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Writer's pictureMarisa Campagna Esterhuizen

Help! My Students Can't Write with VOICE!

Updated: Nov 8, 2023


Do you ever feel like you're stuck in the Twilight Zone when you read your students' writing? Like you're slogging through a swamp of monotony, wading through sentences that all sound the same, often wondering, "Who the heck wrote this?" Or worse yet, "Did a robot write this?" We've all been there. But fear not because I've got some tips for you on how to help your students find their writing voice - and hopefully, make your grading experience a little less soul-sucking in the process. So grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if it's been one of those days), and let's dive in.


(Oh, and if you’re one of those who enjoys video - here you go: YouTube Teaching Voice)


(Or if you need some extra teaching help, check out my other resource where I teach the concept so you can sit back and relax: Teaching Voice)


  1. Get them to record themselves: If possible, have students tell a short story to a friend and record themselves. Then, have them listen to the story and write part of it down – exactly as they said it. Remind them not to worry about formal language and stuffy grammar rules as voice is about sounding like a real human.

  2. Show them examples: Sometimes, seeing is believing. Start creating a class collection of words and phrases that create voice - these could come from a class reader or the student’s personal reading book. The more examples, the better. If you need examples, you can also check out my resource - 50 mentor texts to help kids write with voice

  3. Let them break the rules: Sometimes, students get so caught up in following all the rules of writing that they forget to have fun with it. Encourage them to break a few rules, like using slang or starting a sentence with "and" or "but."

  4. Switching it up: From a reading book, choose a sentence that clearly has voice. Write it on the board. Individually or in pairs, see how many ways the students can rewrite the sentence. Can they make it sound like a 5-year-old, a person from another country, a person from the southern US, a teenager, an evil person, a professor etc… (Get the students to come up with other examples.)

  5. Get them talking: One of the best ways to find your writing voice is to get comfortable with your speaking voice. Have your students practice speaking in front of the class (or to a partner/group), telling stories, or just having a casual conversation. Remind the listeners that they will need to give the speaker feedback on:

    • What words or phrases the speaker used that were slang or interjections (um, well, so)

    • What phrases did the speaker use that made the story sound like a conversation rather than a news report?

Once finished, have the students rewrite a part of the story, seeing if they can capture their voice. If they are just starting out with voice, get them to try and replicate 2-3 sentences of their story.

6. Use comic strips: Show the students a blank comic strip. This website has some good examples: Blank Comic Strips Have them write examples of what the characters could be saying. More advanced students could write 2-3 examples and change the tone each time. Can they make it silly, excited, worried, tense etc…)

7. Listen to the people in their life: Give students one or two days to actively listen to the people around them - including parents, siblings, people in shops or even their teachers. See if they can get ten words or phrases that are clear examples of voice.

Once they have their list, give them 5-10 minutes to walk around the class and share their ideas with each other, encouraging them to write down at least 10 new examples from 5 different students.

8. Have fun with it: Above all, encourage your students to have fun with their writing. Writing should be an adventure, not a chore. So let their imaginations run wild and see where it takes them. Remind them to keep looking for examples and that writing with voice takes some practice, but they will get there!

Sending you love and light

Marisa

💛✨🧡✨💜✨🩵✨💚


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