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Training middle schoolers to be writers isn’t all about talent—it’s about timing! Scheduling writing activities throughout your ELA classes helps preteens practice this creative craft and build writing skills without even realizing it. Take a look at a sample middle school writing skills daily schedule, plus find teacher-approved ideas for implementing activities to make writing a regular part of your ELA students’ day.
Sample Middle School ELA Daily Schedules
When students write every day, they build skills they can use in every class period! Infuse writing activities into your classroom organization with a middle school writing skills daily schedule that addresses different skills at different times of the period.
These sample schedules are set up for 40-50 minute class periods, but you could also cut or extend activities, or combine schedules, as needed to fit your class time.
Everyday Middle School Writing Skills Daily Schedule
Need a writing schedule that works for any ELA unit? Use this straightforward daily schedule to work on skills and develop a love for writing.
| Time | Activity | Details |
| 5-10 minutes | Writing warm-up | Writing prompts or writing fundamentals |
| 5 minutes | Share writing and transition into the lesson | Read writing aloud or answer questions |
| 30 minutes | Writing lesson | Reading response, essay writing, or other ELA lesson |
| 5 minutes | Writing exit tickets | Short writing prompt about the day |
Middle School Writing Skills Daily Schedule for a Novel Unit
Bringing writing lessons into a reading unit may sound counterintuitive. But when students are able to process and synthesize what they’ve read into written work, whether it’s a short novel-related warm-up or a reading response lesson, they’re able to understand the novel much more easily.
| Time | Activity | Details |
| 5-10 minutes | Writing warm-up | Journal entry or novel-based writing prompt |
| 5 minutes | Share writing and transition into the lesson | Read writing aloud or answer questions |
| 30 minutes | Novel lesson | In-class reading or reading response activity |
| 5 minutes | Writing exit tickets | Summary writing about the section of the novel they read |
Essay-Focused Middle School Writing Skills Daily Schedule
For many middle schoolers, writing an essay alone can be a daunting task. Guide them through this process with in-class activities on writing an essay from the introduction to the conclusion.
| Time | Activity | Details |
| 5-10 minutes | Writing warm-up | Journal prompt reflecting on the essay process, or writing fundamentals on sentence structure and grammar |
| 10-15 minutes | Guided essay instruction | Teacher-focused lesson on how to craft the next paragraph in an essay |
| 15-20 minutes | Independent writing | Students work on the selection section of an essay |
| 5 minutes | Writing exit tickets | Short writing prompt reflecting on what they need to work on next |
Middle School Writing Skills Daily Schedule with Writing Groups
If you’ve used reading groups in class, you know how valuable peer collaboration can be in acquiring ELA skills. Use the same philosophy with a schedule that accommodates writing groups, where students bring their favorite piece of writing from the week and share it with a few of their classmates.
| Time | Activity | Details |
| 5-10 minutes | Writing warm-up | Writing prompts or writing fundamentals |
| 5 minutes | Share writing | Read writing aloud or answer questions |
| 10 minutes | Writing lesson | Reading response, essay writing, or other ELA lesson |
| 15-30 minutes | Writing/reading groups | Groups share their writing |
| 5 minutes | Writing exit tickets | Summary writing or short writing prompt about the day |
Middle School Writing Skills Daily Schedule for a Block Schedule
Block schedules are ideal for bringing more writing activities into your classroom! Take advantage of this ELA-friendly format to address a number of writing skills with your junior high students.
| Time | Activity | Details |
| 10 minutes | Writing warm-up | Writing prompts or writing fundamentals |
| 5 minutes | Share writing | Read writing aloud or answer questions |
| 20-30 minutes | Writing lesson | Reading response, essay writing, or other ELA lesson |
| 10-15 minutes | Independent writing | Individual writing assignment based on the writing lesson |
| 20-30 minutes | Writing/reading groups | Groups share their writing and provide constructive feedback |
| 5 minutes | Writing exit tickets | Summary writing or short writing prompt about the day |
Ideas for ELA Writing Warm-Ups
Every ELA class should begin with a writing warm-up activity. Whether students are starting with journal writing or addressing grammar and vocabulary, a solid set of writing warm-ups is part of any middle school ELA teacher’s essentials.
Use writing prompts to inspire middle schoolers
For junior high writers who need more of a nudge into the process, use writing prompts for middle school to get them started. From one-minute stories to argumentative writing ideas, these prompts are aligned to CCSS for writing, making them an excellent way to connect to the type of writing you’d like students to master in this unit.
