5 Signs You Might Need to Rethink Your Writing Instruction (and what to do instead!)

Let’s face it, writing instruction in upper elementary can feel overwhelming. Between state test expectations, time crunches, and curriculum that doesn’t always provide clear direction, it’s easy to feel like we’re just assigning writing instead of actually teaching it. If you’ve ever handed out a writing prompt and crossed your fingers that students would know what to do… you’re not alone.

If that’s you, no need to worry! We will help you make a few small shifts that can totally transform how you approach writing — and how your students grow as writers.

Let’s walk through five common signs it might be time to rethink your writing instruction… and what to try instead.

1. You assign writing, but don’t teach it explicitly.

Prompts like “Write about your summer vacation” might seem simple, but without direct writing instruction, students are left guessing. Assigning writing and teaching writing are not the same. Explicit instruction means showing students how to write strong sentences, organize paragraphs, and revise meaningfully.

📌 Try this: Carve out 10 minutes a day to teach writing explicitly—even during reading or science! Use mentor sentences, sentence starters, or modeled writing to show students how to improve their writing one step at a time.

Explicit writing instruction can take just a few minutes a day!

2. You skip sentence-level writing instruction and jump straight to essays.

We’ve all been there—state tests loom large, so we jump into multi-paragraph essays right away. But if students can’t write a strong sentence, they’ll struggle with structured essays.

📚 In The Writing Revolution, the authors emphasize that sentence writing is the foundation for all other writing. Think of it like building a house—you need the foundation before the roof!

📌 Try this: Start your year with a focus on sentences. Practice combining, expanding, and revising them. A strong sentence-writing routine can unlock big writing growth.

3. Drafting takes center stage—but planning and revising are rushed.

If your writing process looks like brainstorm ➝ draft ➝ quick edit ➝ publish, you’re not alone—but your students may not be developing the full range of writing skills they need.

📖 The Writing Rope by Joan Sedita suggests students should spend 40% of their time planning, 20% drafting, and 40% revising/editing. That’s a big shift from the usual routine!

📌 Try this: Slow down the process. Teach students how to outline their ideas and spend time revising one paragraph or one sentence at a time. More time planning = stronger writing outcomes.

4. Grammar is taught in isolation.

If grammar in your classroom looks like a worksheet on conjunctions followed by another on prepositions, you’re not alone. But isolated grammar instruction rarely transfers to student writing.

📌 Try this instead: Embed grammar into your reading and writing block. Use mentor sentences from classroom texts or writing samples and talk about sentence structure, parts of speech, and punctuation in context. Even a simple sentence unscrambling activity can reinforce grammar and syntax in a meaningful way.

5. Writing only happens during your writing block.

If writing doesn’t show up in science, social studies, or reading, you’re missing valuable opportunities. Writing is a thinking tool—and students should be using it all day long.

📌 Try this: Incorporate writing into content areas. After a science investigation, ask students to explain their thinking in writing. In social studies, have them summarize a historical event using a narrative structure. Writing across the curriculum reinforces skills and deepens understanding.

Ready to Rethink Your Writing Instruction?

If any (or all!) of these signs sound familiar, and you don’t know where to start — we’re here to help! Inside The Stellar Literacy Collective, where we’ve embedded sentence-level writing, grammar, and planning tools into our reading and writing resources, so you can make writing instruction easier and more effective all year long.

Take the next steps…

Check out Episode #256 of The Stellar Teacher Podcast to hear more about these writing tips.
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