentences.
Have quick (one-minute!) conferences with a few students each day during which you read “snippets” or brief sections of students’ writing and provide them “facilitative” feedback. Facilitative feedback nurtures a growth mindset, as it audits or evaluates what students have written; and it informs or instructs them on how they can do even better. Here are two examples of facilitative feedback:
Nice going. Your title is just a few words, and it draws our readers’ attention to your “big idea.” As you continue to write, make sure you are connecting ideas you write about to your big idea.
Uh oh. Your title seems a little long. Try to use just a few words to state your “big idea.” What words will draw your readers’ attention to your big idea? Try to use those words in your title.
Provide students with a Check your work! checklist to guide revision and editing.
After Writing: Provide Audiences for Student Writing
“Students may begin to see themselves as writers if they have opportunities to publish their writing. Publishing can take a variety of forms, including displaying student work prominently in the classroom. Teachers also can use publishing to extend the community beyond the classroom. Publishing student work in this manner celebrates writing and helps create a physical environment that is conducive to learning.” (WWC, p. 8)
Options for sharing and publishing their writing are many, but here are a few ideas:
Read their writing aloud to a partner, a small group, or a whole class.
Create a “zine” and distribute it to various groups of people in school or in their communities.
Create a poster or brochure and post on a class or school bulletin board or website.
Create a bound book for inclusion in the classroom library.
Produce a podcast.
Source: What Works Clearinghouse. Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers Practice Guide Summary. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide.aspx?sid=17
