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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Writing can improve grammar and spelling. Use these fun and easy journal writing prompts for 1st grade students to improve their writing and reading skills!

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5 Tips for Giving Effective Feedback to Students (Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade)

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How to Teach Handwriting in First Grade | Handwriting Practice for Kids Beyond Kindergarten

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6 Multisensory Techniques for Teaching Handwriting

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Handwriting involves more than just making letters on a page - it requires strong fine motor and visual-motor skills. Here are some multisensory techniques to try if your child is struggling with writing.

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Why handwriting is important

Handwriting is an essential life skill.

For example, children who can write smoothly and clearly are better able to use writing to record thoughts and ideas. When handwriting is automatic, ideas can flow. Children also need to write for many school lessons and tasks.

Handwriting skills help children develop reading and spelling skills. Handwriting also helps with the ability to recall and remember information.

And we need handwriting skills to do many tasks later in life, like writing birthday cards, filling in forms and signing important documents.

How handwriting develops

Handwriting is a complex skill that develops over time. To learn handwriting, children need to combine fine motor skills, language, memory and concentration. They also need to practise and follow instructions.

Handwriting starts with scribbling and drawing then moves on to forming letters, words and sentences.

You can encourage your child to develop an interest in handwriting by giving them opportunities to draw, scribble and write. This prepares your child for the formal handwriting they'll learn at school.

Left-handed writing in children
Most children choose to write and draw with their right hand. But some children choose their left hand. This is OK. When children choose their left hand to write with, there's no need for them to swap hands.

Children who write with their left hand might find it hard to see their writing because their left hands cover their writing as it moves across the page. If you tilt your child's page so that the left-hand corner is highest, your child can more easily see what they're writing or drawing.

Toddlers: drawing and early handwriting skills

Drawing is the start of handwriting for toddlers, usually at around 2 years.

Drawing starts with making marks or scribbles on paper and other surfaces. At first, toddlers usually move markers, crayons or chalk back and forth across paper. Gradually, they gain more control and might try to make lines and curves. Sometimes older toddlers might tell you what their marks are - for example, 'a caterpillar' or 'a cat'.

Here are ideas to get your toddler scribbling, drawing and 'writing':

Have crayons and paper, or chalk and blackboard, handy. Small chunks of chalk or crayons encourage your toddler to use a fingertip grip. This helps your toddler learn to hold a pencil.

Provide various materials for your toddler to draw on - for example, coloured paper, cardboard, and notebooks with lines and blank pages.

Sit with your toddler and draw pictures together.

Encourage your toddler to draw things that interest them. For example, if your toddler likes insects, you could draw a centipede and your toddler could add a lot of legs. Or on a rainy day you could draw a big cloud and your toddler could draw rain falling down.

Prop up your toddler's drawing surface so that it's on an angle. You could use an easel or blackboard. This helps your toddler make downward strokes, which they need to do for writing later on.

Encourage your toddler to squeeze and pinch things. This could be threading big beads, squeezing and pinching playdough into shapes, or building with blocks and Duplo. This helps your toddler develop the hand muscles needed for using pencils.

Let your toddler see you writing by hand for different purposes - for example, to make a list, leave a message, or write down a phone number.

Preschoolers: getting started with handwriting

Children usually start to draw straight and circular lines in the preschool years. Your child might even put these lines and shapes together to draw people and objects. Your child might also start to form letters and numbers.

Plenty of opportunities to draw will help your child keep developing the skills they need for handwriting:

Keep giving your child chunky crayons and chalk until they develop the finger and thumb grip needed to hold a pencil.

Encourage your child to trace simple top-to-bottom and left-to-right lines on a page, trying to stay on the lines all the way to the end. Make up a story to add interest to the activity. For example, 'Help this puppy find the way home'.

Practise drawing anticlockwise circles that start at the top of the page. This is the pattern we use to form letters.

As your child gets more control over crayons or pencils, encourage them to draw simple stick figure people. If you put your child's pictures on the fridge or wall, they'll feel proud of their work.

Encourage your child to trace over the letters of their name. At first you might need to put your hand over your child's hand to help them.

Help your child learn the alphabet sequence. Try clapping your hands in a steady rhythm while you say the letters together. Doing this with music or singing the alphabet song together can also help.

Encourage your child to write and draw with other materials. For example, your child could draw lines in sand or mud, trace over letters on signs with their finger, form 3D letters from playdough, and so on. Take photos of these drawings if you want to print them out and display them.

Creative and pretend play can improve your child's literacy. It also puts some of your child's drawing skills into practice.

