Tips on Teaching Students to  Write : Grade 3 through Adult

The goal of teaching your students to write is to insure that your students develop strong writing skills so they will better be able to express ideas, opinions, and thoughts in a creative and mature way. In addition, when an individual is able to write well, they develop a more positive self-image,  grow intellectually,  develop creative thinking, and improve the ability to communicate.

What is good writing?

That’s a tough question. Unlike math or science, writing has no set answers, no true or false, no formulas. To make matters worse, English teachers have their own ideas about what good writing is, and not all of them agree! Some worry mostly about grammar. Others want to see how well you can express yourself in original, or creative, ways. Some want you to follow the five-paragraph formula, while others want you to write more freely. This can be very frustrating and yet students have to learn how to write well.

The good news is, almost every English teacher agrees on certain keys to good writing.

What are the Keys to Good Writing?

Key 1: Following accepted standards of punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Key 2: Using appropriate vocabulary and grammar.

Key 3: Writing that expresses ideas, opinions, and thoughts in a creative and

mature way.

What is the Average Age in Which Students Learn to Write?

Writing seems to be a natural part of child development. Children begin writing at a very young age. Preschoolers enjoy using crayons, markers and pencils to communicate creative ideas and to copy adults’ writing.

What do teachers do if a student has trouble writing?

When a student experiences difficulty writing, the cause of the difficulty needs to be identified from the three keys of good writing listed above. Once the cause or causes are identified, the student can be taught strategies to overcome or compensate for any weakness or disability. Here are a few tips to help students succeed with the writing process.

• If the student has difficulty expressing their thoughts, you may help by asking such questions as, “Why?” “What do you mean by that?” or “that sounds great. What else can you tell me about it?”
• Initially, a student may prefer that you write their answers for them. If so, tell them that you’d be happy to write their answers. As they gain confidence in themselves, they’ll start writing their own answers.

• If the student requests spelling help, you should provide it. Yes, we do encourage good spelling, grammar and punctuation, however, they should not interfere with the basic goal of writing: to express ideas, opinions and thoughts.