Motivating Writers

Happy Wednesday!!

Jivey, from the blog, Ideas By Jivey has the coolest link up. Every Wednesday she has a series called "Workshop Wednesday" where she posts a new topic. I have been wanting to link up to this for awhile, but have not found the time until today. I have read other blogger's posts from this link up in the past, and have gained some great ideas from this! I hope you will also head over to her blog to link up!


This week's topic focuses on motivating writers. This topic spoke to me, as once upon a time, I had the most UN-motivated writers in the history of teaching!! In fact, I was pretty unmotivated to teach writing myself. I actually enjoy writing for pleasure, but teaching it, well, that's another story! Part of the problem was that my past school district had a very scripted writing program which made teaching writing

BOR-ING! 

Everyday when I asked my students to take out their writing notebooks, all I would hear were sighs and groans -- a teacher's worst nightmare, right?!


I decided that I would make it my own even though I didn't care for the writing program. Since then, my students actually enjoy writing and I actually enjoy teaching it too. Here are a few ways I motivated my students:



1. Celebrate Student Writing Success

When students are writing, I walk around the classroom and look for strong examples to share with the rest of the class. Perhaps it was the use of transition words that I want to point out. Maybe it was the use of figurative language I want to highlight. Whatever the reason, if I like a students' writing, I simply stick a little post-it note on the paper. The students know that if they rreceive a post-it, then they get to share their writing to the class. And let me tell you, the LOVE sharing! 

I also have students read their writing to the class by sitting in the Author's Chair. I know this isn't really a new idea, but it definitely motivates them. 

My author's chair is pretty plain, but I found some cute decorated one's on Pinterest that would make a great summer project!

                                                                              Source: ftfeverything.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

 Source: inspiredwritingteacher.blogspot.com via Taylor on Pinterest

2. Find Fun Ways to Publish
Letting students use creative ways to publish their writing is another great motivator. Here are some pictures of our published writing. 

 Each year my students get to publish life-like books that I order from a company called, Bare Books.

Idea inspired by Lesson Plan SOS

3. Peer-to-Peer Reading & Editing 
My students love having the opportunity to share their writing with a partner. I usually give them the last few mintues of our writing period to read their writing to a partner. The students also help edit each other's work with an editing check list that I provide them. 

Couldn't find an actual picture of students reading writing/editing- but you get the idea!

4. Collaborative Writing
Sometimes I would have my students collaborate in small groups to write. In the picture below, each  group wrote a small portion of a summary for the book, Skeleton Hiccups.   Once the groups finished their portion of the summary, I put each groups' piece in a pocket chart and we read the entire summary together as a whole group. The students also helped edit the summary.

Last school year, one of my students told me that he used to hate writing until he had me for a teacher. Music to my ears after the groans I heard a few years prior! It's amazing how some simple changes can spark motivation in student writers!

Don't forget to link up with Jivey!