
Want to Become a Better Writing Teacher? (16 Tips)
Strong reading instruction is getting a slew of attention right now. Which is wonderful. But, as Shanahan says, “If you want better reading scores, the science of reading says do not neglect writing.” Which is why we can’t only focus on reading instruction. Writing–reading’s inextricable partner–is key to reading success. Which means we all need to become a better writing teacher too.
Why is writing ignored?
Reading scores are what’s reported at district, state, and national levels. Media seems to only report on reading. And not many states report writing scores. If they do, it’s far overshadowed by reading. And we all know that what gets tested gets attention. To that end, millions of dollars have been spent on reading professional development, despite, as Shanahan also points out and which is also confirmed by What Works Clearinghouse, “there are no studies showing that LETRS increases the chances of phonics instruction working.”
And also because…
Over 20 years ago, the National Reading Panel, which is heavily referenced today as the North Star of reading instruction, chose from a narrow band of reading research to land on the five pillars of reading instruction. Those pillars are: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. At the time, writing as a body of research, even in relation to reading, just wasn’t looked at. But, Shanahan warns, that doesn’t mean it isn’t crucial for reading. He discusses this on The Teaching Literacy Podcast (go to about 1:05 in the video below to hear about it).
Which means we all need to become a better writing teacher too.
Since then, tons of research has come out that supports writing’s impact on reading.
“Writing can help kids to become measurably better readers.”
Tim Shanahan, January 20, 2024 blog post
Which means it would behoove us all to learn to become a better writing teacher.
I’ve written a great deal about writing instruction already, so this is more of a round-up post, where I gather all the tips I’ve shared right here in one handy place.
So, without further ado, here are 16 tips that will help you become a better writing teacher:
- Know your standards. Really well. Which means not only understanding what your standards are asking of writers, but what the grade levels below you and the grade level above you also ask. Be careful–sometimes the standards for grammar and sentence level work are not housed in the “writing” section. But knowing what the end goal is and what foundation your students should already have (but of course may not) is the number one key.
- Use and unpack writing exemplars. Everyone likes to have an idea of what an end product looks like. It’s the destination, so to speak. It’s where the whole idea of “visual learner” came from. Examples give clarity.
- Model, model, model. When we model writing along with clear and explicit thinking aloud, we build the path to the destination.
- Provide dedicated time every day for writing. While the instruction we provide is crucial, so is time for students to apply it. The more they write, the better they’ll get. But that won’t happen if it’s only a once-in-a-while thing or if adequate time isn’t provided. Having trouble finding time for both reading and writing? I’ve got sample literacy block schedules for you to help–including the idea of combining reading and writing lessons into just one literacy lesson.
- This idea goes for you, too, dear teacher. You’ll be a FAR better writing teacher if you do a little bit of writing yourself, even just a couple times per year. It’s the number one way to overcome the hurdle of being nervous to write in front of your students. Importantly, it also helps you understand how it feels. How it feels to generate an idea, formulate a sentence, plan with a structure, and consider the audience. How it feels to put yourself out there, and how it feels to worry that you’re not getting it right. Writing is incredibly vulnerable, and we will do well to keep that in mind because our kids feel these very same things when we ask them to write.
- Speaking of time, know that writing instruction can and should happen across the day, too. You can teach and reinforce grammar, sentence structure, and the like very easily through writing in the content areas. Explicit writing instruction doesn’t happen only in the “writing block.” With that approach, there’s no question kids will never get enough practice or reinforcement. Writing across content is also the entire premise of The Writing Revolution, an idea I wholeheartedly support.
- Confer with students. Not just circulate and answer questions, but truly confer in ways that push student learning forward. Key to this is having a reliable structure to lean on. There should be a system for this. If you have a line of kids at your table or lots of raised hands during writing, your classroom management structure needs revamping. I have not written about this yet, but April Smith’s Simplify Your Writing will help you get your writing workshop up and running smoothly so this can happen. It’s crucial. It’s also extremely similar to what Calkins advises in her Guide to the Writing Workshop book if that’s something you have at your fingertips. And my friend Melissa Morrison shares excellent tips for this on this episode of her podcast.

- TAKE NOTES. Use a simple method to keep track of what kids are doing and what you’ve taught in your conferences (grab mine here). Your notes serve as a powerful tool for planning next steps instruction, whether in whole group or small group.
- Use shared and/or interactive writing. Very similar to modeled writing, this teaching practice is carefully designed to involve students–so they practice the next steps they themselves need to work on, which is largely informed by your careful note-taking. It’s a bit more nuanced. And it’s powerful for ANY grade level.

- Carefully plan small group instruction for super targeted next steps teaching. Again, this largely comes from your careful note-taking, but also from observing what your students are doing (or not doing).
- Collect student writing on a regular basis. The truth is you won’t get to everyone every week with conferring. This makes it important to be intentional about checking in with students every few days. I recommend collecting student writing from a table group (or similar) every day. A few minutes spent looking over progress each day will go a long way in being responsive. This too, is data, and can be used to inform your next teaching steps.
- Don’t get bogged down by ALL of the pieces of writing when you check it over. Think about what you’ve taught and what you’re working on at the moment, and look for that. Choosing only very specific lenses to examine will not only keep you laser-focused, it’ll save you loads of time (and frustration).

- Build in time every day to have students check for capitalization and punctuation. The cognitive load involved in writing is enormous, and this is usually one of the first things to go as a result. Until it becomes a habit to do so, we have to help kids build it. Habits, after all, are only built through repetition. Practice makes permanent, as the saying goes.
- Work toward teaching your students to help each other. When done right, peer feedback can be super helpful and truly lift the level of writing.
- Don’t be afraid to let them just….write. Yes, we need to explicitly teach. But there’s a very fine line between that and holding their hands way too much. Melissa Morrison also has an excellent podcast episode all about this. There’s also a fine line between teaching kids to truly write within the writing process and assigning tasks to complete. There’s a stark difference.
- Whenever possible, and it’s very often possible, keep kids motivated by offering as much voice and choice as you can. It plays a major role.
Ok, I’ll stop there, although I could probably go on. I’m not going to pretend that teaching writing is easy (although it is my favorite). It takes a lot to do it well, because it’s about pedagogy, not a product. Pedagogy takes time, learning, and trial and error.
But I wanted to share all these tips with you so you had a variety to choose from. Choose just one at a time and get good at it. Find something you feel comfortable taking on. Then add another. Later, add another. Know that even adding in one of these tips will help you become a better writing teacher–don’t think ALL of them have to be mastered!
If it helps you, know that it didn’t come right away for me, either. I probably spent a solid 3-4 years focusing on my writing teacher game before feeling like I really had it. I had a lot of training and support along the way, too, and I’m STILL learning more. So if you could use some support in implementing a tip or two from this post, know that I’m here for you! Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you through virtual coaching calls!
I’d love to hear about your journey to becoming a better writing teacher. Send me an DM on Instagram, join my Facebook group to let me know, or simply leave a comment below!

Who is Coach from the Couch?? I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach. I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can to strengthen, streamline, and simplify their literacy instruction.
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