Writing Tools to Help Your Students During Distance Learning

The writing process is such a part of the primary classroom. Your learners are beginning to understand the parts of a story or essay, form sentences, and use quality word choice. During distance learning, your students should still be writing! These writing tools will help your students during distance learning.

The Writing Process

Not all writing tools are technology-based. In fact, the tried and tested writing process is the best way to help students learn how to write from start to finish. Here is how I teach the writing process:

• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing
• Publishing

Your students are just figuring out to put their thoughts and words to paper. Take some time to model the writing process for your students via ScreenShare with Google Slides or even using anchor paper or charts. In the Easy Distance Learning course, I share a writing process guide that you can post in Google Classroom, email to parents, and share with your students!

Paper and Pencil

With all the technology tools available during distance learning, it may seem strange to start with a pencil and paper. However, your students are beginning to take their thoughts and ideas and form well-written words and properly punctuated sentences.

Keep the handwritten momentum going strong even when you are teaching remotely. If you have Zoom sessions with your students, have paper behind you where you can write out words and sentences. Show your students how to go through the writing process using analog tools before they go digital.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are not just for struggling writers! In fact, I share weekly writing templates in the Easy Distance Learning course to help your students learn how to write with confidence! Monday begins with brainstorming. Model brainstorming with your students during your online learning sessions by drawing a web and jotting down their ideas or your own! On Tuesdays, you can walk your students on how to take an idea from Monday and draft their paragraph on one of the included templates. On Wednesday, your learners will begin revising one of their sentences before working through their writing checklists.

Writing Checklists

Help your students meet their writing goals by sharing editing and revising checklists. The Easy Distance Learning course also includes writing checklists for your first or second graders to make sure they have everything they need before publishing their writing. Checklist items focus on the six traits of writing:

• Ideas & Content
• Organization
• Conventions
• Voice
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency

Instead of including a rubric that breaks down each of the traits, I use checklists to help my students easily edit and revise their own writing. You’ll simply share the checklists with your learners via Google Classroom or other online platform, and they can work with you or their parents to make sure they have everything they need in their piece of writing.

With distance learning, writing shouldn’t just be another added stress for you or your students. In fact, utilizing these writing tools and strategies to help your primary students during this time will have your distance learners ready for their next writing tasks when it’s time to go back to school!