1. Establish the Physical Environment
To build strong writing dispositions, we need to start by establishing the writing environment. This means we need to consider what we are doing before students walk in the door and what we do when they step into the classroom. To accomplish this goal, we need to begin the year by establishing writing norms that ensure students know what to do and when to do it. If students are scrambling for you all the time, you will not be able to do the important work of teaching.
You will need to establish the norms in your classroom that ensure students know what to expect when it is writing time. When it is time to write, what are your expectations? You will need to think through these expectations. Whatever you expect, you must teach students and give them time to practice. Discuss the experiences as they practice. What was hard, what was easy, what do they need more practice and/or feedback on? These might include:
Where do students go when you are teaching?
How should they sit?
What do they need with them?
Where do students go to write independently/partners/groups?
Do they have choice in where they sit to write? If you don’t know the answer to this because you don’t know your students yet, consider taking some time to practice different methods with them. Then ask them what they thought - what they liked and didn’t like about writing in desks versus writing on the floor versus standing at a table. Maybe they come to the conclusion that they can have choice. In this case, provide the time for them to practice the different ways to write and then discuss how it went.
You will also consider what you can do to set students up for success during writing time so that the established norms are attainable for students. These might include:
How do you keep them engaged during this time?
Where are writing materials in the classroom?
What do students have access to at their fingertips?
What resources are available to them at any time? These might include paper, pencils, highlighters, staplers, sticky notes, and/or white boards and dry erase markers.
Research tells us that strong writing dispositions are developed when we have choice and voice, and when we feel less stressed. Remember that not every writing task needs to be assessed, nor does every writing task need to be perfect. Low stakes means they have opportunities to practice, get feedback, and improve without feeling like every piece of writing needs to be perfect.
2. Make It Happen
So, how do we make it happen? How do we establish the norms and the expectations so students can build strong dispositions as engaged writers in a positive and collaborative environment?
Establish your purpose of writing in your classroom. Deeply reflect on the question: What is the purpose of me teaching writing to my students? When you are have the answer, communicate that purpose to students. They need to know WHAT is expected and WHY. While passing assessments is often the final outcome, we need to focus on the PROCESS of writing. Rubrics and checklists should drive the process so students can learn how to self-regulate and write without constantly needing reassurance.
Plan the structure of your writing time. Step by step, what does it look like. It needs to be consistent and predictable. This doesn't mean you must do the same thing every day, but the routines of teaching, learning, applying, reviewing, and communicating are embedded in the writing process.
Plan and teach the routines and procedures during writing time. Reflect on how these routines and expectations align with the purpose of writing in your classroom to ensure students have what they need to be successful. Plan to teach each routine and expectation and give students time to practice what you expect.
Plan the resources students will have access to when they are writing independently/with partners. These resources might include notebooks, writing genres, writing traits, exemplars, checklists, rubrics, phonics patterns, and/or word lists. Plan the time you will need to teach students how to access and use these resources.
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