Teaching Writing

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unspalsh.

Teachers need to teach their students how to be effective writers so that students can communicate and share their ideas.

It can be challenging for educators to motivate their students to succeed in writing tasks. As a student, writing tasks used to be one of my least favourite assignments because I did not see them as useful or meaningful. Over the past number of years, I have gained a greater appreciation for communicating through writing. Teachers must help their students see value in the writing process from early grades.

In the Ontario Language Curriculum, the Ontario Ministry of Education shares that when students see writing activities as meaningful and creatively challenging, they will begin to have a "fuller and more lasting command of the essential skills of writing" (p. 12).

According to Gage Jeter, how teachers approach writing in the classroom impacts students' desire to write. He shares that when students see writing as something valuable in a real-world context, they become aware of the usefulness of writing

Teachers need to give students opportunities to write in real-world and meaningful contexts. When students are skilled writers, they have tools to communicate their ideas with a global community.

As teaching writing can be a daunting task for both new and experienced teachers, I want to share some resources I have found helpful for teaching writing.

Writing Portfolios

A resource that I have found important in the classroom is the creation of writing portfolios. Teachers can use portfolios to file student writing samples and track writing progress. I love portfolios because they require no technology; all a teacher needs is a folder for each student.

Once writing portfolios are set up, teachers file student writing in the portfolio. Teachers should hold regular writing portfolio check-ins with their students. I would recommend that this occur every one to two months.

Amanda Richardson recommends that every six weeks, teachers check-in with their students. Students should answer the question, what makes writing good, then choose and rate their best piece of writing. This allows students to reflect on their work (engaging in metacognition) and for teachers to help students meet writing goals that may arise.

The Ontario Language Curriculum calls for students to reflect on their use of writing strategies from grade one and up. The use of writing portfolios and frequent check-ins allows teachers to consistently meet this specific expectation with their students.

Photo by Amanda Richardson on Mrs. Ricahrdson's Class.

The Revision Process

Revision is an essential part of the writing process and an expectation of students in Ontario from grade one and beyond, according to the Language Curriculum. However, Kristine Pytash and colleagues have found that "teaching revision is often neglected".

Pytash and her team suggest that teachers use their writing as mentor texts from which to teach students about the revision process. Teachers can share a rough draft of a short narrative with their students and get them to ask questions about that text. These questions inform what needs to be edited (e.g., where might we need to add more details?). When students see their teachers as writers who also need to revise their work, they will see the value in and need for editing their written work.

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash.

Storybook Creator

Low-tech and no-tech resources are simple for all educators to implement, regardless of what access they have to technology in their school. However, when possible, integrating technology is an excellent way to engage students.

StoryJumper is an online platform that allows students to create storybooks. StoryJumper has book formats and illustrations for students to use in their books. Once a student has created their story, teachers can choose to publish student work. It is free for students to create their book on StoryJumper, but there is a cost associated with publishing the books.

In the Ontario Language Curriculum, students (from grade one and on) are expected to engage in publishing skills, including having an effective presentation of their finished product. Using a tool, like StoryJumper, to publish student work can help students increasingly see the value in final revisions and the presentation of their work.

If students have the opportunity to become a published author, I believe that their confidence for and desire to write will increase.

Photo by sis72 on StoryJumper.

When students are motivated writers, their ability to communicate in the classroom and beyond will greatly improve. Teachers have the opportunity to be a central part of this process.

Until next time!

Miss Amanda Maier