Tip #1: Provide resources for your students to use when writing
Many students don't enjoy writing because of low confidence in their writing abilities. Students who are poor spellers are more hesitant to write. They are either afraid you aren't going to be able to read and understand their writing or simply have a fear of spelling words wrong. By providing resources, you are helping set your students up for success.
Some of my favorite resources to provide students are:
- Word Lists by Panicked Teacher [over 10 different word lists to help your students add details to their writing]
- Individual Word Wall [Students can keep their individual word walls at their seat and can add in words as the year goes. This will help students remember how to spell those tricky new words.]
- Free FRY Word List [keep these handy for students who forget how to spell common words]
Tip #2: PEN PALS
Did you have pen pals growing up? I remember having multiple pen pals! We actually had a school wide postal service run by the 5th graders at my elementary school. We could write letters to other students around campus and 5th graders would pick up the mail in the morning and deliver it within the week. This particular idea is definitely more time consuming to set up school wide, but you could definitely find a class to be pen pals with your students.
The best way I have found is by posting on social media. Try sending out a tweet or posting on a teacher forum asking for pen pals. Teachers across the country are loving this idea and I guarantee you will find a pen pal class within 24 hours. If you are still struggling, post in the comments. I'll help you out.
Tip #3: Allow students to decide what to write about
There is a time and place for required writing prompts. I found the best writing from my students came when I gave them flexibility and freedom in their choice of topic. I also found that when I said "you can write about anything you want," I had a few students who would say "but I don't know what to write!" I'm sure you can think of some of these kids in your head right now.
In 2012 I created one of my best selling products on Teachers Pay Teacher for this exact reason. I wanted students to have flexibility in their writing but I also didn't want any excused for why their page was blank. Enter 120 Writing Prompts.
I used an old baby formula can and modge-podged scrapbooking paper over the outside. I created a cute little label (available in the download) and modge-podged it on on the front. All of the writing prompts (120) were printed, cut, and laminated. Whenever my students needed an idea for a writing topic, they were able to go choose a card.
It didn't take long for me to realize some students were wasting time and just reading all the prompts. I set a rule that allowed them to pull out 5 prompts then they had to pick their favorite from the 5 to write about. This gave them no excuse to be over the writing jar for extended periods of time.
You can find these writing prompts HERE
Tip #4: Display student writing
This one is a no-brainer. Students, for the most part, love to be on display! Students want to know that their work they did mattered and you are proud of it. If students know their work is going to be hung up, they are more likely to put in the extra effort to make it great. Once all the writing is displayed, students will enjoy being able to read their classmates writing.
Here are some of my favorite writing displays I found on Pinterest:
[found on Pinterest, but original photo from: Rundes Room]
[Found on Pinterest, linked to this Buzz Feed, anyone know the original source??]
[from Lessons with Laughter - super simple set up. Glue black paper and clothespins to the wall to easily change out student work throughout the year]
Tip #5: STICKERS!
Okay, let me explain. Students absolutely love stickers. We all know this. Why not let them incorporate stickers into their writing? I used to keep a tub of random stickers near my writing station. Students could pick up up to FIVE stickers and put them on the top of the paper. Their goal was to write a creative story incorporating the stickers. If the stickers were holiday themed, the student would write a story that took place during that holiday. If they were smiley faces, the student wrote a story incorporating that type of emotion. I usually limited the amount of word stickers a child could pick, because they tend to be very vague words (like great or wonderful).
If you need a variety of stickers, check out Amazon. They usually always have good deals. Here are some of my favorites (affiliate links)
What are some of your favorite ways to make writing fun? Leave a tip in the comments. I'd love to hear you ideas!
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