1. Reaching Struggling Writers
By: M. Colleen Cruz
Lucy Calkins Series Editor

2. About the Author: Colleen Cruz
•Has a passion for
teaching & writing
•Majored in creative writing
in Bradford College
•Assists in the Teachers
College Reading and
Writing Project, providing
professional development
for educators with Lucy

3. Three Main Topics Concerning
Struggling Writers
1) “I’m not a good writer.”
2) “I never get to write anything I want to
write.”
3) “My hand hurts.”

4. “I’m not a good writer.”
•Understanding our students’ writing identities
•Notice your students’ behavior, posture, focus on the
paper, where they are looking in the classroom.
•Know your students’ strengths, both writing and non-
writing.
•Determine writers confidence.
•How does the student feel about writing?

5. “I’m not a good writer.”
Strategies for helping students develop stronger writing
identities
•Create a community of writers who struggle & succeed
together.
•Think Vygotsky: Teach into the Zone of Proximal
Development.
•Consider a Student’s Affinities.
•Partner the students with a younger writing buddy.

6. “My hand hurts.”
Understanding students who are struggling with the
manual work of writing
• Does their hand truly hurt or are they digging for
excuses?
• Observe students posture, pencil grip, and text for pressure.
• Does the student sit relaxed and upright? Or does the
student slouch, huddle, or seem to be exceedingly tense?
• Does the student’s wrist extend across the paper in a
natural and relaxed way? Or does it bend like a hook?
• Can you feel the texture of the writing through the other side
of the paper?

7. “My hand hurts.”
Strategies for those who struggle with the physical work
of writing
Strategies for those who struggle with the writing stamina
Strategies for those who struggle with pencil grip and posture
Strategies for those who apply a lot of pressure to the pencil
When the student still seems to be struggling…

8. “I never get to write anything I
want to write.”
Understanding why students are not feeling drawn to
genres we are teaching
•Uninspired by curriculum
•Writing in genres we have never taught
•Questions to reach students
• What is your favorite or least favorite unit we studied this
year? Why?
• When you write in your free time, what sorts of things do
you write?
• If you had all the time and paper you needed, what would
you write?

9. “I never get to write anything I
want to write.”
Strategies for helping students develop a sense of
agency and independence
•Create an atmosphere of independence
•Develop structures for writers who need support
•Cultivate writing partners and clubs
•Offer opportunities to publish independently

10. Connections
• Teachers engage in conversations with students about
their writing. (Calkins)
•Teaching students about a variety of genres
• Student choice (Atwell and Calkins)
•Teacher/student and peer conferring
•Other thoughts?

11. Quick Write
Which struggle do you relate to?
1) “I’m not a good writer.”
2) “My hand hurts.”
3) I never get to write about anything I want.”