Classroom Writing Center in the Resource Room

BHG.com

Beginning of the Year...
Setting up your resource room!

 

It is important that students have a place in the classroom that is easily accessible and has all the tool and resources for the writer's craft.  Labeling where items are located helps students find them and helps students know where to return items. This helps the teacher keep the area NEAT!  The area should be easy to maintain...so make sure the containers are easy for students to use and access. Explicitly teach  procedures on how to use the writing center. Post the rules for peer editing and specific procedures and expectations that you have taught students. Remind students of the procedures often, especially  early on in the year!

The writing center should be stocked with a variety of lined paper. Paper with darker lines, larger lines, and handwriting paper. If you do not have this on hand, check with the physical therapist at  your school.

While the writing center must be easy for all the students to access the materials, it is nice to have a distraction free nook for students to write in as well. For students that are  easily distracted, the writing area is ideally away from noise, facing away from active areas such as doors, window or group instruction areas. (Just be sure the quiet work area isn't obstructed from the teacher's line of vision!)
For those students that need adult support in writing, have  an area just for small group instruction and editing.

This year I plan to revamp my classroom writing center. 
I have gathered some plans from Pinterest and created some new labels to complement my classroom theme: vibrant blue and green!
I hope to implement the following ideas (thanks y'all!) and post pictures of the completed writing center when it is finished. These are the ideas that INSPIRED me!

 Click here to view the source!

 

 Love this...

 

I want to use my filing cabinets as a backboard to a writing table.

Then I can use magnetic pencil boxes...like the ones I used to put in my locker...for pens and pencils!

A little inspiration for the students....

 

{Source}

Though  I have a version of my own,

I like this one too!

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etsy.com

Writing Center Labels...

These are the labels I am going to use in my writing center !

.

Don't forget to have tons of graphic organizers on hand that students know how

to use independently, for EXAMPLE...

Narrative Writing from http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com/

...or this little FREEBIE I have used from Creative Classroom

Last year I used the activities from a writing journal I put together for students that finished early. It provided more structured writing activities than a free write journal and I included lists of possible topics. This seemed to provide inspiration to students that had trouble getting started too! 

This is another idea that would  be great for storing all of those journals!

 

SOURCE

Classroom environment is so very, very important. Having an organized, user friendly writing center is just one of the many parts of an environment friendly to little learners! 



You might also like the organizational materials for a special education classroom found in A Special Education Teacher's Survival Guide!