Planning for daily writing time is enormously beneficial to your students’ growth and improvement as writers. This article provides recommendations for implementing daily writing time into your class routine. And yes, that means writing every. single. day.
Daily Writing Time
Do you provide students daily writing time?
Daily writing time is an important but often neglected classroom routine. Writing practice offers reams of benefits for students, and your classroom will be bursting with success.
Keep reading to discover
- why daily writing time is so important
- how you can support your students during daily writing time
- resource suggestions to help with daily writing
A successful teacher instructs students to see themselves as authors, and one of the most tried and tested practices of an author is writing every day. So why not practice what you teach?
Setting aside at least ten minutes each day for writing time is beneficial to students’ growth as writers. When getting started with a daily writing routine, teachers can choose from various writing resources and methods. However, daily writing time should be non-negotiable in your classroom.
Once your start daily writing time, your students will gain confidence and improve their writing skills.
Benefits of Daily Writing Time
Research shows that daily writing time is beneficial for both students and teachers. Confidence, creativity, and self-expression are just a few student benefits. Likewise, teachers benefit from having built-in conference time to meet with students for small group and one-on-one coaching.
Benefits to Students
We all know that when you do something every day, you become better and more comfortable with it. The same goes for writing. The only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice. You should instill this mindset in your students by setting aside at least ten minutes every day for writing.
Children work best when they understand the purpose and goal of their work. Therefore, teachers should frequently reinforce the benefits of daily writing. You might compare writing to playing a sport or learning an instrument; the only way to improve is to practice every day.
Additionally, students’ focus and endurance will improve when they write every day. The more they write, the better their writing endurance becomes. Having good writing stamina leads to improved writing fluency.
Not only will students’ writing composition improve, but their creativity and self-expression will also develop and improve. Allowing students daily writing time promotes confidence in their own ideas. Plus, they’ll express themselves in ways they haven’t in the past.
Daily writing time is a safe time for students to try out new words, ideas, and techniques. Many students aren’t familiar with how to express themselves, and this provides a creative outlet.
Daily writing can also help students with communication skills and vocabulary. While writing and journaling, students should practice reading their work aloud to check for errors and mistakes.
Revising and checking their own work helps students fine-tune their skills and practice the techniques taught during class or small group time. Additionally, daily writing can help with handwriting practice or keyboard skills.
Benefits to Teachers
First, daily writing time promotes a calm and focused classroom atmosphere. Students learn to enjoy the peacefulness where they can collect their thoughts. In addition, teachers benefit from this quiet time, as they can use it to catch up with students for writing conferences, small group instruction, and one-on-one coaching.
Another option is to use daily writing time as a transition activity. For example, some teachers schedule writing time after lunch, after a recess break, or specials classes, such as gym. The peaceful setting transitions students back to academics smoothly. Writing as morning work is a great way to start the day, or it can serve as a calm way to finish the day.
Daily journal writing can be a springboard for future student ideas if you’re planning a more extensive writing assignment. For example, journaling can give students ideas for stories or personal narratives. By reducing pressure, students can focus on high-quality writing, which benefits everyone.
How To Implement Daily Journal Writing
Consistency: The most challenging part of daily journal writing is finding the time to implement it and then following through. Consistency, clear expectations, and teacher guidance help keep the momentum going. Plus, the consistent writing time helps students know what to expect, allowing them to stay focused on the task at hand.
Feedback: Feedback from the teacher and from other students is an essential element of daily writing. You can provide feedback in the form of a quick read with a verbal comment or as a more extended read with written feedback and editing suggestions. Another essential element is allowing time for students to peer edit each other’s work.
Finally, students can give each other feedback, recommendation, and even small amounts of instruction. Students seem to have a way of finding the right words to help each other.
Time to share: At least once a week, schedule time for students to share their writing with the whole class, small group, or partner. Allow them to choose their favorite piece from the week and read it aloud.
Remember, peer instruction and feedback provide valuable lessons for students. When students share their writing with classmates, they’re providing peer texts. Students learn a great deal from receiving peer feedback and also by offering feedback to others.
Ready-to-Go Resources
If you’re looking for ready-made resources, below are some suggestions you can use in your classroom today!
300 Journal Writing Prompts
One of the toughest parts of daily writing for students is generating their own topics and ideas. With 300 different prompts, there are enough topics for a new one each day. You can provide these prompts on cards, on the board, or in a prompt jar. You can simply print the cards and use them today for student writing.
Daily Journal Writing Prompts and Papers
This resource will kick-start your daily writing. Each month is laid out with 25 tailored writing prompts. The prompts are perfect for encouraging various writing styles and a wide range of ideas. A free sample is available in the preview for you to try out.
Writing Prompts Journal
Another way to get your students writing every day is by providing them with their own personal writing journals. This resource has 208 different and unique prompts laid out in a journal-style format. In addition, this resource offers a free sample to try out before you buy it.
So – are you feeling ready to implement daily journal writing in your classroom?
Start by picking a time and sticking to it. Remember to promote a calm and focused atmosphere in your classroom and encourage children to collaborate and share ideas.
Before you know it, your students will have increased writing stamina and literacy fluency.
Shop the resources mentioned in this article
Here are the resources mentioned in this blog post article:
These Quick-Writes prompts are fun, thought-provoking, and the length is just right. This Bundle of Quick Writes includes 208 different and unique prompts. I attempted to avoid controversial subjects, and no specific holidays are mentioned.
This bundle contains enough journal prompts for a FULL YEAR of writing. It’s everything you need to construct a writing program for your classroom. It contains writing prompt cards, a calendar page of prompts, journal covers, preprinted journal papers, checklists, rubrics, bookmarks, and Prompt Jar labels are included.
A FULL-YEAR of Writing Prompts. You’re sure to find fun, interesting, and thought-provoking prompts in this HUGE kit to encourage your students to pick up their pencils and write! I’ve tried to avoid controversial subjects so that you (and your students) feel confident with the writing.
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Good luck and happy writing!
