The Common Core has propelled what the National Commission on Writing has been trying to do for years: move writing instruction to the forefront.  Way back in 2003, the National Commission on Writing released “The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution.  It prescribed sweeping changes to the way we do writing, suggesting it should be a centerpiece to the curriculum. Flash forward to 2010; Common Core State Standards are the biggest buzz, and they feature writing, front and center.  Because these standards are rooted in College & Career Readiness, they sound the alarm for high quality writing instruction.

Why sound the writing alarm?

• More than 50% of first year college students are unable to produce papers relatively free from errors.
• On the National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP)—more than 70% of students in grades 8-12 cannot write at a proficient level.
• Half the responding companies report that they take writing into consideration when hiring professional employees.
• Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility.
• Writing tests during hiring are becoming more commonplace (80% in some job areas).
• Half of all companies take writing into account when making promotion decisions.

 How should writing instruction change?

• Teach writing for an hour (or more) a day. In Common Core, writing receives equal billing with reading. That means we as teachers need to spend a lot more time on writing instruction than we have in the past.  Long ago, when we used a “balanced literacy” model for instruction and administered performance based assessments to our students, they could write.  We wrote all the time, and it showed in their products.  When No Child Left Behind came along, we abandoned writing (because it was no longer on the state assessment).  In fact, students could receive a proficient score without ever writing a single word.  Today, our students’ writing skills reflect that [lack of] instruction. In order for students to be college and career ready, they must be strong writers.
• Model, think aloud, & guide.  In Pathways to the Common Core, Lucy Calkins reiterated the sentiment from the National Commission on Writing:  We all must own teaching writing.  Every teacher must show students how to write, using think-alouds as we create our own (perhaps not so perfect) pieces and mentor texts of real authors whose style we want to emulate. We must guide young writers through specific, diagnostic mini-lessons and positive feedback.
• Writing offers the biggest “bang for your buck.” It is the single best thing you can do to move students and teachers toward meeting CCSS. Because new assessments will include a huge amount of writing, improving student’s writing skills will have a reciprocal effect.  Reading will be assessed in part through writing. In addition to that, here’s a sneaky thing that teachers have discovered: teaching writing actually helps improve writing. Through reading and rereading their own and peers’ writing as well as closely reading mentor texts, students are becoming more analytical in their reading.  Sound familiar, like Common Core Anchor Standard 1?
• Take advantage of the reciprocal nature of reading & writing. Here is a sneaky fact that teachers who have boosted the time commitment for writing have discovered: students’ reading has also improved.  Three key methods were identified by the Writing to Read report. These include 1) have students write about what they read; 2) explicitly teach skills and craft moves of good writers; and 3) have students write a lot.
• Write across the content areas.  Students have to write all day if they want to improve.  However, don’t mistake the writing done in Science and Social Studies for writing instruction.  Instruction must include explicit modeling and guidance in techniques and methods.  If you are simply assigning writing in the content areas, that isn’t the same.

For the research nerds like me, here is more information:

The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution
Writing: A Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out
Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading

So, you have a bag of tricks, but you still want to know ways to get students to love writing. What do you do?  Here are my top ten tips for motivating writers.

Top Ten Tips

10. Draw, then write to activate the creative right side of the brain.

Allow students to sketch quickly before they begin writing.  This gets their pencils moving while thinking about what they want to say. It also helps activate the creative portions of the brain so they have something to write about.

9. Explicitly connect writing to the real-world; tell students why skills are important.

Students need to know why they have to learn skills; making it relevant helps them to know that they have to pay attention.  A quick explanation at the beginning of a lesson is all you need: “You are learning how to write on demand because most of the writing we do as adults is done quickly to turn into our bosses, and we don’t have a lot of time to edit or rewrite.”

8. Don’t  bleed all over their papers. Require a limited number of changes and occasionally enlist an “assistant.”

Yes, some students make a lot of errors in their writing.  They misspell tons of words, and have a single punctuation mark on an entire page.  But, pointing out every single error is not helpful. In fact, it can serve to defeat students, making them feel like they can’t do anything right. Pick one or two things to point out and have students to work on.

7. Share lots of examples of good writing.

Mentor texts are a very powerful tool.  Show students a strong example of something, such as great introduction or use of description words, and model explicitly how you would use that same technique in your own writing.  Explicitly say to students, “Look what this author did right here.  I am going to try that in my own writing.  When you write, you may want to try this too.”

For great ideas for mentor texts, check out Ralph Fletcher’s books on Craft Lessons or Marcie Flinchum Atkins’s webpage.

6. Break it down into manageable chunks.

Writing an entire story or essay can be overwhelming for some students.  Try breaking it down into smaller pieces: write the introduction or hook, and then guide students in writing theirs.  (Students who get done quickly could work on free-writing while waiting for you to model the next part.)

5. Tap into technology: dictation, typing, or even apps are appealing.

Kids love technology; why not capitalize on that and use technology to have students produce or enhance their writing?  Students could use a Neo 2 (formerly called an AlphaSmart) or personal keyboards, tablets, or dictation software such as Dragon ® to produce writing.  Other programs could be used to publish or illustrate writing.

4. Find fun tools: gel pens, scrapbook paper, etc.

Do you have a special writing tool that you like to use?  A particular pen or perhaps a mechanical pencil? Do you like writing in a certain notebook?  Kids have preferences too!  Let them write with some fun pens or pencils to encourage them to write more.  Another idea is to allow students to revise in pen; this can motivate them to actually revise. Either way, the utensil and paper don’t really matter; all that matters is getting kids to write.

3. Capitalize on collaboration. Let them talk!

Collaboration is a very powerful strategy for writing and beyond.  Encourage students to orally rehearse what they are going to write about.  This cements their ideas, and also allows them to play with different ways to word things before committing to paper. Students could also collaborate on products–working together to practice applying a skill from a mini-lesson or to write a story.

2. Topics Matter. Offer choice of things that interest students.

Yes, students have to write about the Revolutionary War, and about other topics that you assign to them.  But, in order for students to find their true, inner writers, they must write about what they are passionate about.  This may be Minecraft, hunting, or another story about Fluffy the hamster.  When students select their topics, it allows them to explore writing techniques in a genre and subject with which they are familiar.

1. Celebrate success!! Hold an authors’ party complete with awards.

This is a great way to make everyone in your class feel like a bonafide writer.  Students could publish their works on the computer, or your could enlist one of many programs such as Student Treasures to make their writing look professional.  Make the celebration a big event; invite parents and the principal, and have students read selections aloud.  For an added touch, give each student an award. I used to give gold seals that I called “Burke-decots.”  Everyone got a different award: best illustrations, funniest, best dialogue, and so on.

Some of these tips are techniques mentioned in Writing Next, A Report to the Carnegie Foundation, about methods that have been proven by research to improve students’ writing.  See the full report here.