Ideas for Independent Writing: What's the Rest of the Class Doing While I'm Conferring?
Oh, do I have some ideas for independent writing for you! When looking at your packed schedule, you might be wondering…“How do I fit in writing small groups? And “What is the rest of the class doing?”
I get asked these questions a lot AND I’ve got a very quick answer for you. The rest of the class is writing. This is the best time for you to fit in your writing small groups. In order for your students to improve their writing skills; they need to write A LOT.
What is independent writing? It can be its own class period or a portion of an ELA block, or even could happen during science or social studies. No matter when writing time takes place, your students need to be engaged independently in their work or collaborating with a partner or club mates. And the goal would be to work without needing you to be involved so that you can be freed up to pull individual writing conferences or small groups.
But not only is independent writing time needed for you to confer with students; it also gives your writers plenty of time to practice and apply the strategies you’ve already taught them.
Conferring All-Star Teachers™ look at their conferring schedules and go for a BALANCE.
So, how much time do they need to practice? Another good question.
It really depends on your schedule. But just remember that for you to meet with your writers regularly, they need regular blocks of time to write. When I was teaching 2nd grade, I taught writing 5 days a week for 40 minutes. Here’s a breakdown of my schedule:
Mini Lesson: 10 Minutes
Independent Work/Conferring/Small Groups: 25 Minutes
Share: 5 Minutes
Now if you are a middle school teacher with less than an hour for English Language Arts; you might have to include both reading and writing in that amount of time. Here are some options for you:
- Split your class each day (ie: 30 minutes reading, 30 minutes writing)
- Teach reading and writing every other day
- Or focus on reading for a week or longer, then switch to writing for a week or longer
When Conferring All-Star Teachers™ look at their overall schedule, they go for a BALANCE.
A balance of reading and writing…
A balance of a small amount of whole-class instruction followed by a large chunk of independent work time (which is a great time for individual conferences and small groups.)
Six Student Tools to Help Build Independent Writing Skills Quickly.
I don’t know about you… but when I started out conferring with students; getting them to work independently for long periods of time was challenging. Teachers have told me that when it’s time to pull writing small groups, the other students think it’s time for off-task behavior. I know, you know what I’m talking about… silliness, goofing off, refusing to write, breaking pencils, won’t stop talking and the list goes on.
So how can you help your students write for long chunks of time all by themselves? Here’s SIX independent writing activities your students can use to help them become MORE INDEPENDENT.
The most memorable and enjoyable thing about writing time is when students create their independent writing topics of their own choosing.
The most meaningful and enjoyable thing about writing time is when students create their own writing pieces of their own choosing.
And once you’ve started conferring and teaching students the writing strategies they need the most; independent writing time becomes purposeful, highly accountable, and even more powerful. I love how Jennifer Serravallo puts it… “Conferring with students is where the magic happens.”
Now that you have a few independent writing ideas, I would LOVE to know which of the six conferring tools you want to use to help your students become more independent writers.
DM on Instagram or hop on into the Literacy Teacher Greatness Facebook Community to let me know. Are you ready to build independent writers the Conferring All-Star Teacher™ way so you can meet with wayy more students every week? Then go ahead, hop on the waitlist for The Conferring All-Star Teacher™ Programs right here.
If you’re looking for even more FREE training, strategies, and resources on conferring with students; come on over to my Facebook page and grab my free Conferring With Readers & Writers Like a Pro Guide. This guide will give you the 9 steps to reach ALL your students through 1-on-1 conferences and small groups every single week.
Have an awesome year, teacher friend!!!
Let’s grow into our literacy teacher greatness together!