Handwriting education at school

During the first 2 years of school, your child will learn to:

form letters

recognise and spell frequently used words

put spaces between words

write letters and words in a similar size and in a line

write about familiar events.

Children develop their handwriting ability at different rates, but most children gain these basic skills within the first 2 years of school. From Year 2 on, children start to write more complex sentences and write about their experiences.

Handwriting: encouraging your school-age child

Here are tips to encourage your school-age child's handwriting:

Make a place for writing at home. Have a stable chair and a surface at the level of your child's belly button. If your table is too high, you could use a cushion or tall chair to raise your child higher, with a footstool to support your child's feet.

Ask your child's teacher for a sample sheet with the starting points for each letter clearly marked. This can help your child practise at home.

Write letters lightly and correctly yourself and get your child to trace over them. Show your child where to start drawing the letter by putting a green dot at the starting point and a red one at the finishing point.

Say the names of letters and the letter sounds with your child as they draw or trace the letters.

Use everyday opportunities to practise writing. For example, get your child to add items to the family shopping list, write notes to grandparents, help with birthday and other cards, or make labels with post-it notes.

Make it fun. Use a stick to draw large letters in the ground or at the beach and fill the letters with pebbles or shells. Use non-permanent markers on a window to trace a letter over many times. Bath crayons are also good for this activity.

Surprise your child with different types of writing materials and accessories, like pencils, pens, pencil cases and rulers. This shows your child that you value handwriting tools.

Learning to write takes time and practice. Praise your child's efforts. It's good to help your child spot their best letters. And you can encourage your child to write more letters like them. Focus on the letters your child writes well rather than the mistakes.

Signs of handwriting problems in early school-age children

Learning to write involves a combination of skills and abilities and an understanding of language. If your child is having difficulty with one or more of these skills, they might have some trouble with learning handwriting.

Here are early signs that your child is having difficulty developing the skills to write by hand at school:

Swapping hands while drawing or handwriting during the first year of school - most children prefer using one hand for drawing before they reach school, but some children have started school when this happens.

Writing slowly or struggling to draw letters correctly - your child might need some help developing motor skills to make smooth, careful movements.

Gripping a pencil differently from the way they were taught or gripping the pencil weakly - this can slow down your child's handwriting and make it hard for them to complete work in a reasonable time.

Lacking interest in or avoiding drawing and handwriting - this might happen if your child isn't confident about drawing or their writing isn't as advanced as their classmates' writing.

Writing in an untidy way - this might look like reversed letters, letters not correctly closed, inconsistent letter size, letters that don't sit on the line and inconsistent spacing between letters and words.

Not following the teacher's instructions while learning to write - this might be because your child has trouble concentrating, paying attention or understanding instructions.

If you notice these signs, it's possible that your child can't clearly see the board, their own writing or the print in books. Or your child might have additional learning needs that affect handwriting development.

Getting help with handwriting

Talk with your child's preschool or school teacher or your GP if you've noticed your child having difficulty with handwriting skills. Your GP might recommend you make an appointment with an occupational therapist, audiologist or optometrist.

Children with handwriting difficulties might need extra help and aids. These might include:

angled writing boards

chunky pencils

pencil grips

paper with coloured dotted lines, bold lines or raised tactile lines.

An occupational therapist can let you know what aids will help your child.

Handwriting apps

You can get handwriting apps on tablets and smartphones. Handwriting apps can be useful, so long as your child uses them only as an extra option for handwriting practice, rather than as a replacement.

It's also important to make sure that any apps you're interested in use the handwriting script that's taught at your child's school. It might be a good idea to talk with your child's teacher before you decide on a handwriting app for your child.

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For toddlers and preschoolers, handwriting starts with drawing with crayons and chalk. Older children learn formal handwriting at school. Read how to help.

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Last updated on August 19, 2021 by Not So Wimpy Teacher

When I was a new teacher, I dreaded teaching writing. I am embarrassed to admit that I actually got excited about a fire drill because it gave me an excuse to skip our writing time for the day.

The reality is that I had no idea how to help students become better writers. No one taught me that in college! My lessons were too broad and I really struggled with how to give feedback to my writers. I would look at their writing and panic because I didn't know what to say to help them grow as writers.

Do you struggle with giving your writers helpful feedback?

These concerns are voiced every day by teachers in my Facebook groups.

Today's I'm sharing tips and tricks to help you give more effective feedback without making yourself crazy trying to read 25 writing samples every week.

Focus on Content, Not Mechanics

One of my most common mistakes, when I started teaching writing workshop, was correcting all the spelling and grammar errors I could find. Often teachers focus on mechanics because it's easy - misspelled words, missing periods, incomplete sentences-those things are easy to spot and correct. And, for most of us, this is how our teachers graded our writing.

