The Write Spot! {a homework freebie}

Hello There!

Homework.

HOMEWORK.

Homework.

How do you feel about homework?

As a teacher I have the belief that it is important. I might have a different reason why than some teachers though… I want homework to be a way for my students to “show what they know” to their parents. I want it to serve as a gateway for parents to communicate with their child about topics they are learning at school. I want it to be user-friendly for parents. Last, I want homework to be fun.

As a teacher, I need homework to be manageable. We have a bajillion things on our plates everyday and the last thing I want to do is have to “find” homework for my students.

So I want to share something an old teaching partner (miss you Susan) and I came up with many years ago…The Write Spot!

Just edit the prompt text box, print and you are good to go!

I have been is school now for 10 weeks and I am about to send The Write Spot writing prompt home for the 1st time next week. After that, I will send it home about every other week.

My firsties have learned a lot about the processes of what writer’s do while writing. They know my exceptions while writing, (use your tools, stretch the words, check over your work, don’t forget your closing…) They are ready to write at home!

When I send home The Write Spot for the 1st time I always make sure to communicate with parents in my weekly newsletter about how to best help their child with this homework. I also check in with them at parent teacher conferences to see if they need clarification and to find out how it is going for their child.

A sample of my weekly newsletter with The Write Spot directions for parents 🙂

When students bring their homework on Friday (I do weekly packets) I read through their stories and choose 3-4 to be shared with the class. It is so powerful when they share…other students are engaged as their friends are modeling, they give them feedback and cheer, and there is such a sense of pride for the writer to be up in front of their peers reading their masterpiece. Then I have them hang their story on the WOW wall. (I keep good notes in my gradebook of who has shared their stories and has had a chance to shine on the WOW wall.) It is definitely worth the effort.

Parents report to me that their child is motivated to write well and edit their work so they can “be picked to share and hang their story on the WOW wall.”

So there you have it, an idea for you on how to make homework meaningful and manageable for your students. If you like this idea you can grab this freebie {HERE}. I have secured the clipart and the special fonts I used to make the primary lines, but the text box is editable so you can change the prompt easily. (Remember to save the prompt each time with a defining title so next year you don’t have to start from scratch!)

You can see more on how organize my Homework Folders and weekly Newsletters. These files are EDITABLE also to make it work for your class! {HERE}

If you download The Write Spot, please leave me a comment or some feedback!

Happy Teaching! 🙂

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