The Right to Personalize the Writing Process While Sheltering in Place

Life is not and will never be the same. Our students are at home. They don't have community around them to encourage or discourage their writing efforts, yet this may be one of the most critical times of their lives. Why not capitalize on it?

Are your students writing during this difficult time of at-home learning? What is happening in their homes? What does their day look like? Allow them time to reflect on and write about what they are hearing on TV or from friends and family about COVID-19. Or let them write about anything that is currently occupying their mind. It's a great time for escaping what's going on around them and fantasizing about another, maybe dystopian life.

Regardless, it's time for students to do some writing in the genre of their choice. So many of my students loved writing poetry, and I never allowed enough time for them to really explore what they wanted to express. Now, living in such uncertain times, encourage the expression of feelings through prose and poetry. Encourage students to post on a virtual board and to give feedback to each other on their topics.

Post a list of topics to spur creativity. Expect students to do a piece of writing each week on a topic that catches their interest, and provide time for sharing and feedback with the whole class. Ask for volunteers to share and then have the rest of the class write responses to the writer with questions and comments about their writing. Have them revise with the comments in mind.

There are so many books/websites out there with topics for student writing as well as online resources. Please share with us some of your favorites. One of mine that has been helpful is Prompted to Write: Building on-demand Writing Skills by Meredith Pike and Gerald Fleming. There are 15 chapters of writing prompts and developed introductory exercises.

Now is a great time to share your thoughts about living in a pandemic with your students, but if that is too personal, look for topics online and share with your students how and why you chose your topic. Give them leeway in choosing their topics and have them tell the story behind their choice.

Finally, share with us some of your writing and that of your students. Enjoy!