I love writing – and even that is an understatement. Truthfully, I am not sure why I didn't major in writing or English itself. I have always enjoyed writing short stories and even helping others edit their own work. There's nothing like a well-written paper on a Friday night (or your day of choosing).
But Where Does It Begin in the Classroom?
So, honestly, elementary students do not need to write on a college level. Although some of us strive for that, it's truly impossible to hold them to a standard of that caliber. Paragraphs are in the beginning stages of being ‘drafted' as early as third grade, and by the time students reach fifth grade many educators are treating them like they should write 10 page papers. Chill out, respectively. Why not start with simple prompts to get the wheels rolling.
What Kinds of Prompts are appropriate?
- Brainstorming based on the type of paper being written
- Prewritten prompts
- Sentence starters
- Subject-specific
- Themed prompts
- Visualizing prompts
Once you have a rough idea of how you would like your students to begin their own writing process, put your plan into action. You may have them write in spiral notebooks or on worksheets that have preprinted lines. I love having students work on these prewritten prompts to jumpstart the writing process. Either way, allow them to pick up their pencils and start writing.
Final “Drafts”
In the end, you know you have to teach students to write, you know you have to read their writing. Start with simple and quick and then build up from there.
Grab this free writing prompt set today to get you started!
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