Why do I love Write the Room? It's an activity that allow your students to move around and work. We all know that our students NEED to move. Constantly. When they work on a Write the Room activity, they are fully engaged. It always makes me proud when I stand back and watch those kids in action. Plus, they don't even realize they are learning, because they are having so much fun.

Write the Room is very easy to set up. I print and laminate the cards, then stick them up with tape all around the classroom on the walls. Later in the year, I make it a little interesting and "hide" them, around the classroom, under desks, behind bins, so it's challenging. Each student gets a recording sheet and they use clipboards to write on. If you don't have clipboards, they can use a hard book or binder, or even the table or floor, whatever's next to the card, to write.



Before students can be Write the Room pros, you as the teacher, must show them what it should look like. I make the expectations clear from the beginning, because it is still a lesson and you don't want your classroom to turn into chaos.
My expectations are:
1. Students need to quietly walk around the room, but may whisper and ask a question if they need to.
2. No running around the classroom.
3. Do their best work and try their hardest.




First, we practice handing out the clipboards, clipping the papers in, getting a pencil, and starting to walk. They shouldn't all crowd around one card, so the first few times, I send them to different places in the classroom to start. Usually, most of the time, the students spread out on their own. Another thing I make clear, is that it's okay to go out of order. It would take students double the time, if they were trying to find each card in the order on the recording sheet. Students find a card, write down the answer, and then find the next card. Once students are finished, make sure there they know what to do when they are done, whether it's another activity, or to read quietly.

There are so many wonderful Write the Room resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. I just search the skill I'm working on plus "write the room" to find new ones.


And one of my Write the Room freebies- A perfect activity for after Spring Break!



I hope you will try Write the Room in your classroom, if you haven't already. Thanks for stopping by!

by Sweet for Kindergarten