One of the essential questions of teaching is how can you get your students excited about writing? Research shows that the more students write, the better they become at it. For example, it costs taxpayers $250 million annually in extra training and oversight to address the writing deficiencies of government employees. April 10th is National Young Writers Day, which is a perfect time for you to take some time to encourage your students that writing can be fun. We’ve gathered some great tips you can bring to your classroom to get students writing today.
Provide Choice
This is arguably the most important strategy to encourage writing in your classroom. Provide students with writing prompts that are appropriate for their age group. If they have control over what they write, they will be more willing to write.
Make it Personal
One way to make writing personal is to have students come up with a list of topics that are important to them. You can also ask students to write autobiographies, fiction based on their or their families’ lives, or short stories that mix fact and fiction.
Let the Students Talk Before and During Writing
As you know, it’s not hard to get many of your students talking. Channel their talking into conversations about their writing prompts. They can give each other constructive criticism and new topics to explore.
Sharing What They Write
If students know what they write will be shared with their peers, they will most likely take more pride in their work. Set aside class time dedicated to hearing each other’s stories. You can also “publish” a classroom book with your students’ work.
You're Just the Editor
Give students the choice of what to write about whenever possible. When you give them suggestions or revisions, let them know that it is ultimately their decision whether they apply your suggestions. Come up with revisions together so that the student has control over their writing.
Get Published
One of the advantages of the internet is the ease in which students can share their work to the whole world! Help your students get their writing published. This could be a great final project that students will be excited to share with their friends and family.
Free Typing Games
One of the most important 21st century skills in writing is the ability to type. Even though most students own a computer and are around keyboards all the time, students are used to typing on smart phones. Use free typing games to teach your students to type accurately so that their papers don’t take an excessive amount of time to type out.
We hope these simple ideas foster a culture of writing and creativity in your classroom. The ability to write is integral to success in the 21st Century workplace. Writing plays an essential role in personal, public, civic, working, and recreational areas of life. For more ways to encourage students in your classroom, check out our online courses that focus on literacy practices.
CE Credits Online has been providing online professional development courses to teachers in NYC, LAUSD, and across the country for almost 20 years.