5 Tips for Using Write the Room in Your Classroom
Write the Room is a fun way to practice a variety of skills in the primary classroom. I know it can feel a little intimidating, though, if you’re new to this activity! Sending the whole class to walk around the room with clipboards and pencils? Oh my! Never fear, teacher-friend. . . I’ve got your back! Today, I’m sharing some practical tips to make Write the Room a success in your classroom.
What is Write the Room?
First off, what are we talking about here? Write the Room is an activity that involves placing task cards around your classroom and allowing students to walk around to find them. I like to think of it as a scavenger hunt type of learning activity. Students start by grabbing a clipboard (or something they can write on), the response sheet, and a pencil. Then, they head off to find the cards. As they find each one, they complete the task on that card and record it on their recording sheet in the matching space. It can be completed as a whole class activity where everyone starts at a card and moves to a new card at the same time, or it can be used as a center activity with only a couple of students at a time.
Why You Should Use Write the Room
Is Write the Room really all it’s cracked up to be? Is it worth the time and effort to set up in your room? I certainly think so! There are so many benefits to using Write the Room with young students. Here are just a few:
High Engagement – Students LOVE Write the Room, and I think this alone is a great reason to use it. If you notice that your students are losing interest, it can be just the thing you need to snag attention and keep it!
Versatile – If you choose to use Write the Room in your lessons, you’ll quickly see how simple this activity is to tailor to student needs. With various recording sheets and so many different options to use, you’ll be able to easily differentiate and use this activity in many ways. Versatility for the win!
Helps Practice Many Skills – Another great reason to use Write the Room? It will help you practice SO many skills! From fine motor practice to following directions, writing, reading, and more! This activity is an MVP when it comes to classroom learning.
Organized Movement – Our young students need opportunities to move during the day. If we don’t build those into our activities, they will find their own ways. I don’t know about you, but I much prefer organized movement to the alternative. Write the Room is a great way to build some movement into your day without taking away learning time.
Convinced you need this activity in your classroom? I hope so! It’s one of my favorites and always a hit among the students, too. Now, let’s dive into those tips to make this activity functional and fun for your classroom!
1. Set Clear Expectations
If you’re a primary teacher, you likely already know how important rules and expectations are in classroom management. When children know what is expected of them, the outcomes are much better. This is also true for Write the Room. Before you even begin with this activity, it’s crucial to make sure students know what to expect!
One of the things I like to cover with the students is how this activity will work. In my room, I hang the cards around the classroom and have each student start at a specific one. Not everyone starts at card #1. This is important because if the students try to go in sequential order, you will have a lot of chaos. Imagine all of your students trying to see the same card at the same time. No good! Instead, arrange students in a circle and have them each start at a different card. My Spell the Room resources are numbered so that students can easily find the correct space to write on their recording sheet.
Some other basics to cover include going over the expectations for how they move and how to use the classroom tools they will need. It’s important to make sure that students know that Write the Room is not a race. They walk from card to card, and there’s no benefit to moving quickly or running. It’s also important to teach them that they move from one card to another without taking detours to visit friends or see what other people are doing. Finally, make sure students know how to use a clipboard so there aren’t any pinched fingers. These reminders will make for a much smoother experience with Write the Room!
2. Start Slow with Write the Room
Another great tip to keep in mind is to start slow. What I mean by this is that the first few times you do this activity, expect to be very hands-on. Your students will need reminders and guidance as they navigate the classroom to find each card. While a big benefit of this activity is future independence, it won’t start out that way – so keep that in mind when you begin.
Another way to start slow with this activity is to give students recording sheets with fewer boxes. For example, in my Spell the Room resources, I have five different recording sheet options. The most simple version only has six boxes on it – making it perfect for beginners! The recording sheets in these resources have many other options as well, so you can choose what works best for your students. Some pages have pictures while others don’t, and there are two different handwriting styles to choose from.
