How to Add Authentic Writing Experiences Into the School Day

Last updated on March 15th, 2025 at 10:32 pm

Do your students have time dedicated to writing each day? Is it authentic writing? I know many ELA curriculums have a huge deficit in the area of writing and many teachers have to supplement the curriculum they are required to use. Many curriculums for the younger grades lack strong foundational handwriting skills and do not include much or any authentic writing. The writing produced is largely copied from the board from a shared writing or students have to follow a strict format.

It’s definitely ok to have sentence starters for students who need them, but students should have the option to write their own sentences that include their own ideas. When students have the opportunity to write what they want, students will have an increased interest in writing. And just like with reading, the more a student writes, the better the student will get at it.

Many students I know do not like to write and I get it. Many curriculums have students reading a text and, then, writing about it while using the text to support their answer. While an important skill to have, there are so many more ways students could be writing.

First let me define authentic writing. Authentic writing as defined by George Mason University is a, “…phrase that describes writing for ‘real life’ audiences and purposes. Examples might include asking students to write web text for a non-profit, proposals to granting agencies, letters to the editor, or pieces that will be submitted for publication” (2025).

The examples above are obviously meant for older students, however the definition holds true for elementary students as well. And when students can see how their writing has meaning, that it’s not just a grade, they will be more motivated to write!

So the queston becomes, “How can we add more authentic writing experiences to an already packed school day?” This question is not easily answered, but there are ways to do it!

Authentic Writing Experiences

1. Have an outside audience.- By including an outside audience for your students’ writing, you don’t necessarily have to change the writing assignment. However, you are adding a purpose for students to want to write. Edutopia wrote an article, “5 Authentic Audiences to Ramp Up Students’ Interest in Writing.” The 5 audiences are as follows: “1. Other teachers and administrators, 2. Students’ Families, 3. Other Classes, 4. Local government officials, city workers, business owners, and 5. Larger Audiences.” Click the link attached to the article title for more details.

2. Students write down their homework assignments.- Instead of sending home a sheet with the homework on it, have your students write it down instead. This would be geared more for grades 2 and up because of time constraints and writing abilities. Students could write in a planner, on a sheet you provide, or in a notebook used for this purpose. Having students write down their own homework may, also, help them remember better to complete it.

3. Look for and have your students enter writing contests.- Do a little searching and find a writing contest that your students can enter. You’ll add some competition to their finished products, which will be a great motivator for many to do their best work. And you never know, your student could win a prize or their writing could get published this way! A couple great places to look to get you started are the Scholastic Storyworks or Scholastic Scope website and your local town’s website or Facebook page.

4. Get started with pen pals.- I’ve seen teachers reach out through Facebook groups to find pen pals for their students. If you don’t want to do it that way, you could reach out to a teacher friend at another school or have pen pals within your own school. This could be done monthly or just a few times a year. Really it’s up to you, but it will be an experience your students will remember. It would be even better if they get to meet their pen pals at the end of the year, either in-person or through videochatting on Zoom, FaceTime, etc.

5. Making cards.- Students could make thank you cards for a classroom visitor or for supplies the class received. They could make cards for each other for student birthdays or for family members for a holiday.

6. Book reviews.- Have students rate books after they read them and write a short review. These can be hung up in the classroom or maybe the school library as recommendations to students on what to read next.

7. Start journals.- Students can decorate the cover of a notebook to be their own personal journal. You can give students topics to write about or just let students write what they want. It could be done in the morning as morning work or at the end of the day as a way to reflect upon the day. In fact, check out this article from The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, ” 10 Ways Journaling Benefits Students.”

Closing Thoughts

By including just one or two of these authentic writing experiences in your classroom you will change the way your students think about writing! They will be better able to see that writing isn’t just about a grade, but has a greater purpose. Once this is realized, your students will be more motivated to write and to improve their writing.

Now that you got your students writing, you’ll need to know how to help students improve their writing. So next week, I’ll be sharing how to have meaningful writing conferences with students. In the meantime, if you want to know more about handwriting check out this post What Happened to Handwriting?