Writing Activities for Small Groups

There are many ways to incorporate authentic writing activities into small-group tutoring. Here are a few to get you started.

Writing off the book. When writing activities are tied to the books children read, they gain a better understanding of the strong connection between reading and writing skills and deeper comprehension. Children can write about the book before, during, or after reading.

• Before reading: After introducing the book, have children write out their predictions about what will happen in the story. For a nonfiction book, they can brainstorm by listing all the facts they already know about the topic. After reading, return to this list and add anything new learned from the book.
• During reading: As they read, encourage children to write down questions, sources of confusion, or interesting points in the story. This reinforces oral questioning and other ways of engaging with the text that you model when reading aloud.
• After reading: Group members can react to what they read in response logs, write summaries of the book’s main ideas, or rewrite the story using an alternate ending of their own choosing.

  Group story writing. There are many ways that your group can write collaboratively. Children enjoy the silly stories that emerge when each group member writes a sentence on a piece of paper, folds it over, and passes it on for the next contribution. You can guide this activity by providing the opening sentence, asking questions, or providing other prompts; conversely, you can give children free rein and watch truly creative material develop.

  Language experience. Language experience is a personalized, communicative, and creative way to illustrate the connection between oral and written language. Children tell you a story and you write it down exactly as it is said. You can prompt student writing around a book you have read together or by discussing a topic of interest. Language experience can also help students prepare for or reflect on a field trip or service project. Extension activities include adding illustrations or selecting words from the story for work on vocabulary, spelling skills, or sound-symbol correspondence. Additionally, when children read their stories aloud, they improve their fluency.

  Writers’ workshop. For a more structured group writing experience, hold a mini-writers’ workshop to teach your group about the process of writing, revising, and editing. Whether children write independently or as a group, have them follow these steps:

  
  
  1. Think and talk
  2. Write
  3. Share
  4. Add or change
  5. Revise
  6. Edit (spelling, capitalization, punctuation, etc.)

  If they like, children can publish their finished work. Children can bind writing in colorful construction paper and decorate the covers with their own artwork.