Writing is a skill that students will use throughout their lives. However, it is often difficult for struggling writers to get started or complete their work.

Teachers must address this issue and help their students become confident writers. Read on to discover 9 strategies for supporting these students!

1. Brainstorming and Focus Storms

Brainstorming is a cooperative strategy in which students are organized into groups to generate and discuss a range of ideas. They then evaluate and rank these ideas to find the most promising solutions.

Brainstorming sessions can be used in elementary classrooms to create a variety of writing tasks and assignments. They are also a great way to engage students in solving problems.

2. Shared Writing and the Language Experience Approach (LEA)

LEA is a unique teaching approach that is based on scaffolding.

Students work with a more proficient peer or teacher to create a written account of their experience. This is a great way to practice grammar and vocabulary that is relevant to the topic.

It also allows learners to correct one another’s mistakes, which may help them improve their writing skills. This process of shared writing helps develop a supportive atmosphere for learning English.

3. Focus on One Writing Task at a Time

Focusing on one writing task at a time helps to keep kids focused and prevents them from being distracted by other projects. It also allows them to finish their work more quickly and efficiently.

Struggling writers often have a hard time organizing their ideas and are overwhelmed by the writing process. Using graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams, clusters, and line diagrams, can help them organize their thoughts.

4. Read Their Writing Out Loud

Reading their writing out loud is a powerful way to help students notice issues with the writing they are reading. They often find grammatical errors, awkward sentence structure, and problems with word choice or flow.

This strategy is also a great way to build their vocabulary and improve their writing skills. Increased vocabulary is beneficial for a variety of reasons: it increases a student’s general knowledge, makes them more persuasive, and can help them make good first impressions.

5. Make Writing Fun

One of the most effective ways to support struggling writers is to make writing fun. If kids love the process of writing, they will want to write more.

One way to do this is to give them choices in what they write about. Allowing students to choose a topic they are interested in will boost their motivation and increase their creativity!

6. Give Choices to Take Their Writing to the Next Level

Many students in elementary struggle to write a strong piece of writing. It may be because they don’t understand what the instructor is asking them to do, or it could be due to a more serious language issue called written expression disorder.

Giving students choices to take their writing to the next level can help them. For example, they can choose to add illustrations, create a sequel or turn their story into a graphic novel.

7. Provide Ongoing Written or Verbal Constructive Feedback

One of the most effective ways to support struggling writers in elementary is to provide ongoing written or verbal constructive feedback. Providing feedback that is specific, elaborative, and actionable helps people grow and improve.

The key is to give it at the right time and in the right way. Consider what type of feedback you want to offer your students and choose a time that will work best for them.

8. Model the Process of Taking Their Writing Piece to the Next Level

One of the more daunting tasks in the writing process is taking your work to the next level. Whether that means sharing it with a classmate, submitting it for feedback or showcasing it to an audience of peers and family, it can be a stressful experience. Luckily, there are several strategies you can employ to help make this transition as smooth as possible. The 10 strategies below can be used in conjunction with your existing teaching repertoire to support students from grade school through high school.

9. Keep Writing Short

Keeping writing short is often one of the most difficult skills to master. But it is an important skill to cultivate if students are going to be successful in communicating with others.

Keeping writing short can help struggling writers because it forces them to cut out the unnecessary or trite parts of their writing. It also helps them to focus on their main point and make sure their writing is clear.