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Creative writing workshops are a great way to help students see themselves as writers. Most writing workshops are set up in a way that provides students with more freedom of choice and the chance to take creative risks.  While freedom is enticing, creative writing workshop facilitators need to ensure that they also have structures in place to help their sessions run smoothly and ensure that all students can succeed.

If you are a teacher or parent who is thinking about running your own creative writing workshop, you have come to the right place. I have several years of experience running creative writing workshops in middle schools, high schools, and homeschool settings. Over the years I have learned tips and created tools to help writing workshops run smoothly. I plan to spend the next few posts sharing that knowledge with you. 

As an inclusion teacher, I typically work with students who are reluctant writers or who need help building a strong writing foundation. However, this year, I’ve had the opportunity to do something a little different. I’ve had the chance to teach a high school creative writing class where most of the students are enthusiastic writers and gifted storytellers. It has been a lot of fun, but I have also been challenged by the fact that this is one of the few times in my teaching

Middle school students know how to argue. If you are a parent or teacher of middle school students, then you have probably heard them make strong arguments for things like more free time, or less homework, or more group work. While most students instinctively know how to craft short oral arguments, they often need help transferring those skills into organized multi-paragraph argument essays.  Argument essay units are fun to teach because they build on skills that the students

When teaching analysis and argument writing to middle school students, it can be helpful to use games to increase student engagement and help them practice their writing skills. Let’s look at two of my favorite writing games.

Many middle school students are able to produce paragraphs and essays, but their writing style may be overly simplistic. Yes, they follow the prescribed essay outline. They have thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting details, and textual evidence. The organization is there, but something is missing. The writing seems basic. Elementary. 

Some middle school students LOVE writing, and others might need a little push. When working with students who view writing as a chore, it can be helpful to turn the writing activity into a game. This adds a bit of fun to your writing class while encouraging students to produce more writing than they would in a normal writing session. Let’s take a look at two of my favorite creative writing games for middle school students.