Wonderful Writing Words

Ottawa Public Library. (2019). Creative writing circle. Retrieved from https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/event/creative-writing-circle

Writing is an essential part of everyday life used to communicate ideas and feelings. The student must be aware of the purpose for which they are writing as well as their audience. They must learn to organize their thoughts to produce a solid piece of writing.
According to the Ontario Curriculum for grades 1-8, there are four overall expectations students are meant to achieve: 
1. generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
2. draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience;
3. use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively;
4. reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.
(Ontario Ministry of Education (2006). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 language (Revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer.)
Steps of Writing Process
There are 5 steps that the student should consider while creating any piece of writing. First, the prewrite. This is where the student chooses a topic, sets a purpose for their writing, collects facts to include in their writing and then brainstorms and organizes their ideas. The next step is to create a rough draft of the writing. This is when the students take the ideas they brainstormed in step one and create sentences and paragraphs to polish later in the process. Step three is to revise the rough draft. This is where any changes and improvements should be made in regard to word choice, organization, and detail. The next step is to edit your piece of writing. This is when spelling and grammar are perfected and each sentence is reread to ensure it all makes sense. The final step is to publish your piece of writing by completing a final copy and preparing to share your piece with the readers.

Here is a fun poster you can hang on your classroom wall to remind students of the 5 steps! 

(Teachers Pay Teachers. (2019). Writing process posters, anchor charts & writer's notebook sheets. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Process-Posters-Anchor-Charts-Writers-Notebook-Sheets-3911576?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_campaign=Writing%20Process%20Posters)

Writing Prompts 
A writing journal is a great idea to incorporate into your future classroom to help your students polish their writing skills. Writing prompts are a fabulous way to spark students' interest to get them creatively thinking. These short and simple questions give the students ideas to begin their writing. The student is able to take the idea given and run with it any way they want to. This will allow them to let their uniqueness shine through.

Below is a list of 300 prompts you can choose from to engage your students!

(Thinkwritten. (2018). 300 fun writing prompts for kids: Story starters, journal prompts & ideas. Retrieved from https://thinkwritten.com/writing-prompts-for-kids/)
You can also check out this Youtube playlist by John Spencer that features many videos providing students with fun and creative writing prompts! Here is one of my favourites!

(Spencer, J. (2019). Writing prompt: You have just been shrunk down to two inches tall. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzhxq3nCQcU&list=PLzDOGMsmDvev9eeJeNUAJx7N8SOGLRwMJ&index=22)
Roll A Story

One fun activity you could incorporate into your writing class could be Roll a Story. Each student rolls a dice three times to determine what they would be writing about. Below are two examples of possible storylines your students could create using their imagination and writing skills. You could also have students come up with the characters, setting, and problem for each dice roll to make it more interactive. This can also be done with different styles of writing, such as poetry.
 (Teachers Pay Teachers. (2017). Roll a story - writing activity. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-A-Story-Writing-Activity-3083217)


References
Ontario Ministry of Education (2006). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 language (Revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer.
Spencer, J. (2019). Writing prompt: You have just been shrunk down to two inches tall. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzhxq3nCQcU&list=PLzDOGMsmDvev9eeJeNUAJx7N8SOGLRwMJ&index=22
Teachers Pay Teachers. (2019). Writing process posters, anchor charts & writer's notebook sheets. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Process-Posters-Anchor-Charts-Writers-Notebook-Sheets-3911576?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_campaign=Writing%20Process%20Posters
Teachers Pay Teachers. (2017). Roll a story - writing activity. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-A-Story-Writing-Activity-3083217
Thinkwritten. (2018). 300 fun writing prompts for kids: Story starters, journal prompts & ideas. Retrieved from https://thinkwritten.com/writing-prompts-for-kids/