Pointing out every error doesn't help students to become better writers. We are only improving that piece of writing and not the writer.

Also, seeing tons of red marks is very discouraging to writers. Writing isn't easy for many kids, you don't want to discourage them from doing hard work.

Instead of focusing on mechanics, we should be focusing on the content. We need to focus on leads, details, strong opinion statements, using evidence, creating suspense and so on. These types of skills generally make up about 80% of the points on most writing rubrics. Giving students feedback focused on these skills will have the biggest impact on student growth!

Yes, I do teach my students to edit their writing. (You can read more about that HERE.) But, I don't spend much of my feedback time worrying about spelling and edits because I know that feedback on the content will help my students to improve and grow faster.

Giving students feedback doesn't have to be complicated.

When I first started teaching, I felt that I needed a long and brilliant response to every piece of writing. I spent tons of time on these responses. It stressed me out and it probably discouraged my writers as well.

The truth is that giving students feedback can be super simple.

Formative Feedback

For formative feedback try using a sticky note. Students can write the best example of their work on the sticky note. During their independent writing time students might have been tasked with writing three possible leads for their report. At the end of their writing time, they can put their favorite one on a sticky note. You can walk around the room, check for completion, and compliment students.

Oral Feedback

For oral feedback, focus on the topic of the most recent lessons. Perhaps you did a lesson yesterday about adding dialogue to your writing. Have students read one example of dialogue that they added. Don't focus on any other skill. This keeps the feedback super focused, meaningful, and simple.

Summative Feedback
Click HERE to grab some free rubrics.

For summative feedback use a super simple rubric to guide your feedback. This helps you focus on content over mechanics. The rubric also provides you a place to leave very short notes or comments without marking up a student's work.

How to Give Feedback

Keep comments 1:1. Give one positive comment for every negative comment. It is important to start and end with positive comments that encourage students. Think of it as a feedback sandwich.

Be specific. Don't say that something is awkward or confusing. Instead give a specific example to help writers better understand how to improve their work.

Ask lots of questions. This encourages the student to reflect on their writing and come up with their own solutions. We really want students to be problem solvers!

Respond as a reader. Resist the urge to rewrite sentences or paragraphs for your students. That makes you the writer. Instead ask a question or leave a note that encourages the writer to do the rewrites themselves- even if they won't be perfect! Perfection should not be the goal.

Focus on the skill you are currently working on. You don't need to give a laundry list of things they can do to improve the writing. Staying focused on one or two skills will help students learn how to implement each strategy. It is easier to retain this information.

What to Say

But Jamie, what exactly should I say?

When giving feedback on drafts, you want to encourage your students to write more and to practice the skills you are working on.

Prompts like:

What is your favorite part of the story?

Who do you think would like to read this story?

What is your main character's problem?

How does your main character solve the problem?

Can you add some more details here so I can "see" what's happening?

Can you tell me more about what your characters are thinking or feeling?

Where is your story set? Why is the setting important?

Questions beginning with who, what, where, why, and how . . .

What mistakes does your character make in the story?

What else can you tell the reader?

I'm curious about.... Can you some more information about that?

Readers like to read "interesting" words. What interesting words could you use instead of this boring word?

I don't understand why your character said/did that? I don't understand how this sentence connects to the last one? Can you explain some more?

How does this evidence support your point?

What other evidence could you add to make your argument stronger?

Do you think this point helps or hurts your argument?

What do you think your best sentence is?

Can you rewrite this sentence to make your ideas more clear?

Where can you add some transition words?

This is an excellent example of...

I love your description of .... I feel like I am in the story.

You did a great job with. . .

I was wondering if . . .

I enjoyed ____ because...

Don't forget to ...

When passing back a final copy, you want to offer praise and focus on any growth the student has made.

Save-Time and Give Great Feedback

You may be worried about how to give feedback to 25 or more children every day. I know that I was!

If you are currently running from desk to desk trying to meet with all the kids individually you are probably exhausted. Students are raising their hands and you are racing around the room trying to answer every question and meet every need. The problem is that some students receive lots of feedback while other receive very little because they aren't waiving their hand in the air.

Group conferences are a great way to help several students at once. This makes your job easier and takes considerably less time.

Break your class into small groups that are similar in their writing level and needs. Assign one group to each day of the week. Doing this will mean that you can meet with every student once per week.
Learn more about group writing conferences here.
The conference should be very short and only focus on one skill. Having students read aloud just a small portion of their writing that pertains to the skill that you are giving feedback on with keep the meeting short.

Writing Units

Are you looking for effective writing lessons that are simple to implement? We have you covered!

