How to Get Students Excited about Writing...Again!

Most of us have made it half way through the school year by now. Yippee! But how many of you have noticed your students becoming bored with writing? Is it topics? Was it because they (and us) needed a break?

Whatever the reason, January is a wonderful time to get that spark back in their fires and finish out the year strong! How do you get students excited about writing...again?

1. Choices: Students want choices. I know journal writing is probably the best way to incorporate this idea. Have "free write" days where the students decided what they want to write. I know this is the day I usually read the most creative writings.

2. Round-Robin Writing: As the teacher, write a title at the top of a blank sheet of notebook paper. If you want, you can even write the first sentence, too. Pass the paper to a student (you can start it anywhere in your classroom). Have that student write a sentence either about the title, like a first liner, or a second sentence following your first sentence. Then that student passes it to the person behind him/her. Each student adds something to the story until everyone had the opportunity to write a sentence. If it is working smoothly, you can go two or three rounds until you have a full-blown story. After the story is written, read it aloud to the class. They will love it, and it is usually funny to see the direction the story turns...it is most likely to be very funny.

3. Writing Pals: Group students in pairs. You can randomly select the groups, or you can even let the students choose their writing pals. Have students work in partners to complete a writing activity. They will enjoy getting to work with a pal while writing, especially struggling writers. Have the pals trade their writings with another set of pals to revise.

I have a January Writing Bundle that you can use to incorporate both journal writing and essay writing into your classroom. It contains 20 journal prompts, and they come is two formats. Also included are three essay prompts (informational, argumentative, and narrative). They come complete with topic pages, writing papers, and a scoring rubric. Below is an example of one of the essay topics.

Also, before I forget, I have started another blog...this one is personal. It is called It's Okay, Mom!, and I would love to have you stop by and take a look. It is new, as it launched on January 1st! I am very excited about it because I will be sharing real life stories with you about how our little family lives, budgets, saves, and live each day to the fullest. There are some very cool posts that are already scheduled, so if you like to learn about budgeting tips, making every penny work for you, getting crafty, or cooking up a feast, this blog is for you. I hope you will check it out, follow, and come along on this exciting adventure with me.

IT'S OKAY, MOM!