How to Help Students Become Better Writers

Strong writing skills are essential for success across all subjects and become increasingly important as students’ progress through school. Strong writing helps students learn, communicate, and achieve their academic goals. Here are several tips on how you can help your students become better writers: 

Encourage reading. You already know that reading and writing go hand in hand, so whatever grade (or subject) you teach, be sure to have students read regularly during class and outside the classroom. Reading exposes students to the main literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama), the many subgenres within each of those categories, and different styles of writing. It builds students’ vocabulary and refines their knowledge of the English language. Of course, reading has countless benefits beyond cultivating students’ writing and other academic skills.  

Give them daily practice. Writing is a complex process that takes practice and patience. Teachers of younger students can incorporate writing activities like journaling or responding to a writing prompt of the day into their routines. This gives students the chance to engage in free writing and exercise their creative muscles. Teachers of older students with more writing experience can include questions that require written responses in homework assignments and quizzes. This helps students strengthen their writing abilities as well as their understanding of the material.  

Be specific about the elements of quality writing. Many students struggle to comprehend what good writing looks like. There’s certainly some subjectivity to it, especially when it comes to narrative writing (e.g., a short story) and persuasive writing (e.g., an opinion essay or review of a book or movie). Keep things simple for your students by sharing the basic traits of effective writing, whether they write an essay, book report, scientific analysis or something else:  

• The piece of writing has a clear message or purpose and develops its point/ideas thoroughly.  

• It is structured with a clear beginning, middle and ending and all main points have supporting details.  

• The voice of the piece is clear, knowledgeable and engaging.  

• The words in the written piece support the development of its message. The writer uses active verbs, precise nouns and descriptive adjectives/modifiers. 

• The sentences in the written piece are clear, vary in length and flow well from one to the next. 

• The piece of writing follows the standard rules of punctuation, spelling, grammar and capitalization, and is free from errors.  

Talk about best practices for editing. Students need reminders that writing involves much more than putting words on paper. Planning, revising, getting feedback, editing and proofreading are key steps in the writing process. Often, students assume that proofreading and editing are the same thing. Explain that editing is about improving their writing, while proofreading is a last check for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors before finalizing. Practice with samples of writing for editing together in class so students get the idea. Here’s a detailed checklist that students can use when editing their own work:  

Editing Checklist 

• Did I answer the prompt/fulfill the assignment?  

• Do I stay on topic throughout the piece?  

• Have I revised any wordy, unclear sentences? 

• Have I fixed any incomplete sentences?  

• Have I eliminated any unnecessary words that weaken my argument or sentence or do not add to it (e.g., filler words like just, basically and very)? 

• Do sentences vary in complexity and length?  

• Do sentences vary in structure (e.g., they don’t all start with The or I)?  

• Does each paragraph make its point in a clear way?  

• Are my transitions from paragraph to paragraph smooth, and do they lead the reader from one idea to the next?  

• Did I include vivid details and bring the setting to life?  

• Is this interesting to read from the beginning? 

• Is the tone appropriate for the audience?  

• Does the writing show details rather than summarize them?  

Better writers are better students. Writing teaches students to organize and communicate their ideas, make compelling arguments, stretch their minds and so much more. Plus, writing is an essential skill for learning and improves comprehension and retention of complex topics.  

If you have students who struggle with writing, let their parents know that Huntington can help. Our writing tutoring programs help students improve their grades in school and their confidence. We work with students from elementary to high school, helping them build foundational writing skills and master the writing process. Parents can reach us at 1-800 CAN LEARN for more information about how to start their children on the path to academic success.