Veteran teachers understand that students learn best and most willingly when they have a sense of project ownership. Using a student's own writing to build fluency is key to success in a writing program. By doing so, the teacher validates the high school students' ideas and skills. They are entirely familiar with the ideas behind the writing because they made them up. As a caution, however, great care must be taken to avoid harshness during student/teacher editing sessions. Students become vulnerable when they write and easily hurt when their work is critiqued.
Have students keep a daily writing journal. Do not assign topics because they can become stumbling blocks. It is important to begin this process in the classroom, and only move it from there when you are sure students are writing on their own. As you have students write, create a safe and relaxing atmosphere. Soft lights and Indian flute music work wonders in the writing classroom. Some of your students will write willingly, and the assignment should remain free. Provide reluctant writers and those who require modified lessons with parameters of length and frequency.
Require your students to respond to timed weekly writing prompts. These prompts may be student-generated or pulled from another source. They should be age- and grade-appropriate and deal with topics in your students' world: school, music, religion, drugs, college, pregnancy, sports, popular movies, video games, politics, family, abortion. These prompts become the initial brainstorming session in the writing process. Have students then read their work out loud with a partner, and evaluate its content. Tell them to note changes, and rewrite the essays, incorporating their partner's suggestions if they consider the suggestions valid. When they are certain the content is set, have your students edit for mechanics. Move through the fine-tuning process until the piece is complete and without error.
Many college professors use copying as a method for improving student writing. They have their students copy the work of the masters. Choose writers whose work you, as the teacher, admire. Extract sections from well-written pieces, and have your students copy them. This activity should be assigned on a weekly basis as homework. Try to keep the assignment to one written page.
One of the best ways to improve writing fluency in students of any age is to have them read constantly. Even for high school students, incorporate a time of silent reading into your lesson planning, and do not become lax in your expectations. Make it enjoyable, but do not allow it to become optional. Join them by reading at your desk. The words that a student takes in directly affect the words he or she puts forth.