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In shared writing, the teacher and students compose text together, with both contributing their thoughts and ideas to the process, while the teacher acts as scribe, writing the text as it is composed.

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Primary

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Shared Daily Writing where teachers and students compose a text where they show how to select topics, draft, revise, and editing there text.

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Kindergarten

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I haven't written about writing in awhile... where does the time go?

Writer's workshop is alive and well in my classroom. We have been busy writing "How-to's" and "All About Books" over the last few months. Here's a glimpse of what has been going on.

We are really working on making our writing readable! The finger space is sort of a big deal!

Writing time is sacred. Very little gets in the way. When we have to cut it out for some reason... the littles in my room complain. I would venture to say that we LOVE WRITER'S WORKSHOP!

We usually start out with some modeled writing. Yes! This really happened! AND I am pretty sure that is what my face looked like. My hair was probably just straight up!

On this day, we worked on mechanics. Normally, mechanics are embedded in each lesson, but on this day, my lessons were explicit. I am trying to get those capital letters out of the middle of the text. They did a great job of correcting my mistakes!

We also worked on re-evaluating our writing goals. Letting students select their own writing goal is POWERFUL! You can grab this FREE chart at the end of this post.

Here is a student sample from about 4 weeks ago.

This student goes to the stamping station to work because he does better when he can write on his own.

You can probably tell that we talked a lot about transition words.

I play instrumental music through Pandora! It is quiet and calming!

Sharing is so important. It is time well spent! Those students who had a writing conference shares to the whole class, but then EVERYONE shares with their partner.

This stand is great for showing someone's work to the entire classroom. I put an iPad in it and link the camera to my classroom projector. You can find them HERE.

People ask me how I lead students into loving writer's workshop and writing independently. We have spelled it out for you for the ENTIRE year. Step-by-step lessons are provided. These are great if you are new to writer's workshop or if you are wanting a little more structure. If you are more familiar with the writer's workshop format, these are a great supplement to your current program or lessons.

WANTING MORE ON WRITING?

Since I LOVE talking about writing, I have a few (dozen) blog posts about writing.

LOOKING FOR PRINT AND TEACH WRITING LESSONS?

Deanna Jump and I have created simple, yet powerful daily lesson plans to teach writers workshop. We have taken the guesswork out of your instruction.

Each unit is carefully planned out.

And it walks you through each day's lesson.

You can shop our writing curriculum below:

How is writing going in your room?

FREE File

Grab the free goal setting chart in this big curriculum download.

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Here is a glimpse at emergent writers workshop in February.

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I haven't written about writing in awhile... where does the time go? Writer's workshop is alive and well in my classroom. We have been busy writing "How-to's" and "All About Books" over the last few months. Here's a glimpse of what has been going on. We are really working on making our writing readable!

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For many learners, writing is their least favorite subject. Today, I'm sharing 25 of my favorite ways to make writing fun {yes, and even a little handwriting fun is mixed in, too}.

*This post contains affiliate links.

25 Ways to Make Writing FUN!

1- Read rich literature of all genres to your child. Talk about how the author used this "fancy" word instead of a "boring" word. Point out the climax of the story and how the author resolved the problem. Help your child see that they can piggyback on or use these ideas in their own writing.

2- Give them the freedom to just write/draw without over-correcting spellings, letter formation, etc. There will be times when these things are important and need to be corrected, but sometimes kids just need a "judgment-free" zone.

3- Let them write about things that interest them. So what if he just wrote his 5th book on playing soccer? At least he's writing! If his written works all start sounding the same, suggest that he write about the rules of soccer, how his team won their last game, or even a soccer poem.

4- Provide resources, such as a sight word folder, a book you've just read together, labels around your house, sight word cards, or a kids' spelling dictionary. You can find TONS of fun and hands-on spelling ideas and resources right here on my blog!

5- Write for authentic purposes (letters, thank you cards, pen pals, a grocery list, etc.). And while they're writing those letters, it's the perfect time to teach them the conventions.

