Primary Education Writing Strategies

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Writing is a main component of daily instruction in the primary grades, third through sixth. Teachers should focus on teaching children to write for a specific purpose according to a structured outline. Students will benefit from interactive instruction in which they see the teacher model the correct writing procedures, then guide them in frequent opportunities to practice the concepts they are learning. This method will enable them to become successful, independent writers.
  • Type of Instruction
Students in primary grades need to learn the basics of writing. These include structure, style and content. Teachers should emphasize various types of writing such as narrative, descriptive, informative and comparison composition. These formats can be taught in other subject areas. For example, a teacher can demonstrate the method for informative and comparison writing as part of social studies and science classes because of their factual nature. Narrative and descriptive writing can be taught as a supplemental reading comprehension strategy to improve skills like retelling and analyzing information.
  • Teaching the Process
The most effective teaching strategy for primary students is direct instruction in the writing process. This begins with brainstorming and pre-writing and goes through revising, editing and final draft. Teachers should first focus on how to write an effective paragraph. Students can write about topics they are familiar with, like friends and family or favorite music and movies. After students have mastered the basics of writing paragraphs, teachers can begin to teach the process of composing an essay. This includes writing an introduction with a thesis sentence, the body with supporting details, and a conclusion. Teachers should show students how to write each of these essay parts separately, emphasizing quality of writing and content. In the primary grades, length of writing and depth of information are not as important as the overall structure and cohesiveness of the final product.

 Teachers need to devote much time to revising and editing. Students need to know how to evaluate their own writing, see what needs improving or changing, then make appropriate corrections. An effective strategy is to have students proofread each others paragraphs or essays and provide verbal and written feedback in a constructive manner. For example, they can answer predetermined questions about whether the paragraph or essay stays on topic, or if the information is presented in a way that the reader can easily understand. Students can work in teams or pairs to edit each others work and make suggestions for changes.

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