Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting started. First, make sure your students have the materials they will need --- writing journals or lined paper, sharpened pencils and erasers. Put on some soft instrumental music to remind kids that it is quiet work time. Provide students with a choice of writing prompts, which can help even the biggest procrastinator get started. Ask students to choose from a list of prompts you write on the board. Make writing prompts into a game by having students select from prompts you've written on slips of paper and put inside a hat or bowl. Create seasonal themes for prompts for added fun. Students can pick prompts out of a plastic jack-o-lantern around Halloween, or select a prompt-stuffed plastic egg in the spring. You can give kids story starters that let them write about real-life experiences, such as "When I was five years old, I..." or "My favorite part of having a birthday is..."
Graphic organizers can help students clarify their ideas for writing. There are commercially published books with graphic organizers as well as free ones on the Web. You can also create your own using clip art or simple line drawings that tie student writing to a current topic of study. Graphic organizers help kids brainstorm ideas so that they have a plan to use once they sit down to write. Model the use of graphic organizers as a whole-class activity with a whiteboard or overhead projector.
Many schools use the six traits approach to writing instruction. Over the course of the school year, students work on developing ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice and conventions. Third graders are just learning to pay attention to more than one of these elements at a time when they write. Pick a focus for each writing session so students don't feel overwhelmed. For example, the first day of writing might be an opportunity to get the story down on paper. During the next session, a student might look at word choice and see if she can substitute any words to make her writing more clear or interesting. The third session might be the time when students edit their work, perhaps with the help of a peer.
Reading and writing go together and there are many writing projects that you can do with books. Have students write reviews of their favorite books. Challenge them to rewrite an ending. Ask students to rewrite a story, telling it from the viewpoint of one of the characters. Use picture books without text and have students write the story to explain what is happening. For nonfiction books, have students answer open-ended questions such as "What made you choose this book?" "What did you learn?" "Why did you (or didn't you) like it?" "What else would you like to know about this topic?"