These units include:

daily lesson plans that save you time

anchor charts that don't require hand lettering

student printables that can be printed or completed digitally

mentor text passages that save you tons of money buying books

I can't wait for the day your students cheer when it is time for writing workshop. Your time is coming, my friend!

Have a Not So Wimpy Day,

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Giving Students Feedback About Their Writing

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Giving students feedback about their writing doesn't have to be hard. These tips make it easy to give effective feedback without going insane.

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Writing Activities for Your Kindergartener

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Writing allows children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is a fundamental way in which children learn to think critically, organize and communicate ideas, and make thinking visible and permanent. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers!

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Sometimes students need a little push to activate their imaginations.

The collection of prompts below asks young writers to think through real or imagined events, their emotions, and a few wacky scenarios. Try out the ones you think will resonate most with your students.

As with all prompts, inform students that their answers should be rated G and that disclosing dangerous or illegal things they're involved in will obligate you to file a report with the administration or school counselors. Finally, give students the option of writing "PERSONAL" above some entries that they don't want anyone to read. We all need to let scraggly emotions run free in our prose sometimes.

If your class uses daybooks (an approach recommended in Thinking Out Loud: The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning), wait for composition notebooks to go on sale at Target, the Dollar Store, or Walmart for $0.50 a piece. To organize the daybook, direct young writers to leave the first three pages blank and number and date each entry-adding these entries to a table of contents that they create as they work so they can return to specific entries later.

Should cameras on drones watch all public spaces to prevent crime, or is that a violation of privacy?

Do Americans have it too easy? Why do you think that?

What causes racism?

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hires you as a consultant to determine how best to use $20 billion to save the world. What's your plan?

What's the worst thing about the internet?

Would you rather be very beautiful or very smart? Explain.

You can save one object before your house burns down. What is it? What makes that object important to you?

How much control over your life do you have? What makes you say that?

Describe your ideal life 15 years from now. What is something you can do every day to reach that goal?

What would your friends say is your most lovable quality? Describe that quality.

What is something scary that you would like to try? What makes it scary for you? How might you overcome that fear?

What things do you conscientiously do to feed your brain?

What are three of your most profound learning experiences? Where and when did they occur?

By age 18, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. What is it about television violence that is so compelling to people?

Would you rather be loved or respected? Because?

Does social media represent individuals authentically? Explain with examples.

Imagine that it's the last day of high school and you've been asked by a teacher to say a few words that summarize the events that have occurred over the last four years that are most meaningful to you. What do you say?

High School Prompts

Which classmate would be the best to lead us through a zombie apocalypse? Why?

What real-life situations would work out better for you if you were a different gender? Why?

How can you tell when someone your age is feeling insecure? Are most people more insecure or anxious than they let on?

If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?

Write a scene that features a) a classmate, b) $100 million, and c) magical shoes.

What three features should your future house have? Why?

If you starred in a television show about your life, what would the show be called? What genre would it be? (Examples: comedy, drama, thriller, romance, action-adventure, fantasy, superhero, soap opera, reality, game show, space adventure, Western, tragedy, etc.) Summarize the plot of an episode.

In the future, what extreme sports will people be talking about?

Is your ethnicity an important part of your identity? How so?

You get to take one book, one food item, and one famous person (living or dead) to a deserted island. What and who do you take? Why?

Write a powerfully supportive email to yourself 10 years from now. Send that email to yourself using FutureMe.org.

You have been selected to be king or queen of your school. What are five rules that every kid should follow at your school? What should the punishment be for rule breakers?

What do the five friends you hang out with most have in common? How are you most like them? How are you different from them?

What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can help stop someone from bullying?

Do you make friends slowly or quickly? Describe how one of your important friendships evolved.

Should we fear failure? Explain.

If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?

Do you believe in luck? Are you superstitious? How so? If not, why do you think some people are?

Middle School Prompts

I wish my teachers knew that . . .

What's the most beautiful person, place, or thing you've ever seen? Share what makes that person, place, or thing so special.

Which is better, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?

What is your most difficult subject in school? Why is it difficult? What can you do to get better at that subject?

Rewrite "Hansel and Gretel" from the witch's perspective.

Describe a scary situation that you've experienced.

What is your first memory? Describe it.

You wake up tomorrow with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is that silly power? How does it lead to your becoming an international superstar?

Are you a good loser? Explain.

What are examples of things you want versus things you need?

Last Friday, you were given one wish by a magical panda. You tried so hard to make the wish positive, but after the whacked-out events that unfolded over the weekend, you regret ever meeting that tricky panda. What did you ask for, and what happened?

