Sue Anne is a born storyteller. She writes stories that are lively and imaginative, full of colors and sounds, and she loves sharing them with the class. She's never at a loss for ideas—the more unusual they are, the better she likes them. She also likes to use challenging new words, though they're often spelled wrong.

Greg is thorough and precise in everything he does. His excellent grasp of the mechanics of writing means that his spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure have few flaws. He's happy to go over rough drafts and make corrections. Book reports and research projects are his favorite assignments.

They've got style

Each of these children is an accomplished writer—in a different way. Their varied writing styles reflect their different strengths and their natural learning styles.

The chart that follows lists some of the most popular learning styles and multiple intelligences terms, along with the writing activities and techniques that are the best fit for each (grouped by the stages in the writing process). Some types of activities appeal to several different kinds of learners; others work best for a particular learning style. Use this chart as a reference to make sure you're appealing to the many styles in your classroom. You'll find that students like Sue Anne and Greg are doing more writing—and better writing—across the curriculum.

Click on the image to open a PDF.