Motivating Students to Write

First-Grade Students' Motivation and Achievement for Reading, Writing, and

Spelling.
Kathleen Wilson
Guy Trainin
May/Jun2007, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p257-282. 26p. 3 Diagrams, 5 Charts.
http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2200/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4e9484fb8fb3-45d9-8ce7-e985aab8a197%40sessionmgr102&vid=1&hid=124

What?
-give student feedback
-make sure students are engaged
-realize that students compare themselves to others in the class
-social influences effect results in the classroom
-Since self-influences have been shown to affect the level of student engagement
and perseverance in academic tasks
-teachers need to understand the relationships of social constructs
-it is easier to hold an individual students attention when working one-on-one,
rather than in a group
-students work better when shown direct instruction

So What?

This resource is a good resource to use for the multi-genre project because it helps
to describe the motivations of younger students in regards to reading and writing.
Being a teacher that understands these reasons will help teachers be better
motivators for their students. This study is very much addresses the different
aspects that we have learned about in our literacy assessment class about finding
what works for individual students and then applying it.

Now What?
This information will be helpful in my teaching by allowing me to use as a resource
when I begin looking for ways to help my students become fully involved.

Getting the Buggers to Write

Sue Crowley
3rd Edition
http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2108/lib/unt/docDetail.action?docID=10509912

What?
-have students divide words into syllables for easy memorization
-have students visualize words before writing them
-As a teacher, use visual aids
-use spelling tests to help students build a firm foundation for writing
-practice writing in all curriculums
-let students know that everyone can be a writer
-make students feel positive about what they write
-set clear targets for the future
-praise students for what they do well

So What?
This is a magnificent resource! This book is great for increasing motivation for
students writing and their general outlook on English/Language Arts. This book has
many helpful tips and hints to motivate students as well as many unique and fun
activities to teach your students.

Now What?
I will use this information to make lesson fun and engaging for students as well as
follow the tips and hints contained to make every lesson meaningful and fun.

Jasons Story: Motivating a Reluctant Student to Write

Lynne Carignan-Belleville
English Journal, High School edition 78.3 (March 1989) page 57
http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2087/docview/237291100?pq-origsite=summon

What?
-choose topics of high interest to students
-encourage students to talk through a topic before approaching it on paper
-break down learning skills into small tasks
-approach each writing step using small steps
-correct only major errors
-correct errors sparingly
-encourage students throughout the entire writing process
-allow students to feel pride in success

So What?
This is a resource that gives great advice on how to motivate. Being a teacher that
uses the correct type of motivation and the correct type of guidance is a fine line
and one that many teachers often do not do correctly. This resource shows that
writing can be a great way for students to communicate their ideas.

Now What?
This resource and the student example it contains, allows the teachers to see the
real life effects of motivation and the different steps that teachers can make
towards motivation. I will use this example as a way to help motivate my future
students.

Putting Everyday Life on the Page: Inspiring Students to Write, Grades 2-7
Marc Levitt
What?
-stimulate the five senses of your students
-show the students what you expect of them, not merely tell them
-have the students use their writing to surprise the reader
-have students connect with the media
-have students write funny pieces that ignore sequential events
-have students write about their favorite music
-connect writing with other content areas
-coordinate with the specials teachers come up interesting and excite writing
prompts that involve the special areas.

So What?
This is a good resource for the multigenre project because it helps teachers of all
grades 2-7. This book is a good resource because it is far reaching too many grades.
It also talks about how to get students over the hump of the inevitable frustrations
that come with writing. This is something that I learned from my third grade mentor
teacher. She has taught many different grades throughout her career, and said that
she used many of the same methods and processes no matter what grade she
taught. Understanding this is a great way to motivate and connect with your
students.

Now What?
One of the biggest things that this resource talked about was being able to connect
the students with examples of writers in the real world. Explaining to students
that there are many different jobs and careers that use writing every day is a great
way to show to your students that writing is important. Once students realize that
writing is a key factor in the day to day operations of many jobs, they will hopefully
see that writing is not meaningless, but essential.