Consider having volunteers share their writing with the class or with partners after they’ve finished. They can even continue writing what they started in their ELA warm-up tomorrow!
Focus on fundamentals and word work
Whether they’re reluctant learners, struggling readers, or advanced authors, middle schoolers can always use a little more help with the fundamentals of writing. Use grammar and vocabulary exercises in the context of writing to practice these basics.
Have them incorporate vocabulary words into a summary about their weekend, or challenge them to write a short story using at least three compound-complex sentences. You can even get some spelling practice in with a list of spelling words for students to use in their warm-up writing!
Activities for Responding to Reading
Your ELA curriculum likely has many chances to respond to reading, whether students are in the middle of a novel unit, finishing a short story, or examining an informational article. These moments are great opportunities to incorporate more writing practice! Find inspiration with these ELA activities for middle school to add writing activities to your regular reading curriculum.
Model paragraph structure and pacing
How does this piece of writing use structure to reinforce its message or theme? Have students examine the paragraph structure of their assigned writing, then write their own piece with a different topic but similar paragraph structure.
Paragraph of the Week, Flexible Schedule, Writing
By English Oh My
Grades: 7th-10th
Need a way to address paragraph structure throughout an entire school year? This in-depth resource includes 20 mini-units that last two weeks each and fit nicely into your ELA curriculum. Each mini-unit includes a short article and writing assignments that address different writing skills.
Assign writing-focused book reports
If book reports make your middle schoolers groan, try building more writing into your book report assignments. Students will combine multiple literacy skills into one project and create a piece of writing that reflects their preteen experience, rather than simply recalling facts and events from their book.
Students can respond to their independent or class novels by rewriting the ending, writing a letter to a character, or creating a summary of the novel with a graphic novel assignment. They can also come up with their own ideas to demonstrate their understanding, including ways to bring in the other artistic skills they possess!
Essay Writing Exercises and Lessons
Learning to write an essay is a huge part of the middle school ELA experience. Fold these essay writing exercises into your middle school writing skills daily schedule to reinforce structured writing skills and the basics of brainstorming, drafting, and revision.
Brainstorm ideas and organize writing
The first part of the writing process is the thinking process! Encourage middle schoolers to hash out all their ideas before they ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). With group brainstorming activities, individual graphic organizers, or whole-class discussions, students learn the value of planning out what they’re about to write.
For a creative twist on this project, have pairs trade brainstorms and write paragraphs based on each other’s ideas. Were the brainstorms complete enough for another person to write a complete thought?
Teach revision with peer editing
Writing is rewriting! Teach students that a finished essay isn’t just a page full of words. It’s a fully revised paper with peer comments and proofreading, allowing young writers to make necessary adjustments to hand in the best version of their essay.
To tie the importance of revision to the value of grades, offer to reassess essays after students get them back and make the edits marked on their rubrics. That way, middle schoolers know that the writing process isn’t over just because the deadline’s passed.
Creative Writing Groups and Workshops
When it comes to inquiry-based learning, creative writing is a great place to start. Let students immerse themselves in their author identities when you add creative writing activities to the rest of your ELA curriculum.
Set up genre writing groups
What do your middle schoolers love to read or watch? Put them into genre-specific creative writing groups to channel their interests in sci-fi, romance, fantasy, or action. They write their stories at home or at the beginning of class, then meet at the end of the period to share their work and offer constructive feedback.
If students need more inspiration, use creative writing prompts that get their imaginations working. Writing groups also give them a chance to practice sharing work that they might not have shared before!
Explore the forms of creative writing
Not everyone reads novels as their book of choice. Bring in graphic novels, comic books, poetry, screenplays, and other formats of creative writing that may help students resonate with writing in a whole new way.
Create a multi-faceted lesson by combining a novel and another form of the story, such as the screenplay to the novel’s film adaptation, or a novel and its graphic novel format. Ask students about how the form impacts their understanding of the story, and begin a lesson that allows them to choose the way they’d like to tell a story of their own.
Infuse writing into your everyday routine with TPT
The best middle school writing skills daily schedule is the one you can maintain from week to week. When you find the right middle school writing resources for your ELA class, teaching writing can be a part of your regular class routine — and a delight for teachers and students alike! Use classroom activities with AI to focus on writing in the modern technological landscape, or prepare for writing-based events like Poetry Month activities to celebrate the art of writing throughout the year.