I KNOW I HAVE TO DO IT,

…BUT…
I HATE
TO WRITE!
Writing is a daily part of school… Think beyond the term paper: GO REAL WORLD!
..…but for many students, it is the single-most painful part of their day. Why is it so difficult for so many of
our brightest students to write and like doing it? Where does the resistance to writing come from? ✏Identify & set learning objectives
Student and teacher work together on these
✏Limited productive language skills
Bring parents into the picture
Receptive language comes first, productive language follows
Have writing mentors help
Listening precedes speaking
RESOURCES
Reading precedes writing ✏Make products with purpose
Burkhardt, R.M. (2003). Writing for Real:
✏Asynchrony Write and send email Strategies for Engaging Adolescent Writers.
Stenhouse Publishers.
Reading & writing are often lopsided within a single child Create shopping lists & menus Calkins, L. ED263613 - The Art of Teaching Writing.

When a child is verbally precocious, i.e., early reader, or well-spoken, we Write recipes for others Frank, M. (1995). If You're Trying to Teach Kids

harbor expectations that s/he is ready to write at the same level. Make signs, scrapbooks
How to Write, You've Gotta Have This Book.
Incentive Publications.

This is often not the case, and it is the expectation that creates frustration in Write histories, own family or others’ Hoagies. For the love of words.
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/language.htm
teacher and learned helplessness in the child. Find pen pals around the world Jan, L. W. (2008). 3rd ed. Write ways: Modeling
writing forms. Oxford University Press.
✏Undeveloped fine motor skills Classroom or family newsletters Mirriam-Goldberg, C. (1999). Write Where You Are:
Cutting: scissors and knife How to Use Writing to Make Sense of Your Life.
Free Spirit

Coloring ✏Provide choice in products National Writing Project. http://www.nwp.org/

Publishing.
Sewing Many ways to achieve the same goals Peterson, N. Your child : a writer. Retrieved
Stringing beads Don’t make assignments one-size-fits-all 10/25/09 from
http://www.prufrock.com/client/client_pages/Paren

Any high-interest activity that demands fine-motor work ting/Writing/Your_Child_A_Writer/Your_Child_A_Wr

iter.cfm

✏Too tedious ✏Grade with student made rubrics Rinard, B. The reluctant writer. Retrieved 10/25/09
from

Writing is physically and psychologically demanding Students benefit from helping create evaluation rubrics http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:oBJcs
ChhVVwJ:nswagtc.org.au/info/articles/Rinard_Relu

Provide LOTS of scaffolded activities to enable success Makes expectations crystal clear ctant%2520Writer.PDF+writing+problems+in+gifte
d+children&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AFQjCNGnEWPPh3f4
50Myte6OdKJmI_IkcA

Create an environment of psychological safety Saves time in the end

Vark Guide to Learning Styles. http://www.vark-
learn.com/english/index.asp
Allow students to work in preferred modalities
✏Provide opportunities for success What Works Clearinghouse.
Using a variety of technology also helps http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
Peer editing/Blind reviews
✏Resistance to rote-repetitive/Lack of meaning
Early turn-ins for feedback
Many gifted children find no reason to work when no meaningful purpose is
Opportunities for re-writes
given
Provide real reasons for writing
✏Provide a writing-conducive environment
Change it up frequently—everyone benefits
Set rules about talking and noise during writing time
✏Too few strategies
Use appropriate music for better FLOW
Graphic Organizers/Inspiration
Be tuned into student needs for positioning, intake, and lighting
Writer’s workshop Characters Permit use of headphones, voice recorders, voice software, and scribes
Brain dump
Teach students to use the tools they’ll use in the “real world”
Student-made “real” books Voice Setting
Help students learn what works for them
Brainstorm before writing
Teach students how to ignore distractions
Morphological matrix
Provide “think” time ahead of writing
Story Starters w/music Twist Plot
Teach how to “capture” ideas so they can’t get away
Predictable books
Pre-writing discussions ✏If writing issues persist, consider the possibility of a learning disability
Assistive technology (whatever it takes) Examine difficulties with coding type tasks, copying from board, math
Check for significant differences between oral and written expression
Finally, talk with the child: could be it just takes too much work to write!
Lori J. Flint, Ph.D. East Carolina University flintl@ecu.edu