Monthly Archives: July 2013

Let’s Write!

pencil I have spent a very busy summer writing, writing, writing.  It has occurred to me that we as teachers do not write as much as we ask our kids to.  As I sat down to write my third article for LibrarySparks magazine, I found that it took me a bit longer than the first two.  I am wondering if maybe I don’t have writing stamina.  This got me to thinking: how much do we as teachers really write?  We write lesson plans and emails and letters to parents.  Do we really produce the kind of writing that we ask students to? Do we write stories and poems and even reports or informational texts?

 

This is what our students lack as well.  They are full of ideas, and really want to share these ideas with anyone who listen.  They just aren’t able to write cohesive, thoughtful texts for extended periods of time, as the Common Core State Standards will require.   Writing had been moved to the back burner under NCLB;  reading was tested and writing wasn’t, so we tended to focus more on what was tested.  (Sad, but true in education.)  Now, the Common Core State Standards are emphasizing writing, and rightly so.  The architects know that whatever career path our students choose, they will have to write, and write a lot.  We have to build more opportunities for writing into the school day, and we also have to help students to increase their writing stamina, so they don’t feel like they are fatigued or out of ideas.

When I was a classroom teacher and when I work with small groups of students on writing, I strived to create an example in front of my students. I use a “think aloud” so students could see my wheels turning–the writer’s angst I experienced as I decided how to phrase a certain sentence or whether to move or leave out a part.  I think that this made me a better writer and helped my students realize that the writing doesn’t just appear in my head in its final form–I had to work at it.  Just as some students don’t realize that good readers have to work at comprehension, many don’t realize that writing is a process of choices as well.

So, what can we do as teachers to hone our own writing craft and bring our students along for the writing ride?  What will help our students to improve their writing stamina?  Here are a few of my ideas:

  • Increase opportunities for writing. This means students need to write every day, and all day.
  • Ensure that students have the tools necessary for writing.
  • Provide many examples of good writing for students to read and emulate.
  • Model your own writing in front of students.
  • Encourage collaborative opportunities for students to write.
  • Be sure to teach handwriting, including pencil grip and letter formation. This will help students avoid writing fatigue.
  • Have students talk before they write.  Simply turning and telling a partner ideas before they write it down significantly increases the quantity as well as quality of students’ writing.