Top Tips to Improve Writing in Your Classroom

It all started during a conversation like the ones we used to have in the staff room over a cup of tea. You know the kind—where you’re sharing your latest classroom struggles with a colleague who just gets it. We were talking about the never-ending challenge of teaching writing. As much as we love those lightbulb moments when a child finally nails it, sometimes it can feel like pulling teeth (and without the “just lost a tooth” excitement, to boot).

It reminded me of a time one of my fellow teachers, let's call her Sarah, felt particularly frustrated. “I’ve tried everything,” she said, “but no matter what I do, my children just churn out these long, rambling stories with no real focus. They’re excited to write, but I just can’t seem to get them to focus on quality over quantity.”

Sarah’s words stuck with me. I’ve been there too—when you feel like you’re constantly repeating the same tips and techniques, but they’re just not sticking (like when you explain to a child why licking the glue stick isn’t a good idea, yet there they are… again). I knew there had to be a better way to inspire young writers, so I started brainstorming. What if there were a resource that didn’t just tell students what to do but showed them, step by step, how to craft a great piece of writing? Something that could guide them from the first spark of an idea to a polished, final piece?

Brainstorming new resource ideas and reminiscing on my chats with Sarah, that’s when the idea hit me: a resource built around books that children love, with worksheets that break down the writing process into bite-sized, manageable chunks. (Think of it like a recipe for writing—except no one’s “accidentally” eating the ingredients.)

After some more thinking, I had it. We’d start with a book—one that was not only age-appropriate but also rich in literary content, something that could teach children good writing techniques while keeping them engaged. I suggested using books like Lost and Found, a beautifully illustrated picture book that I knew would captivate Year 2s, or Goodnight Mister Tom, for the more mature readers.

But here's the twist. You don’t need to have the children read the entire book before they start writing. Instead, you focus on specific elements, like how the author describes the penguin or the setting of the story. And with our new writing resources, you get them use these elements to inspire their own writing.

We created a series of worksheets that walked children through idea generation, character descriptions, and setting development. We even designed activities that allowed them to practice their grammar and sentence structure as they went along.

Suddenly, children aren't just filling pages with endless streams of “and then, and then, and then…” Instead, they carefully craft sentences, like thinking about how to describe the penguin in Lost and Found with just the right words. At the end of the unit, they write posters for the lost penguin, and the quality of their work has improved tenfold. (We almost guarantee no one will accidentally describe the penguin as a “fluffy dog"!)

With these new resources, we believe we have cracked the code to getting children to produce high-quality writing, rather than just lots of it. It's all about breaking down the writing process into smaller, manageable parts and guiding them through it step by step.

I am sure you remember the days of ‘Big Writing,’ where more often than not, you end up with pages of rambling stories that lacked focus. The children are enthusiastic, sure, but they don't really know how to structure their writing. It is like they were trying to run before they’d learned to walk (or like when they try to draw a dinosaur and somehow it always ends up as a horse—close, but not quite).

That’s how I realised one of the key philosophies behind these new resources - the importance of modelling. Before we ask our students to write, we need to show them how to do it. We need to model good writing techniques, share our thought process as writers, and give them the tools to succeed.

So, now you have a pack of brilliant resources to lean on when planning your next writing lessons, what other tips and tricks can you use to get those creative juices really flowing?

1. Start with a Spark: Give your children something to latch onto—a character, a setting, or a theme from a book. Spend time building up their vocabulary together, and show them how you’d use it in writing. This not only inspires them but gives them the confidence to start writing.

2. Model the Process: Before your students put pen to paper, model the writing process for them. Walk them through how you’d craft a sentence or develop a paragraph. It demystifies the process and makes it less intimidating.

3. Encourage Idea Sharing: Let your students ‘magpie’ ideas from each other or from you. It’s okay if everyone uses the same word—what matters is that they use it correctly and in context. (We like to remind them that borrowing ideas is fine—just don’t forget to “return” them with a good story attached!)

4. Plan Thoughtfully: Begin your lesson with a clear example. Work together with your students to develop ideas, then model how to turn those ideas into a strong piece of writing. Finally, let them try it on their own.

5. Support Where Needed: For students who struggle, give them a solid starting point. Avoid tasks like “continue this pre-written sentence.” Instead, think like an author—help them see how an idea develops and grows into a story.

6. Embrace Editing: Writing isn’t perfect the first time, and it’s important for children to understand that. Show them how in your lessons.

And here’s the best part: these resources are now available on our website!

We’ve been careful to make sure the resources are flexible enough to fit into your existing curriculum, yet structured enough to provide the guidance that students—and teachers—need. Each resource is paired with a PowerPoint presentation so you can model good writing right there on the board. It’s all about taking the guesswork out of lesson planning and letting you focus on what you do best: teaching. (And maybe enjoying a few extra minutes of your lunch break without frantically scribbling notes for the next lesson.)

Through this process, we’ve learned a lot about what makes a great inspiration for writing. The key is to choose starting points that are relatable and engaging. We’ve found that books, personal interests, and real-life events work wonders in sparking creativity. For instance, using the summer holidays as a theme can really get those pencils moving—after all, who doesn’t have a fun holiday story to tell?

On the flip side, it’s important to avoid topics that are too far out of their experience. Asking them to write a newspaper article when they’ve never really encountered one? That’s a recipe for frustration. Instead, choose a resource or worksheet that builds on what they’ve already learned this year—whether it’s the features of a letter or the art of description. Our resources are designed with this in mind, offering a variety of worksheets that you can pick and choose from based on what your children need most.

We’re excited to finally offer a collection of writing resources that are as practical as they are inspiring. We’ve walked in your shoes, faced the same challenges, and we’ve developed these tools to make teaching writing just a little bit easier (and hopefully a lot more fun for you all).

So, whether you’re dealing with a group of budding authors or a classroom full of reluctant writers, our resources are here to help. We’re confident that they’ll make a difference in your lessons—and who knows, you might even start looking forward to those writing sessions again. After all, seeing your children grow as writers is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. (And if all else fails, there’s always that cup of tea waiting in the staff room.)