Interactive Writing Lessons

Interactive writing involves both the teacher and students where the teacher is the primary writer and occasionally invites a student to contribute a word, or part of a word, to the collaborative writing piece. In this activity, the entire classroom works together to compose a piece or pieces of writing. It further encourages creativity and critical thinking while also giving teachers a moment for gentle correction in real time. 

The Benefits of Interactive Writing 

This activity forms a community in the classroom while students work with one another and their teacher to create a cohesive writing piece. Interactive writing promotes a sense of belonging as students see the ideas they contribute being used in purposeful and meaningful ways. 

It also grows their self-confidence, becase working in groups can reduce the fear of making mistakes and encourage risk-taking in a safe environment. Furthermore, interactive writing improves students’ learning and cognitive abilities by developing their skills in metacognition. They are taught to investigate their thoughts and discern why they make various decisions. 

Kicking Off the School Year With Interactive Writing

As teachers consider when to implement interactive writing in their classrooms, it’s best to start at the beginning of the academic year. Starting interactive writing lessons early in the year forms a routine and gives the teacher time to set boundaries and form measurable learning goals for students. It also allows the teacher to foster students’ language development and creativity from the start.

Preparing for Your First Interactive Writing Lesson

When preparing an interactive writing lesson, planning and attention to detail are  key to success. These details include planning the time of day the lesson will occur, choosing the material the students will write about, and creating a dedicated area for the activity so students can easily and actively participate. Here is more advice to consider when planning an interactive writing lesson or using an interactive writing piece: 

• Consider the time of day: The teacher might plan their lesson earlier in the day when students are more receptive and less distracted. If the lesson is later in the day, students may be more concerned with the approaching end of the school day and therefore be more distracted.
• Designate an area: Create a designated area for the lesson and ensure the location in the classroom is comfortable for everyone. Make sure the space allows all students to see and easily access the easel, whiteboard, or projector with materials (pens, pencils, markers, stickers) that are close by. 
• Know when and how often to involve students: The teacher needs to know when it's best to allow their students to jump in and provide their input about the writing prompt. For instance, if the prompt is about making a shopping list, the students may have more experience in that area, allowing for opportunities to provide input and offer their ideas. On the other hand, if the prompt involves writing a short narrative or letter about a higher-level topic, the teacher may decide to lead more and intermittently invite students up to provide input. 
• Remain flexible: While maintaining a strict routine is important, flexibility is also critical at certain points in the lesson. If the lesson is taking a different turn from the original plan but is productive, the teacher may consider proceeding forward with the flow of the lesson. Remaining flexible can give students a sense of autonomy and show them their voices are heard. 

Running an Interactive Writing Session

A typical interactive writing session or writing workshop involves the teacher at the front of the classroom with teaching tools such as an easel, whiteboard, or projector while  students are sitting down in a designated area with their own writing materials to practice with. This is an example of how the lesson could flow: 

1. The teacher collects the necessary materials for the lesson and calls students to the designated area for the activity.
2. The teacher chooses a topic and style of writing to work through with students—making a list, writing a narrative, writing a letter, writing about their day, or the like.
3. The teacher calls the students up for participation one at a time. 
4. While one student is up at the board, the teacher can encourage the rest of the students to stay in place and practice the exercise with their writing materials. 

The Three Ms of Interactive Writing

When overseeing an interactive writing session, teachers can follow the 3 Ms: model routines, manage time, and manage materials. These are discussed here: 

• Model routines: Teachers should establish routines in the first week of classes so they become second nature for students during the course of the year. They can do this by showing students the designated area for the lesson, instructing them to wait their turn, and having them come up one at a time so they can practice placing or writing a letter or word on the board or easel.
• Manage time: Once the teacher has established a routine with the class, they can more effectively manage their time during lessons. It’s also important to watch  childrens’ body language throughout the interactive writing session. If they are getting restless or wiggling in their seats, that may be a sign to wrap up the lesson for the day. It’s important to keep interactive writing lessons engaging for students at all times. For instance, while one student is up at the board writing a word, the teacher can have the remaining students “clap” the word as they sound it out. 
• Manage materials: Rotating materials throughout the year keeps students from getting bored. Students may get used to the same writing materials and find less of a desire to engage in the lesson. Teachers in the same grade level could get together and create a list of needed materials. Each teacher can purchase one set of classroom materials (i.e. small whiteboards with markers, small chalkboards and chalk, etc) that can be rotated amongst classrooms so students have a different writing material or medium to work with. 

 

Enhancing Interactive Writing Lessons With Additional Tools

There are many opportunities teachers have to make their entire class and the school students' writing experiences interactive beyond scheduled lessons. Interactive bulletin boards are a great way to keep students engaged throughout the day or to fill in gaps in time.

They can be used as bell ringers or as literacy activities at the end of the day. Teachers can get creative with the boards by turning them into games such as Wordle or Scrabble, posting “would you rather” questions for the individual children to answer, reading a read-aloud book, and so on. The board can also be concurrently used with interactive writing lessons to change things up a little bit.

Shaping the Future With Voyager Sopris Learning's Step Up To Writing

Voyager Sopris Learning^® is the best option to address needs and fill in the gaps in subject areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics. Voyager Sopris Learning offers writing solutions for grades K–12 including Step Up to Writing^®, a research-based writing program that consists of hands-on and engaging writing strategies to support all students in their writing development. 

Voyager Sopris Learning also offers Voyager Passport^®, a research-proven reading intervention solution that includes language and writing components for students in grades K–5. Additionally, LANGUAGE! Live^® is an intensive literacy intervention for students in grades 5–12 that includes instruction in foundational reading skills, grade-level text, and writing. Voyager Sopris Learning’s programs are designed to be engaging and incorporate interactive writing for students of all grade levels.