Snapshot: Writing
Grade Level: 9 - 12

The Writing is on the Wall

Ever have difficulty with motivating your students to write? Here are my tips to make the task a little easier on both yourself and your students.

1. When assigning a descriptive writing lesson, have students illustrate the subject first. This helps them build upon prior knowledge.

2. Provide a simple rubric. It's important to let them know the precise expectations of the assignment.

3. Create a vocabulary list for your students to use in their writing. Teach the meanings of the words in a brief mini-lesson prior to the writing lesson.

4. For students who have difficulty, provide a template for the first few writing assignments to help them understand the objectives.

5. Allow your students to use the peer-editing process. They might not catch all the mistakes, but it will save you time when grading those papers.

6. Provide your own writing model to increase motivation. For example, when assigning longer essays, read an essay written by you.

7. Choice is key! Let students choose their own topics that they can relate to when possible.

8. Post all complete work on your bulletin boards. Giving students a sense of pride supports all your instruction.