How to Improve Writing Skills For Kids Who Are Way Behind.
What in the world can we do as writing teachers to help our students who are starting this school year way behind in their writing skills? That is the million dollar question right? Many students across the country hardly got any writing instruction last school year. I mean it was a crazy year. So I would like to share 5 STEPS you can take to support your students EVEN IF they are significantly behind in their writing skills. If you're like, Desiree, I don't even know where to start. I’ve got you covered. I also did a Facebook Live on this very topic. You can watch below.
STEP 1: Support Students Behind in Writing By Gathering Student Writing Data to Determine What Writing Skills Your Students Need Most.
Here’s how to support students behind in writing. You can give a writing pre-assessment before you launch a new unit of study. Now, if you want to like, but wait I've already started my writing unit. My students are already writing stories. Now what can I do? No worries. There is another option. You can grab one of those current writing pieces from each student and analyze that. You can get some great writing data to help drive what you teach. These writing pieces are already in progress. It's showing you what they can do and what they can’t do YET. This is the time to really get to know your writers so you can meet all their writing needs.
I understand that you've probably been doing some one on one conferences or writing small groups with them. Which means you have been coaching and supporting them a lot with that writing piece. This teacher feedback is going to be evident in their writing piece as well. It's okay, teacher friend, if you did not do a pre-assessment, you can still get some good information to drive what you teach just by looking at the writing pieces that they're currently working on.
STEP 2: Support Students With Writing By Using a Writing Rubric or Checklist to Pinpoint the Areas of Most Need.
You will want to have a writing rubric or checklist to measure how they're doing in the big goals of writing. There are three big goals of writing:
- structure of writing
- development of writing
- language conventions of writing
Whatever rubric or checklist you have, make sure that it measures those three big goals of writing.
STEP 3: Meet All Your Students’ Needs By Grouping Students Into Three Big Writing Goal Categories
Remember those three big goals of writing mentioned above? Now it’s time to group your students into these 3 big writing goals. Does your school use a 1-2-3-4 system? Start with the structure category. Take a look at your students' writing pieces. Where do they fall? Maybe you have 5 students who scored a 1 in the structure category. And 6 students who scored a 2 in the development category. And 3 students who scored a 1 in the language conventions category. The main purpose is to group them into those three big goals of writing by the lowest score overall. Once you do that you’ll be ready for the next step.
STEP 3: Narrow down writing skills within the 3 big goals for writing.
Paragraph 5:
Once you have all your students in the three big goals of writing categories; it’s time to narrow it down even farther. Did you know that within each of the big goals of writing are very specific writing skills your students will need to get really, really good at? And here they are:
Structure Category
- Overall structure
- Leads
- Transitions
- Endings
- Organization
Development Category
- Elaboration
- Craft
Language Conventions
Now that you know the specific writing skills within each category, go ahead and start grouping your students into the skills they need the most. Then, you can choose the best strategies to support your struggling writers.
STEP 4: Use a skill progression that builds upon each other to know exactly what to focus on first.
I highly recommend that you have a learning progression or skill progression right by your side. In Jennifer Serravallo’s newest book Teaching Writing In Small Groups, there are skill progressions in there for you. These skill progressions break down helps you to know exactly what to teach, based on where your students are and what you're seeing in their writing. Also if you're, if your district has the Writing Pathways book by Lucy Calkins, there are learning progressions inside of there too. This is what I used when I was teaching in the district. The learning progressions are key to getting your students the strategies they need that are appropriate for them. This will move them along that progression the fastest. Which is what we want right?
STEP 5: Use a Variety of Writing Small Groups to Significantly Increase the Amount of Students You Meet With Each Day.
I encourage you to do as many writing small groups as you possibly can. Because the more small groups you pull the more students you touch. You'll be able to provide them the writing strategies they need and get them to where you want them to go faster. I can’t say this enough. Utilize writing small groups as much as possible.
There's lots of different types of writing small groups such as:
- interactive writing groups
- guided writing groups
- strategy groups
- Shared writing
- inquiry groups
- reflection groups
- partnerships
- writing clubs
There's so many different types of writing small groups that you can utilize with your students. But definitely still incorporate one on one conferences. Want to know how to support writing in the classroom? Try to do a balance of one on one conferences and writing small groups. I know this is not always easy to do. Trust me, when I first started out using writing workshop over 16 years ago; I only knew how to do Research-Compliment-Teach conferences and strategy groups. It takes time. Your Writing Teacher Greatness journey is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. You got this, teacher friend.
If you’re looking for even more FREE training, strategies, and resources on how to support all your students even if they are way behind in their writing skills; come on over to my Facebook page, the Literacy Teacher Greatness Facebook Community, and grab my Conferring With Readers & Writers Like a Pro Guide. This guide will give you the 9 must haves to reach ALL your students through 1-on-1 conferences and small groups every single week.
Have an awesome year, teacher friend!!!
Remember this is the year to grow into your writing teacher greatness!