I wish my friends . . .

Describe a routine that you often or always do (in the morning, when you get home, Friday nights, before a game, etc.).

What things do all kids know that adults do not?

What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?

Elementary School Prompts

After they've finished an entry, ask students to read their work aloud or exchange daybooks for a read-around. If you give the entries written feedback, show that their work is respected by using a sticky note or scratch paper.

Don't forget to write along with your students. Why should they have all the fun?

What are your students' favorite writing prompts?

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Sometimes students need a little push to activate their imaginations.

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Whether you’re looking for a grammar checker or just want to brush up on grammar rules, we have you covered.

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Walden University's Writing Center provides a number of services to support students' writing at all stages of their education. We offer one-on-one paper reviews, webinars, modules, podcasts, form and style reviews, web-based instructional content on writing and APA style, and much more.

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Prefix, Suffix, & Root Word Task Cards For Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 in 2024 | Root words, Prefixes, Task cards

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Jan 31, 2024 - Prefix, Suffix, & Root Word Task Cards Great for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th grades Use these prefix, suffix, and root word task cards a variety of ways! You can use them as a great self start activity, for word work of the day, as an assignment after a lesson, or you count play scoot with y…

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Writing in math is more common and important in the elementary years than ever before. When I was in school, I barely remember writing more than a sentence in math class. Now, students are required and expected to write several sentences and even paragraphs explaining their math and justifying their answer. This can definitely be tricky as many students still think writing doesn't belong in math. I want to share with you TEN ways to get your students writing in math on a regular basis.

Just the same way as we model a new think alouds in reading or a new writing strategy, we should also model writing in math. I like to do this through a problem of the day, using these steps:

1. Read the problem together and circle key information (not key words - read more about why key words are not helpful in upper elementary here).

2. Discuss the situation of the problem and ensure all students have an access point.

3. Allow the students a few minutes to work on the problem independently.

4. Monitor the students while they are working and note any misconceptions or great thinking points.

5. Remind the students that when they have solved the problem that they are to prove their answer is correct or explain how they got it.

6. Come back together as a class and solve the problem together, calling on students to help you (this is where the monitoring helps- you can specifically jot down students that you want to call on).

7. As a class, write the answer, explain the math that was used and why, and justify that the answer is correct.

One of the reasons many students are hesitant to write in math is because they are not confident with what they will say or are not sure how to put their thoughts in words. I like to have my students share their thoughts with partners before writing them down. This oral rehearsal before they write helps them get their thoughts straight in their head. It also provides a scaffold as their partner is able to scaffold them or ask questions for clarification.

Click here to grab this poster (typo on Step 2 has been corrected) that breaks down steps for your students to follow while sharing their ideas.

The easiest way to get students to write more in math is to provide them with more opportunities for writing on a consistent basis. Instead of giving equations or multiple choice word problems as practice all the time, try giving constructed response tasks.

I use these constructed response math tasks that I created specifically aligned to my standards (common core). They require the students to answer the question and explain their answer. These work as extra practice and even assessments. You can see the 4th grade ones by clicking here and the 5th grade ones by clicking here.

My students love gallery walks because they incorporate movement and peer collaboration. They are also a perfect way to get students writing more AND reading and analyzing other students' writing. Follow these steps:

1. Set up tasks around the room written on anchor charts.

2. In groups, have the students solve, explain, and justify their answers on a recording sheet or piece of paper.

3. As the students are solving the tasks, walk around and choose one group for each task. This group will complete their work on the chart when all groups have worked the problems.

4. Have the assigned groups solve the tasks, explain their answers, and justify their math on the chart.

5. Do one final walk-through, allowing all the groups to analyze the students' work on the charts, compare it to their own, and add to it.

Want to see this in action? Click here to read my blog post from a couple of years ago with examples and more details about how to implement a gallery walk in your classroom.

I am a huge fan of using sentence stems to provide support to students in all areas of the curriculum even in the upper grades. Sentence stems can easily be provided for math instruction as well. With those stems, the students will have a scaffold to explain their thinking. Click here to read a post with the sentence stems I use to help my students justify their answers in math.

In addition to using generic sentence stems, I also use math tasks that have specific stems for the particular task. I use my multi-part word problems that are differentiated with a level that includes sentence stems. The sentence stems are helpful in getting the students used to writing their answers in complete sentences. They are also helpful in providing models for how to turn questions into sentences. Click here to check out the bundle of Multi-Part Word Problems in my TpT store.

