For some writers, a blank page can feel like an invitation. It's my goal to help all writers feel that openness. 

But for others, that same blank page can cause a lot of anxiety. When it does, I help guide students into the process of thinking and writing by scaffolding writing activities or adapting my approach (see bulleted list below). 

I lead with patience and compassion while always guiding students toward their next step. The safety my students feel with me enables them over time to let go of self-consciousness and make mistakes without embarrassment. 

Most important, the pace at which your student learns is the pace I match. 

A few tools I may use depending on how your student learns best:

• Thinking aloud: the student's thoughts are expressed verbally and recorded by me or with the help of technology

• Brainstorming

• Freewriting: writing without rules and letting the mind wander 

• Modeling and reviewing strong as well as weak writing

• Graphic organizers to visually internalize information and connect ideas

• Charts to facilitate the organization of ideas 

• Chunking or breaking down material into manageable parts

• Acting/moving for kinesthetic learners. (The student and I take on roles. This is a fun and quick route to comprehension!)

• Making or looking at art (for visual learners--especially useful for inferencing)

• Using objects to explain a situation in a story or piece of non-fiction

• Comparing a historic or mythological situation that may resist understanding to a personal or present-day circumstance 

• Links to external resources specific to your student's needs, often designed by me

• Games 

A few helpful supports and methods I may draw on during instruction:

Question and Sentence Starters

Sentence starters help students develop their thoughts about any given topic. They can be used to aid students in asking and answering questions, making predictions and inferences, finding clues, collecting evidence, using prior knowledge, explaining their thinking process and thinking more deeply, changing their mind based on story and/or character development, analyzing quotes according to their impact (as opposed to guessing at an author's meaning), wondering aloud without judgement, drawing evidence-based conclusions, and much more.

Paragraph  Frames

Paragraph frames help students learn how to create paragraphs that serve a purpose, such as summarizing, persuading, arguing, comparing/contrasting, analyzing, and so forth. Though frames may be simple when we begin and contain only a handful of sentences starters, they lead, in steps, to fully developed, coherent, cohesive paragraphs unified by transitions. Also, building a paragraph that serves a purpose goes hand in hand with understanding the tropes that writers use to express their purpose, an invaluable skill.

Agreeing or Disagreeing

Students may grow passionate about the content or structure of a story when they have an opinion that differs from someone else's (for instance, mine!). I encourage respectful disagreement. In addition to requiring students to support a point with evidence, stating an opinion leads students to express themselves more confidently--which can result in more class participation and more authority in writing. 

Applying by Creating

Creative students may enjoy demonstrating their understanding by using a literary device, element , character, etc., in their own imaginative work. As a huge proponent of the imagination, I'm all for this. But it's more than fun. Point of view, for instance, grows increasingly rich and interesting when a student narrates part of a story or poem from a perspective that differs from the one used by the author.

For behavioral  issues:

In general, I find out as much as possible from parents so I can be prepared for behavioral situations that may arise. I praise students for appropriate behavior and explain inappropriate behavior from the start, ensuring a warm, welcoming, predictable and safe space where students can learn and take risks. I also allow short breaks at intervals if needed, give "virtual taps" on the shoulder when I see attention wandering, and reward the completion of tasks (possibly in collaboration with parents). I also pivot whenever necessary to ensure dynamic, impactful instruction, interweaving explanation and direct practice with interactive games. 

Students’ ideas and discoveries are a constant source of excitement for me. I make sure they know.