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Eight Ways to Foster a Nurturing Writing Atmosphere

You don't need to grade every piece of writing.

Periodically collect and review pieces of text to gauge engagement and thinking.

Assign much more writing than you will actually read.

Your students write before, during, and after studying a topic.

Your students write for purposes and audiences beyond the teacher's inbox.

You need to break longer writing assignments into a series of doable steps.

Your students should recognize and emulate the craft techniques found in mentor texts.

Your students should write with an eye toward voice, creativity, originality, and humor.

Your students should use writing to explore and monitor their own thinking.