6- Allow them to use invented spelling in a developmentally appropriate way. {The key to this is to hold them accountable for what they know.}

7- Not every misspelling or incorrect convention has to become a "teachable moment" or mini lesson. Sometimes kids just want someone to encourage their creativity, not nit-pick their every mistake. Ouch.

8- Treat them as a "real" author by putting the books they've written on the bookshelf to be read, right along with all your other books. One of the goals of Preschool & Kindergarten Writing Lessons as well as Simple Writing Lessons for Primary Grades was to give you practical lessons for teaching writing in this manner.

The Measured Mom's Writing Workshop Pack is also a fantastic resource for the classroom OR at home!

If you're looking for a full-blown writing curriculum that teaches writing this way, check out WriteShop!

9- Give them an audience for their writing. Find ways for them to share what they've written. Often times writers are frustrated because they do not have someone to write TO. Kids need an audience. A reader. Someone who will respond to their creation, ask questions, or comment. Give them feedback.

That audience or reader can make writing more authentic and much more meaningful to young writers. This is why I think letters to others are a great tool. There's a built-in audience just by nature of writing a letter.

10- Don't overuse it! Kids don't need to write a summary, fill out a worksheet, or answer questions in a Reading Response Journal every time they've read a text. These things are good things in moderation, but sometimes a simple discussion between the two of you will suffice. This is true for every child, but especially struggling readers.

11- Organize your home for writing or provide some fun writing manipulatives {see the list of fun writing tools below}

12- Create a writer's toolbox for your child. This makes for a GREAT birthday present!

13- Provide writing prompts {with limits}. I'm not a huge advocate of writing prompts, but I think creative writing prompts can spark an idea sometimes. If you're looking for some creative prompts for K-2nd grades, I have some for every month of the year.

Make Writing Fun with Writing Tools

These are some of our tried and true writing tools. We have had most of these in our home for 10+ years and they're still going strong!

By the way, all of these make GREAT gifts for kids!

14- Magna Doodle is mess free and the "pen" can't get lost! Woohoo! We also have a portable Magna Doodle that's a better size for the car.
15 - Boogie Board - a great alternative to the Magna Doodle and GREAT for school-age kids. {Fun for practicing spelling words, too!}

21- Crayola makes awesome markers and crayons for glass surfaces {we've used ours on the windows in the house as well as mirrors}.

22- dry erase boards and markers- you can buy some or make your own with shower boards {found at your local hardware store}, Crayola makes washable dry erase markers

23- highlighters - kids of all ages {even 5th graders} like to use highlighters!

24- Work mazes and puzzles. We took our Puzzle Buzz Magazine, pulled them apart, and made a puzzle/maze book that young kiddos have enjoyed over and over again. Just slip the pages into plastic sleeve protectors, place in a notebook, and use dry erase marker. So easy!

Use a simple writing "desk". I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our 25-collapsible lap desks. Each of my kiddos has one. They are sturdy, have storage inside, and fold up to store easily. Plus we can take writing anywhere because it travels well!

What are some of your favorite ways to make writing fun? Share your ideas in the comments!

Follow This Reading Mama's board Writing Ideas for Kids on Pinterest.

Enjoy writing!
~Becky

*First image from Adobe Stock.
*Font by KG Fonts.

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25 Ways to Make Writing Fun - This Reading Mama

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For many learners, writing is their least favorite subject. Today, I'm sharing 25 of my favorite ways to make writing fun {yes, and even a little handwriting fun is mixed in, too}. *This post contains affiliate links. 1- Read rich literature of all genres to your child.

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Kindergarten

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Kindergarten Interactive Writing Day Two

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Classroom Management Strategies To Take Control Of Noisy Students

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writing essays about rigorous and mature topics

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Go inside Chris Hayes' second-grade class in Nevada, where her students outperform students in their district on exams without doing any test prep.

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Differentiating Instruction Through Writer’s Workshop

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ELD

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Using ELD Strategies to Support Content Area Writing

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word plan

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Writing Strategies For Kindergarten Students Writing Informational Paragraphs