1. Teach Students To Pick Out A Seed
I like to make a reference to a watermelon when introducing this concept to my students. I have them think about a favorite trip/memory. I tell them this is like a watermelon. Then I have them pick out their favorite part of the trip/memory; this is like a slice of the watermelon. Then we narrow it down once more to the part that sticks out the most; this is the seed. The seed is what they will use to write their story. I will often remind them during our conference time that they aren't telling me about the "whole watermelon", but instead, only about a seed. This really seemed to help my students!
2. Form A Plan
Most writers will agree that a well though-out, organized plan is the best way to produce a fantastic piece of text. I always stress to my students that the planning stage is the most important stage! I believe my exact quote is, "The better you plan, the easier it will be for you to write your essay/story." Most of my students buy into this saying and end up producing wonderful text. One more thing, give your students options. Teach them a variety of ways to plan, then set them free! This helps them take more ownership in their writing.
3. Discuss Show, Don't Tell
Students need to understand the difference between showing and telling. One way to help students understand the difference is to have them act out different verbs to see the difference in their meanings. For example, write the sentence, "Sally walked into the classroom." on the board. Give several students a notecard will a different verb on it to replace the word "walked". (i.e.-slithered, dashed, etc.) Then, have the students act out their card and discuss the different meanings with the students. This activity can be repeated with a variety of verbs to help the students understand the importance of their word choice.
4. Draft In Ink
I was recently at a conference, and this idea was presented. At first I thought, no way! But I quickly changed my mind when I heard the reasoning behind this idea. Have your students write their rough draft in ink. Will it most likely be messy? Probably. Will your students love it? Absolutely! Will you be able to see that they have truly revised their work? You betcha! This is what sold me on this idea. I always tell my students to go back and revise, and they always say that they have; however, you can't truly keep up the changes that 25+ students have made. If they draft in ink, and then they use a different color (or even a pencil) to revise, then woolah! Their revisions are suddenly clear as day to the teacher, and they can't erase or lie about what they have revised.
5. Refer Back To Plan Often
Teach your students to refer back to their plan OFTEN! As they write their draft, have them refer back to their well though-out, organized planned. This will help keep them on topic, as well as help their thoughts stay organized. You will have to remind them to add in more details that aren't apart of their plan, but they need to refer back often to make sure that they don't stray from their topic. This one definitely takes a lot of training and patience.
6. Read The Draft Aloud
Once students have finished writing their draft, they often times want to simply copy it over and say they're finished. Make it mandatory that they read it aloud to someone else in the room. Another option could be to have their partner read it aloud to them as well. Hearing their draft read aloud will help them revise their work and catch mistakes at the same time. This might be uncomfortable for students at first, but as with most everything that involved partner work, they will get better over time and more comfortable. Providing them with a checklist, might also help students focus on their task.
7. Conference & Highlight Something Positive
Conferencing is one of the most effective classroom practices that any teacher can use. It's relatively easy, automatically pulls in differentiation, and provides students will specific feedback. Conferencing does take some practice, and you will get better (and faster!) over time. One of the most important tips to remember is to begin every conference by pointing out something positive that the student has done in his/her writing. I try to follow the glow/grow format. [Give the student 1 glow (something they did well) and 1 grow (something to remember for next time)]
8. Type The Final Draft
With the push for technology integration, as well as state testing beginning to be administered on computers, students need to be familiar with computer keyboards. Fortunately, students love to use the computers and are usually more engaged when doing so. Once your students have written and revised their drafts, have them type their final draft on the computer. They will be more engaged and they will be so proud when they see their published writing printed out and displayed. The best part? You will be killing two birds with one stone!
As always, these are only a few tips that I have picked up along the way. There's a ton of other tips, and I'd love for you to leave them in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by!
Elaine, Teaching Lane
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