Every Kid a Writer: Strategies That Get Everyone Writing

Anyone who has taught writing knows that sometimes the hardest part about teaching writing is getting students to write at all.

What we sometimes forget, Kelly Boswell reminds us, is that every writer is reluctant to write at some point. It's the conditions--not the kids--that determine success. In Every Kid A Writer, Kelly provides six field-tested strategies to get everyone in the classroom writing with energy and enthusiasm:

• Use mentors and modeling to fuel engagement
• Create a safe and daily space for writing
• Expose writers to real readers
• Offer choice
• Maintain a healthy perspective on conventions
• Shape writing identity through assessment

Chapters provide moments to pause and reflect, samples of student work, clear explanations of how these strategies and ideas support state and national standards, and practical, powerful ways to try out strategies in your own classroom.

As Kelly writes: "We want kids to know, deep in their bones, that writing has so much to give and so much to teach. It starts with us."

Kelly Boswell has many years of experience as a classroom teacher, staff developer, literacy coach, and district literacy specialist. Her latest book, Every Kid A Writer, will be available in October 2020. She is the coauthor of Crafting Nonfiction and Reading Solutions and the author of Write This Way and Write This Way From the Start. She is also the author of several nonfiction children's books. Kelly works with schools and districts around the country to support educational leaders, coaches and teachers. Her emphasis is on developing literacy practices that help students become joyful and passionate readers and writers.