Creating Student Authors in Your Classroom
As
the school year draws to a close, I am pleased to say “I did it again”. What
did I do? Simple. I inspired my students to write and love it. I am a writer. I
have published several books on Amazon, and my students know this. I have
talked about writing, and my love writing. I had my students write, but I didn’t
turn it into a chore. And, guess what? This year, I have 4 girls who have
started working on their own books. I have 2 that are actively working on writing
poems. Hooray! Last year, I also turned several of my students into writers.
So,
don’t give up hope. You can get your students to write and to love it. How? Model
writing. Let your students see you writing. Talk about how much fun it is.
Start a classroom blog. Work on a book together as a class. Praise what they
write. Offer a little advice on their writing. I never criticize what they have
written. I offer pointers, and let them go from there. Of course, if they are
writing an essay for class, I grade it. But, if they are writing things on
their own, I don’t grade. I only encourage.
Another
important thing that I do with my students is introduce them to new vocabulary
words. I use word walls. I play vocabulary games and vocabulary drills. I use
the new vocabulary words often in class. I substitute common words for the new
vocabulary words. I give away extra points to the students I catch using the
new vocabulary words. These words eventually began to show up in their everyday
conversations and in their writing.
To
get my students excited about writing, I provide them with opportunities to
have their work published. I send some of their best work to the local
newspaper for publication. I submit their papers to writing contests. I even
provide them with the submission pages and guidelines for teen magazines.
So,
as I close this year out, I want to shout “Hooray!” My students are writing and
loving it.
You
can check out some of my writing journals at my Tpt store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/2cute-Classrooms
