3 Practices that Will Engage Your Students in Writing

Writing In the Classroom
Photo Writing Prompts

1.  First, children need adventures, 

experiences and stories to write about...and where will they get them? Teachers can help make a story-filled classroom for their students. Some teachers schedule a story time as part of their literacy practices and strategies. Reading is a wonderful place to start because books are filled with writing, they tell adventures and stories. Telling stories and having conversations about experiences can be a springboard to writing.  Reading and listening can be the precursor for writing and speaking.  Talk, listen, tell, and write.  Tell stories in your classroom, provide opportunities for students to tell their stories. Whenever you become a storyteller, ears start to listen. Be sure to also take the opportunity to look at writing within the texts and books you are reading.  Isolating key writing strategies that talented authors use is a great way to show students what a writer does.


                                                     2.  Write! 
yes, write and then write some more.  Let your students see you write. Write at journal time, write sticky notes, write letters, write, write, write. Put up sticky-notes

Writing About Characters - Literacy Skills Instruction

Young readers love the story.  Partly, or mostly because of the main character.  Who the story is happening to is a big reason why the story engages the reader.  Relating to characters in a story develops interest and enjoyment to reading.  

A character, like Oliver Twist, simply creates the background, plot and theme of the story.  Charlotte guides us through lessons of friendship. Henry Huggins teaches us that living 'just an ordinary life' presents adventures and sometimes complications. He shows us the true meaning of kindness and stick-to-itiveness. Karana paints us a picture of being alone and what that can feel like. Little Red Hen teaches us a work ethic we can admire and even the youngest reader can empathize with her dealing with the lazy pig, dog and cat. 

Reading and writing about these book characters develops our own character: Who do you wish to be like?

5 Ways to Teach Sight Words that Engage the Young Reader

When teaching sight words, start with alphabetic insights.  Sounds and letters and the decoding process is important when learning to read and write.  The key is putting it all together --- even when teaching sight words. High-frequency words are not simply memorized; yet after time, they become so easily recognized in the 'entire word' form. When readers can read high frequency words easily, their reading fluency will increase.  This also allows for focus on the task of comprehension. Teaching sight words is one part of literacy instruction. 

Learning sight words can help children read fluently, but it is important to remember that we also want children to be aware of word and sentence concepts in our language.  Sounds and letters make up the word, the words make a sentence, sentences make a paragraph, and the paragraphs make up the story.  Young children learn to understand that these high-frequency words enable them to unlock the meaning within the texts. High frequency words might be the glue for the important concept words that the story relies on to show and relate the message.   We read to become smarter, to be nicer and to be entertained.

Teaching sight words in patterns can help the young reader/writer.  If I know the word come then I might also know the word some.  If I know the word and, I can easily read the word stand, hand, band. Making these connections help in language learning.   These relationships can make the reading day enjoyable and more meaningful.  

Sight Words with Cloze Activity

Teach Sight Words with Pictures
Using pictures to show the meaning can always assist in learning an unknown word.  Reading should always make sense. If the word is under,  then a picture showing under is helpful in learning that new word. 

The dog is under the table. 

Teach Sight Words by Listening
Hearing and listening to words within texts and stories provides