Writer's Toolbox

 What holds the key to successful writing, costs about .50 and also promotes student

engagement?  If you said a writer’s toolbox, you are correct.

What in the world is a writer’s toolbox?  It is basically a box that holds tools a writer needs

to make their writing even better. In my classroom, our toolboxes, are filled with gel pens,

(some are glitter), red pens, and sticky notes

Students in the workshop are all at different parts of the writing process.  Some are

brainstorming topics, some are filling out a graphic organizer, while others are writing their

story in their writing binder.  It is when they are at their rough draft stage, or as I like

to call it-the sloppy copy, that they can get into the toolbox and read their story with fresh

eyes.

Writers can reread their story to themselves or someone else, but the writer is on the lookout

for better word choice, missing words or omitting phrases, misspelled words, paragraphing,

and punctuation.  Using the gel pens to edit and revise stands out on the page and are

basically more fun to use than a pencil.

The students also have access to other tools not included in the toolbox but are located around the classroom.

Using a writer’s toolbox and filling it with fun writing tools will get the students wanting

to revise and edit their own work. When students are finished with one story, it is rinse and repeat

time because we are NEVER done writing!