What We Value: The Power of Displaying Student Writing

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 413 words

Primary Audience: K-8 teachers, literacy coaches, administrators

The Context: Look around your home. What’s on your walls, shelves, refrigerator? If you were at my house you would see family photos, my twins’ art work, the Spanish test my son aced, one thousand paper cranes from my wedding. Each object and book you can see is important because of who gave it to me or where it came from.

Now think about your school, your classroom. What is on display? The things we display are the things we value. What are you telling your students and community that you value?

Why It Matters: When we put our students’ writing on display, we are communicating to our school community that we value writing. Writing displays create a public celebration of writing that last beyond the publishing party. Writing displays recognize the effort that students put into the writing process and expands their audience. It communicates that we are proud of what they have accomplished and helps them foster pride in themselves as authors.

How It Works: Here are three ideas for how to display student writing…

Writing Walls are the classic, bulletin board style of displaying writing on a wall. It could be in a hallway/common area, or inside the classroom. If students’ writing is more than a page, you could let students choose a favorite page to photocopy and display. Or, hang all of the pages together with two staples on the top so that readers can lift the pages like a flip chart.

Student Book Displays are a good option when your students’ published pieces are in book form. Dedicate a shelf or window sill in your classroom where students can choose to read each other’s books during independent reading time. You could also ask your librarian for a space in the library to display your students’ books for the whole school to read.

Class Anthologies are another way to keep your students’ writing on display long after the publishing party. Each student’s work in included in a class book that lives in the classroom library for all to read. I promise it will be one of the most popular books in your library!

One Final Thing: Writing displays are not just for the best writers in our room. EVERY student should be included because every student is an important part of our writing community. Putting students’ writing on display is one way to tell them we value you and your writing. Every young author deserves to hear that message.