- Set Up a Writing Station: paper, blank postcards , envelopes, pens, pencils, sticky notes etc.22
- Use a Writer’s Notebook – each student needs their own notebook.
- Allow students to create a cover for their notebook
- Use prompt cards for the children who need a little help with starting their writing tasks.
- Dedicate at least 5 minutes every day to your students’ Writer’s Notebooks.
- Create a Writer’s Prop Table – a small table in your classroom, scattered with a collection of objects such as a key ,a toy dog, a post card, a shoe, a book, an old coin, an old map etc. This will help give children a starting point for their narratives.
- Direct Instruction- see my previous posts for this but basically it involves
- the I do (teacher modelling), we do ( guided practice) and you do (independent practice). This is the most important step! Spend AGES on it.
- When I was in college we were shown an idea where we cut up a piece of tect and the children had to reconstruct it in the correct order. It helps them to sequence events.
- Tips for leading shared writing sessions – focus your shared writing session on one or two elements of narrative writing. For example, focus on text structure, ideas, characters and setting or vocabulary.
- Keep it short.
- Use Think, Pair, Share
- Inspire your students through the use of visual prompts, props and feely bags.