Five years ago was when the shift to constructed responses and open ended questions first really started to drive my assessments and instruction. My students were not used to this. When they were given a word problem, they would work out the math and then just leave the math on the paper. They didn't even circle the answer. I knew I needed to come up with something and fast. That was when I created a structure to help the students remember how appropriately answer word problems. This structure has made all the difference with their writing in math. My students use the acronym LOVE to help them ensure they have adequately answered a word problem and written support. Here is the breakdown of LOVE:

L - Label - all numbers and models should be clearly labeled.

O - Our Thinking - this is where the writing comes in. The students write the answer in a sentence and their explanation and justification.

V - Visuals - the students include a visual to support their answer.

E - Equation - the students ensure they have all the equations included.

This is probably one of the easiest ways that you can get students writing more in math. You can use journal or prompt writing as a warm up for the math lesson or even as a separate station. There are two main types of math journal prompts I use: Grade-Level/Skill Specific Prompts and General Math Prompts.

Grade-Level/Skill Specific Prompts
To read more about this strategy, grab a poster, and some free word problems, click here.
These type of prompts are specific to the skills I am teaching. They are perfect for:

Checking for understanding

Deeping students' understanding in math

Providing practice with using academic vocabulary in math

General Math Prompts

In addition to the skill-specific prompts, I like to also have my students write about math in general, math processes, and how they think about math. To do this, I primarily use my Math Practice Prompts. These prompts specifically target the Common Core Math Practice Standards. I sprinkle these in throughout the year when they best align to the skills I am teaching and what I see my students need.
You can see my 5th Grade standard specific math journal prompts by clicking here or on the image above.
You can grab the Math Practice Journal Prompts I use for FREE when you join my email list by entering your information below. The prompts will be emailed to you.

More Math Prompts - Reflection Spinner

In addition the journal prompts, you could also use generic prompts for the students to select from after solving a math task or math word problem. This spinner with generic prompts would be a perfect extension to any center. The students solve the problem, spin the spinner for a prompt, and then write to the prompt.

Similar to journal writing, this strategy is a great way to get students writing in math and a great way to assess their knowledge of a concept. On a weekly basis, I like to give my students a math concept and have them write for 3 minutes about everything they know about the concept. This strategy has two purposes - it gets them writing and it gives yo a glimpse into their thinking. You can do this before you teach a skill as a pre-assessment, in the middle of a unit to check their mastery and determine how to proceed through the rest of the unit, or at the end of a unit as a summative assessment. Click here to grab a template to use . Simply print the page, write in the math concept or idea, and make your copies.

Math read alouds can be very engaging to the students and a great way to get some writing in. As you read the picture book, ask the students questions and have them defend their answers with explanations that include math and details from the read aloud. They will love this so much that they will forget they are even doing so much math and writing.
Click here to download the spinner for FREE.
Math is the least often integrated skill into literacy. We easily integrate science and social studies. If you want your students to write more in math, try integrating math into your writing instruction. Here are a few ideas:

When teaching how-to writing, have your students choose a math procedure or skill and write a paper about how-to do the math. This can be done several times with new math skills.

When teaching narrative writing, have the students write about a day without math. I recommend doing a brainstorming chart before hand to scaffold them.

When teaching opinion writing, the students can write opinions on different math skills they have learned - which is easiest to learn, which is the most difficult, which will help them the most in life, etc.

Which of these strategies or ideas do you use already to get your students writing in math? Do you have another strategy not listed in this post? Let me know in the comments. I am always looking for more ideas and ways to get my students writing in math more.

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Writing in math is more important now than ever before. This post shows 6 ways to get your students writing in math on a daily basis.

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What is Writable?

Writable scaffolds student learning and builds lifelong writing and reading skills for students in grades 3-12, while saving teachers time on daily instruction and feedback.

What is Writable?

Writable scaffolds student learning and builds lifelong writing and reading skills for students in grades 3-12, while saving teachers time on daily instruction and feedback.

The path to your best instruction

Reach students in the moment

Give students targeted feedback and instruction when it matters most.

Reach students
in the moment

Give students targeted feedback and instruction when it matters most.

"Writable is an incredible tool that provides incredible feedback. It is extremely inspirational to see my students grow as they use Writable!"

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Glynn County Schools

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Deliver rubric-aligned AI suggested comments and scores that drive more targeted revision

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Writable scaffolds student learning and builds lifelong writing and reading skills for students in grades 3-12, while saving teachers time on daily instruction and feedback.

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Writing. It's everywhere! If you're home right now, let your eyes wander over the room in search of words. What do you notice? A shopping list, perhaps? Mail? Picture books? Birthday cards? Cereal boxes?

Maybe you're in a coffee shop. Look around and take in the menu, food packages, a stack of magazines, or the community bulletin board.