Teaching English Creatively

Teresa Cremin
What?
-allow students to writing meaningfully and with purpose
-use creative and fun mentor texts
-foster playfulness and engagement throughout the writing process
-allow students the time to fully immerse themselves in the theme or genre they are
writing
-provide many different examples of the theme or genre that your students are
working on
-encourage collaboration among students
-integrate self-refection, review and feedback for students
-take time to explore topics fully

So What?
Using this resource is a perfect way to make the writing process more fun and
exciting. This book is full of great activities. Using creative and fun ideas offers a
great way for students to connect with their writing a forces them to fully
experience the full scope of their writing.

Now What?
Being able to use creative and fun activities with your students will not only grab
your students attention, but also keep it. Students need to feel that they are
actually having fun and being fully stimulated by their writing. As a teacher it is
important to foster this stimulation by using fun and engaging activities. Teachers
need to realize that being able to produce these fun activities is a great way to
motivate their students.

Getting it in Writing: Quests to Become Outstanding and Effective Writing Teachers

Deborah Stankevich
What?
-the teacher needs to be a writer
-the teacher needs to follow the same writing techniques and strategies that the
students follow
-the teacher needs to be a responsible writer
- the teacher needs to experience the same writing process
-students and teachers need to work together as a team throughout the writing
process
-teachers need to model the entire writing process
-have students model back to the teacher
-use a smart board and other technology to grab student attention

So What?
This resource is about 16 teachers and their personal reflections about being writing
teachers. All of the teachers talked about how as teachers it is important to become
writers themselves. The book talked about how teachers need to practice what they
preach. Students know and can see when teachers dont buy into what they
themselves are teaching. Showing students that you as the teacher practice the
correct writing process is a great way to have students motivated to write.

Now What?
Using this resource is a strategy to use as teachers reflect back on their teaching
and see what is working and what is not working. Using this book, teachers can
draw on the experiences of other teachers and truly help to master and hone their
teaching craft. This way when it comes to teaching the next lesson, or sets of
writing lessons, the teacher can better motivate and inspire their writers.

Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write

Patricia Cunningham
Richard Allington
What?
-use a variety of print activities and non-regulated writing activities to engage
writers
-offer students a variety of real reading and writing encounters
-convey to the writers that they are trying to understand or communicate their story
-ask students to come up with their own writing prompts
-have students write their own questions
-allow students to write in the genres and voice they want
-allow for students to read their own writing
-assure the students that merely writing is more important than the grade they will
receive

So What?
This resource is a great book that can be used to focus students towards the writing
process. This book can be used to show students that writing is a fun and engaging
experience. This book outlines many different ways how students can work together
as a class to improve all of their writing. Writing is a group effort and being able to
work together helps everyones writing.

Now What?
Being able to focus the students writing on multiple activities and being able to
motivate students is key to writing. This book would be a great resource to any
teacher who is having trouble trying to find activities to inspire and motivate. Using
the guidelines in this book will greatly help any writing teacher.

Beat not the Poor Desk: Writing: What to teach, How to teach it and Why.
Marie Ponsot-Rosemary Deen
What?
-have students read their writing aloud
-assign structures that pull writers subjects out of their minds
-writers should work inductively and imaginatively
-have students practice using drills, exercises, workbooks
-allow students the opportunity to share their writing with their peers
-allow the students to choose what they write
-have students practice their grammar throughout the day, grade less harshly on
grammar
-give students real life examples of how writing is important

So What?
This resource is a great resource to help motivate student writers. This book has
many different tools and strategies to help students throughout the writing process
from beginning to end. Using this resource will help your students obtain the tools
needed to get excited about the writing process. The book talks about how as
teachers, you need to first gain the students attention and then use their attention
to motivate them to become accomplish writers.

Now What?
Using this resource is to help your students is a great way to encourage and engage
them in the writing process. This resource talks a lot about being able to motivate
your students throughout the entire writing process and this is something that can
be lost on most teachers. We think that all we have to do is to motivate at the
beginning of writing and then they will have motivation for the rest of the process.
However, it is important to be able to have continued motivation for your students
throughout the writing process to keep and hold their attention and increase the
level of their writing.