Setting up a writing center can feel overwhelming. Where should everything go? How can I keep it stocked without running out of supplies too quickly? Will students actually use the examples, vocabulary words, and writing prompts, or will they just breeze past them? And who’s going to keep it all organized? These are the questions that used to run through my mind every time I thought about creating a functional and engaging writing center.
Why a Writing Center Matters
My first few years of teaching writing and trying to manage a writing center were sloppy! I love writing. But, teaching it to young learners was a challenge. Even though my first writing center wasn’t immediately successful (think lots of talking and playing around!), I knew the benefits of having a writing center outweighed the negative aspects.
A writing center isn’t just a cute little corner with pencils and paper—it’s the heartbeat of your classroom’s creativity. It’s where kids become storytellers, problem solvers, and expressive little humans with BIG ideas. When done right, a writing center empowers students to take ownership of their writing, giving them the tools (and confidence!) to share their thoughts, opinions, and imaginations. Plus, it’s a lifesaver during centers or independent work time. Trust me, when you see your students proudly sharing their work, you’ll realize the writing center isn’t just nice to have—it’s a game-changer.
Develop a Plan
You will need to start with making some decisions.
- Where will you put your writing center?
- What will students be writing in/on? Journals, paper choices ect.
- Where will they keep the supplies?
- What options will they have to write about? Topic cards, vocabulary, ect
- What resources and writing tools will be available to them?
- How will you organize and store it all?
Draw it out! Sketch your ideal writing center. This is probably not going to be what you want to hear, but it is unlikely you will be successful the first time around. It took me 4 years until I had the system you see below set up. And I still don’t find it entirely ideal (mostly because it’s in front of cabinets that I need to open from time to time), but it’s an improvement from what it used to be. I would consider student access to supplies to be the most important thing.
The writing anchor chart is free and can be found in this post.
Bottom line: It takes time to make these decisions. Don’t feel bad if the ideal writing center you had imagined needs to be tweaked throughout the year. It is trial and error to find out what works best for you and your students.
Primary Paradise has awesome FREE lined paper options, which you can find here.
The topic cards above are from A Cupcake for the Teacher.
Setting Writing Center Expectations
I don’t know if it’s a me thing or a teacher thing or a human nature thing, but I feel like I have to do everything I learn to do all at once. Resist the urge. Once you have your plan, break it into baby steps. Explicitly teach, reteach, and review EXACTLY what they should be doing at the writing center. I would not recommend starting your center until you have written together as a whole class at least 3 times. They need to know the basics like:
- What supplies do I use for writing?
- What do I do when I’m done?
- How do I come up with ideas?
Before the topic cards go into the writing center, we practice using them. We start with picking 1 and writing a story together as a class. Then, they get to pick and write a story with a partner. Finally, they write their own. Now they know how to use them, and I can put them in the center!
Another option during writing center time is their daily journal. This includes 19 different prompts + 1 create your own page. My students LOVE the fun topics, vocabulary, and sentence starters. I love that there is room directly on the page to leave feedback.
Build Stamina
Your writing center will ultimately be a disaster if your students cannot write independently for an entire center rotation. Of course, they don’t have to nonstop write like a mad person. But they need to be able to get something on their paper in the time allotted and not waste it daydreaming or talking. This comes with daily practice.
Most important writing lesson of the year: You are NEVER done! There is no end to writing. It’s a cyclical process. I always invite my students to revisit things they wrote before. It helps to study an author and find information about their process for writing. This really helps students see that it takes a lot of editing and revision and that is it OKAY to abandon a story if it isn’t going anywhere.
I like to use Kevin Henkes as an example. There is a great video about how he writes and draws that the kids really become inspired by. We read his books, watch the video and use his words of wisdom as inspiration while we write and illustrate.
Speaking of illustrating, drawing is a part of the creative writing process. Don’t lose your cool if you have students who do a lot of drawing. It is better than sitting there staring off into space. We need illustrators, too! Those students just need additional practice on how to describe their pictures with words. Which brings me to…
Model, Model, Model
Start with what you see. Watch your students write. Whenever we see an issue arise, it should be included in a mini-lesson. “I have noticed sometimes it can be difficult to get started writing right away. When I am not sure what to write about, I can use my brainstorming list to pick an idea. Then I can start my picture while I think of my words.”
Balance the positives and negatives. Ask students to share how they used punctuation correctly, added details or wrote using their senses.
Students stuck with what to write? Review tools for generating ideas and model using the tools
Are students not taking care of supplies? Model how they are used correctly and review expectations
Students drawing and not writing? Model how to use a picture to develop a story
We can’t expect students to problem-solve independently without showing them the way. It’s easy to get frustrated that they are off task and not working. Figure out why and address it whole group. Don’t just tell them, show them how you would problem solve in the same situation.
Make Time for Sharing
This is crucial and motivating. We often forget all the work our students are doing at centers. We need to provide the opportunity to share what they worked on. Schedule a time every week or two to sit down and allow students to share out what they have been working on. Or, take 5 minutes to check in while students are working. Sharing out holds them accountable and allows for opportunities for feedback from someone other than a teacher.
Review and Reflect
This one, I am admittedly not the best at but I am striving to get better! I LOVE how Hillary from Teaching Without Frills has her students reflect after centers. She reviews expectations and has them rate how they did afterwards. The more you reflect and review, the more students feel in control of their choices.
It is so important to remember that once we have centers up and running, the work is not over! You may need to revisit expectations more than once throughout the school year to keep students on track. And while this is frustrating and sometimes feels like a “waste” of time, it is essential for keeping students accountable and focused on their job.
Setting up a writing center can feel overwhelming. Remember, it takes time. It’s not a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal. Your students will make mistakes, forget what to do and get off track. Keep revisiting mini-lessons, modeling and reviewing expectations often. They need to write every day to become better writer,s so don’t let them give up 🙂