Breaking Out of the Rut

Even though there are many kinds of writing, we often get in a rut by limiting our children to stories and reports. When I was homeschooling my own kids, I wanted them to have all sorts of writing experiences. Unit studies were perfect for writing across the curriculum.

I still assigned more "traditional" writing, of course. But we also had fun with short, targeted, project-based writing activities that dovetailed writing with other subjects such as science, nature, and history.

These activities took the form of brochures and book jackets, magazines and diaries, obituaries and editorials, charts and posters. Tying our writing- both formal and informal -to our studies made writing practical. It also helped cement concepts and gave the kids many opportunities just to have fun with words.

Benefits of Writing Across the Curriculum

Explore a topic in greater depth.

These different projects and writing activities encouraged my children to dig deeper. My son, for example, created a newspaper about the Victorian era. He included news articles, advertisements, letters to the editor, human interest stories, and cartoons. Each required different kinds of research, helping him learn more about this time period than a report alone would accomplish.

Appeal to your kids' interests and learning styles.

I don't have to tell you that children learn differently.

The kinesthetic child learns better when he can build, work with textures, or use various media.

The auditory learner might like writing and performing songs, poems, speeches, or plays.

Projects that include art, photography, or computer-related activities appeal to the visual child.

Children absorb information through their senses. The more ways a child handles information, the better he retains it. When assigning writing, it's wise to offer lots of choices that develop well-rounded writers. Project-based writing gives all students the chance to write in the ways they learn best.

Make writing more fun.

Don't get me wrong: reports are important. But I bet your child will be less resistant if, from time to time, he gets to write an advertisement, create a trivia game, or make a brochure about Pompeii or Ancient Egypt or Lewis and Clark's expedition. Activities like these help him see that writing can be fun!

Ideas for Writing Across the Curriculum

Journals, book reviews, glossaries, and recipes can all find a place in your homeschool writing diet. Explore this list of 78 writing genres. Many don't require much planning, so pluck out a few ideas and try them this very week!
Which of these sound like fun to you? Where will you start?

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78 Ideas for Writing Across the Curriculum

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Project-based writing let kids write in the ways they learn best. These ideas for writing across the curriculum make writing practical and fun!

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Sometimes students need a little push to activate their imaginations.

The collection of prompts below asks young writers to think through real or imagined events, their emotions, and a few wacky scenarios. Try out the ones you think will resonate most with your students.

As with all prompts, inform students that their answers should be rated G and that disclosing dangerous or illegal things they're involved in will obligate you to file a report with the administration or school counselors. Finally, give students the option of writing "PERSONAL" above some entries that they don't want anyone to read. We all need to let scraggly emotions run free in our prose sometimes.

If your class uses daybooks (an approach recommended in Thinking Out Loud: The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning), wait for composition notebooks to go on sale at Target, the Dollar Store, or Walmart for $0.50 a piece. To organize the daybook, direct young writers to leave the first three pages blank and number and date each entry-adding these entries to a table of contents that they create as they work so they can return to specific entries later.

Should cameras on drones watch all public spaces to prevent crime, or is that a violation of privacy?

Do Americans have it too easy? Why do you think that?

What causes racism?

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hires you as a consultant to determine how best to use $20 billion to save the world. What's your plan?

What's the worst thing about the internet?

Would you rather be very beautiful or very smart? Explain.

You can save one object before your house burns down. What is it? What makes that object important to you?

How much control over your life do you have? What makes you say that?

Describe your ideal life 15 years from now. What is something you can do every day to reach that goal?

What would your friends say is your most lovable quality? Describe that quality.

What is something scary that you would like to try? What makes it scary for you? How might you overcome that fear?

What things do you conscientiously do to feed your brain?

What are three of your most profound learning experiences? Where and when did they occur?

By age 18, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. What is it about television violence that is so compelling to people?

Would you rather be loved or respected? Because?

Does social media represent individuals authentically? Explain with examples.

Imagine that it's the last day of high school and you've been asked by a teacher to say a few words that summarize the events that have occurred over the last four years that are most meaningful to you. What do you say?

High School Prompts

Which classmate would be the best to lead us through a zombie apocalypse? Why?

What real-life situations would work out better for you if you were a different gender? Why?

How can you tell when someone your age is feeling insecure? Are most people more insecure or anxious than they let on?

If the internet were to crash forever, what would the benefits be for you? The drawbacks?

Write a scene that features a) a classmate, b) $100 million, and c) magical shoes.

What three features should your future house have? Why?

If you starred in a television show about your life, what would the show be called? What genre would it be? (Examples: comedy, drama, thriller, romance, action-adventure, fantasy, superhero, soap opera, reality, game show, space adventure, Western, tragedy, etc.) Summarize the plot of an episode.