3. Give Your Students the Right Tools
Another way that I make this activity a success is by making sure my students are well-equipped. Clipboards and pencils are a must! Pencils are a good idea for obvious reasons and will allow students to easily correct any mistakes. Giving each student a clipboard to use will ensure that they aren’t using a wall or the carpet as their “table” as they complete the tasks. Holding their paper up against the wall opens up the opportunity to accidentally write on it, and using the carpet will inevitably make their pencils poke through the paper. If you don’t have clipboards available, look for other firm options. A small whiteboard or book can also do the trick. Just make sure you model how they should be used.
4. Vary How You Use Write the Room
Another way to make this activity a success is to embrace the versatility it presents. You already know that you can use Spell the Room as a whole group activity or as a center. But the uses for these task card activities don’t stop there. Don’t want students moving around the room? Use it as a center station where students take all the cards to a table, sit down at the table, and complete one card at a time.
Play Scoot!
Another great option is to play a game of Scoot! To play Scoot! you simply place one task card on each desk or table where a student sits. Everyone stands up and completes the task card at their space. After a designated amount of time, you say “Scoot,” and everyone moves one place over and completes the next card. I suggest setting the amount of time so that students have to stay focused to complete the activity, but not so much time that they are waiting too long between each movement.
Use as an Early Finisher Activity
Another option is to have it available as a fast-finisher challenge. Do this by setting up cards ahead of time and prepping a basket of clipboards and recording sheets. If students finish their assignments early, they can head over to the basket, grab their supplies, and quietly complete the activity while their fellow students work.
Technology Integration with Digital Write the Room
Finally, look for Write and Spell the Room resources that offer digital options, too! This will give you one more way to use it and switch things up in your room. For example, in my Spell the Room resources, there is a digital file included for each one. Students will view a picture and listen to the audio for a specific word on each slide. Then, they type the word to complete the task. This is great if you’d like to give your students some additional practice with specific spelling patterns. Simply load the digital version of the activity onto a tablet or computer and easily add this no-prep option to your center rotations for the week! The versatility of this activity is what makes it such a winner for classroom learning!
5. Extend Learning with More Write the Room Activities
Last on this list of tips to implement Write the Room is to extend learning! This will help stretch the activity further and continue working on the target skills from your activity. This can be done in a variety of ways, but the simplest is to have your students use their recording sheet to complete another activity. For example, you could have students write sentences or a short story using some or all of the words from the activity.
In my Spell the Room resource, I’ve made this super simple to do! Included, you will find pages that can be printed on the back of the recording sheets to extend learning. The pages have students write words in ABC order, choose a word to use in a sentence, and illustrate their sentence with a picture. These activities make it easy to stretch your learning activity just a bit further and continue working on important skills!
Streamline Your Write the Room Activities
As a bonus tip, consider using Write the Room or Spell the Room activities that follow a predictable pattern. This will make it super simple to teach students how to use them and ultimately facilitate independence. I have a huge Bundle of Spell the Room Activities that can streamline and simplify this process in your room! Inside, you’ll get 16 different Spell the Room Resources that each focus on a different phonics skill. These are perfect for primary students and will offer a fun way to master new spelling patterns. Inside each resource, you’ll find:
- Printable resources
- Google Slides digital resource (24 interactive slides)
- 24 word/picture cards (in two sizes)
- Color picture cards 6 per page (both handwriting styles)
- Color picture cards 12 per page (both handwriting styles)
- Black and white picture cards 6 per page (both handwriting styles)
- Black and white picture cards 12 per page (both handwriting styles)
- Recording Sheets (lined and unlined) in 5 different options
- Bonus Extension activities to print on the back
This bundle will make it easy to master Write the Room in your classroom! Start with the recording sheets with fewer options and gradually move up as students master these skills. Use them with your whole group, as a center station, fast finisher activity, or to play Scoot! – the options are endless! And don’t forget about the digital options and extension activities to help you get the most out of this activity. I know you and your students will love Write the Room once you get started with it in your classroom.
Looking for More Engaging Activities?
Check out Learning Games For The Classroom to see more engaging games and activities for your students!
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