To help students excel in writing, give them clear instructions instead of an empty page, get them reading, let them practice with short and varied tasks, and give each of them feedback. These 4 tips motivate students to write more, and to write better along the way.
Getting students to write is a big challenge for teachers all around the world. Children find it hard to put what is on their mind into words. As a teacher, you play a huge role in helping them excel in writing. Writing is an essential skill for every adult. Even if none of your students wants to become a novelist or a journalist, improving their writing skills is worth the effort.
Boosting your students' writing skills is not easy. The tips below help.
1. Give clear instructions
Telling students to write whatever comes to mind sounds good, but in practice it rarely works. Students start chatting among themselves, wondering what they should write about. Instead, give clear instructions on what they must write and how they should write it.
For example, tell them to describe their day in three paragraphs, using at most five adverbs. For older students, another idea is to ask them to write their social media posts with correct spelling and grammar. Many people are sloppy with spelling and grammar on social media, so your students can set a better example.
2. Get them reading
Good writers read a lot. Give your students a list of books to read, and ask them to pay attention to the style and the choice of words. Reading broadens the mind. By reading the work of different writers, students meet many different writing styles and techniques.
As an exercise, ask each student to write a short paragraph in the style of the book they have just read. Imitating a famous writer's style is a fun way to improve writing skills.
3. Practice, practice, practice
Practice is not about achieving perfection. No one is a perfect writer, and neither are your students. Practice is about getting better and beating your own best.
Practice does not always mean writing a complete story or essay. Students can write just a paragraph, or a few sentences that show the difference between me, myself, and I. You could also ask them to write a simple thank-you message to a bus driver, the school janitor, a friend, a teacher, or their parents. Let them write many kinds of short texts to sharpen their writing skills.
4. Give feedback
How will your students know they are on the right track if you stay silent? Give each student positive feedback, together with tips. This is quite a job, because each student runs into different problems along the way, but that is part of teaching. How to give effective feedback on students' writing explains how to make it count.
Most students need feedback on spelling and grammar. If correcting everyone's mistakes feels overwhelming, let students check their own texts with the Spell Checker first: it marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes and explains each one. That leaves you more time for what a spell check does not judge, such as their choice of verbs and vocabulary, their transitions, and how clear their writing is.