In the future, what extreme sports will people be talking about?

Is your ethnicity an important part of your identity? How so?

You get to take one book, one food item, and one famous person (living or dead) to a deserted island. What and who do you take? Why?

Write a powerfully supportive email to yourself 10 years from now. Send that email to yourself using FutureMe.org.

You have been selected to be king or queen of your school. What are five rules that every kid should follow at your school? What should the punishment be for rule breakers?

What do the five friends you hang out with most have in common? How are you most like them? How are you different from them?

What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can help stop someone from bullying?

Do you make friends slowly or quickly? Describe how one of your important friendships evolved.

Should we fear failure? Explain.

If a wizard could tell you anything about your future, what would you most like to know?

Do you believe in luck? Are you superstitious? How so? If not, why do you think some people are?

Middle School Prompts

I wish my teachers knew that . . .

What's the most beautiful person, place, or thing you've ever seen? Share what makes that person, place, or thing so special.

Which is better, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?

What is your most difficult subject in school? Why is it difficult? What can you do to get better at that subject?

Rewrite "Hansel and Gretel" from the witch's perspective.

Describe a scary situation that you've experienced.

What is your first memory? Describe it.

You wake up tomorrow with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is that silly power? How does it lead to your becoming an international superstar?

Are you a good loser? Explain.

What are examples of things you want versus things you need?

Last Friday, you were given one wish by a magical panda. You tried so hard to make the wish positive, but after the whacked-out events that unfolded over the weekend, you regret ever meeting that tricky panda. What did you ask for, and what happened?

I wish my friends . . .

Describe a routine that you often or always do (in the morning, when you get home, Friday nights, before a game, etc.).

What things do all kids know that adults do not?

What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?

Elementary School Prompts

After they've finished an entry, ask students to read their work aloud or exchange daybooks for a read-around. If you give the entries written feedback, show that their work is respected by using a sticky note or scratch paper.

Don't forget to write along with your students. Why should they have all the fun?

What are your students' favorite writing prompts?

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Sometimes students need a little push to activate their imaginations.

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9 Cross-Curricular Writing Activities for ELLs — DiversifiED Consulting

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As summer wraps up, we find ourselves contemplating our instructional intentions for the coming school year.  My big focus this year: writing. Of the four language-learning domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing), writing is typically the last to fully develop.   

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I'm constantly on the lookout for fun handwriting activities for my 6 year old. I don't like to pressure him to practice writing but I do think it's important that he work on his skills. He sees an occupational therapist to help him with fine motor skills, so I want to reinforce that at home. My son has a strong-willed personality and there is no point in trying to force him to do something he doesn't want to do. This calls for sneaky tactics, because if anything smacks of handwriting "practice", my 6 year old balks. He does not like anything he considers "work." ( I know, aren't you jealous?)

My oldest and youngest could no be more opposite. My older son was eagerly writing at age 4. Remember this categorization activity he made up himself? He used to write the state names for fun! Well, the tables are turned on me now!

Whether or not you have a child that also hates handwriting practice I hope the following ideas are helpful for you. I've gathered some suggestions from his occupational therapist and teachers, as well as some other fun ideas from around the web ( many of them also from OTs).

If you have any handwriting activities for kids that have worked for you, by all means share them in the comments! I can use all the assistance I can get.
Activities his occupational therapist and teacher have suggested:

Write "bathroom words". Seriously. I am not above letting my son write the word "fart" 10 times, if it means he is writing.

When he wants me to remember something, I ask him to write me a note so I don't forget.

I leave him secret messages that he has to decode.

I encourage him to do activities that relate to his interests. For example, he can make his own Pokemon cards.

According to his teacher, drawing is also good (if he is willing; remember, he "hates art"). The main purpose being to get him to pick up a writing implement. I had great success making a giant comic strip with him.

Other fun handwriting activities we've done: Ideas from Occupational Therapists around the web: So tell me, how do your kids fare at handwriting? Do you have any fun handwriting activities to suggest? READ NEXT!

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18 Fun Handwriting Activities for Kids (Even the Reluctant Ones)

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I'm constantly on the lookout for fun handwriting activities for my 6 year old. I don't like to pressure him to practice writing but I do think it's important that he work on his skills. He sees an occupational therapist to help him with fine motor skills, so I want to reinforce that at home.

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Peer review refers to the many ways in which students can share their creative work with peers for constructive feedback and then use this feedback to revise and improve their work. For the writing process, revision is as important as drafting, but students often feel they cannot let go of their original words.