How can you teach K-12 students to write better?

1 Understand the writing process

The writing process is not a linear sequence of steps, but a recursive and flexible approach that involves planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. You can teach your students to use the writing process as a tool to generate, organize, refine, and polish their ideas. You can also model the writing process by sharing your own drafts, feedback, and revisions. By understanding the writing process, your students can learn to write more effectively and efficiently.

2 Provide clear and specific goals

Writing can be overwhelming for students if they don't have a clear and specific purpose, audience, and criteria. You can help your students by providing them with clear and specific goals for each writing assignment. You can also use rubrics, checklists, or exemplars to show them what a good piece of writing looks like and how it will be evaluated. By providing clear and specific goals, your students can focus on the essential elements of their writing and monitor their progress.

3 Scaffold and differentiate instruction

Writing is a complex and multidimensional skill that requires different levels of support and challenge for different students. You can scaffold and differentiate your instruction by using various strategies, such as graphic organizers, sentence starters, word banks, peer feedback, or conferencing. You can also adjust the amount, complexity, and type of writing tasks according to your students' readiness, interests, and learning styles. By scaffolding and differentiating your instruction, you can meet the diverse needs and abilities of your students and help them grow as writers.

4 Incorporate writing across the curriculum

Writing is not only a skill, but also a way of learning and communicating. You can incorporate writing across the curriculum by using writing as a tool to engage your students in various content areas, such as science, social studies, or math. You can also expose your students to different genres, formats, and audiences of writing, such as narratives, reports, letters, or blogs. By incorporating writing across the curriculum, you can enrich your students' knowledge, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills.

5 Foster a positive writing culture

Writing is not only a cognitive, but also a social and emotional activity. You can foster a positive writing culture by creating a safe and supportive environment where your students can share their ideas, opinions, and feelings through writing. You can also encourage your students to read and appreciate diverse texts, to collaborate and learn from each other, and to celebrate their achievements and efforts. By fostering a positive writing culture, you can motivate your students to write more frequently and authentically.

6 Use technology to enhance writing

Technology can offer many benefits for writing, such as access to information, resources, tools, and audiences. You can use technology to enhance your students' writing by integrating various digital platforms, applications, or devices into your instruction. You can also use technology to facilitate your students' writing process, such as brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, or publishing. By using technology to enhance your students' writing, you can expand their creativity, collaboration, and communication skills.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?