Characteristics of an Effective Writing Program

• write to and for children, with children, and encourage writing by children

Teachers write personal notes in student journals, leave notes on the chalkboard to the class, or write stories for children to read.  Teachers model good writing by planning and writing as the students plan and write, setting the stage for good writing attitudes and habits.

• know the attitudes, interests, and backgrounds of students

In order for teachers to facilitate student writing, they must use their understanding of the children. The more the teachers know about their students as individuals, the better they are able to guide them in generating topics for writing or further study.

• focus instruction on effective writing strategies

Research shows that one of the most effective ways of teaching writing is for teachers to model all aspects of the writing process.

• assess continually

Writing is an on-going process and needs to be assessed in the same manner.

• share samples of their own writing in process and in final form

Teachers share their own writing with students and use think-alouds to show how they address different parts of the process.  In this way teachers model the questions and habits of writers.

Students

• need daily opportunities to write

Daily writing is used for practice and for specific purposes, not formal assessments.  Children need opportunities to write in all content areas and for a variety of reasons which might include recording events, invitations, letters, giving directions, personal notes, imaginative stories, and summaries. Writing enables students to learn new information and to clarify their own thinking.

• need daily opportunities to share writing

Sharing their writing with others including principals, parents, custodians, cafeteria workers, other students and teachers, and other community members helps students realize their ideas are valued and helps them write for different audiences.

• need opportunities to select writing topics

Students need to choose topics to write about that mean something to them as well as those prompts which the teacher might supply.  Teachers find it beneficial to write about the topic prior to assigning it to students for writing.

• need opportunities to participate in appropriate prewriting activities

Much talking is required.  This activity may take as much time as the actual writing, for it is equally important.  This may include generating lists from brainstorming, retelling familiar stories, sharing experiences, gathering information, and telling the story orally prior to the writing.  Time spent in prewriting will strengthen the rest of the process and insure a more satisfactory final product.

• need opportunities to clarify the writing assignment as to purpose, audience and format

Children should have the opportunity to write to a variety of audiences -- themselves, teachers, older adults, and peers.  This will help them learn different ways to address these different audiences.

• need opportunities to experiment with language

Writers must be exposed to writing fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, mythology, legends, fables, folk tales, mystery, short stories, sports, romance, prose, poetry, biography, and autobiography.  They grow when they participate in choral readings, dramatic interpretation, public speaking, and reader's theatre.  They respond to opportunities to develop their oral language and to make connections between their reading and writing.

• need time allotted for multiple drafts

Time needs to be allotted for drafting both in class and at home.  This is an essential part of the writing process.  Not everything written is ready for publishing the first time.  This is a time for taking risks without fear of judgment and a time for revising first attempts.  This is a time to pour out words on paper to catch the idea and refine the ideas.

• need writing as an extension activity for literature study

As an extension of literature, writing should include shared writing, collaborative (group) writing, and other activities so that students can compare and contrast characters, interpret stories, draw inferences, make story maps, and write plot summaries rather than responding to short answer worksheets.  Students need to be given a choice as to how they respond to the piece of literature.

• need collaborative writing experiences

Students learn different forms of writing, how to address different audiences, and how to think through the writing process by working with others.  Having the opportunity to plan and write with others develop students' confidence in their writing ability.

• need opportunities to write for authentic purposes and real audiences

Students learn to write for each of the functions of written language (see Functions of Written and Spoken Language).

• need writing folders and/or portfolios

Examples of student writing should be selected by the teacher and the child to document progress.

Functions of Spoken and Written Language

Instrumental (language to communicate basic needs)

Regulatory (language to control others and the world around you)

Interactional (language to establish and maintain relationships with others)

Personal (language to develop and maintain one's own unique identity; say "who you are")

Informative (language to represent the world to others; impart what one knows)

Heuristic (language to speculate and predict  what will happen)

Aesthetic (language for its own sake, to express imagination, to entertain)

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