By Robin MellomTry This 3-Part Routine
If you’re spending just 10 minutes a day on warm-ups, here’s the math you should care about:
🧠 10 minutes x 180 school days = 1,800 minutes
🧠 1,800 minutes ÷ 60 = 30 hours
That’s a full month of instructional time over the course of a year. A MONTH!!
So, the real question is:
👉 Are your ELA warm-ups worth that much?
If those 10 minutes aren’t building writing skills, strengthening grammar, or helping with test prep… they’re lost time. That’s why I stopped doing "Motivation Monday" and "Word Wednesday" and started using a structured routine that actually builds writing momentum and aligns with The Structured Writer’s Workshop® approach.
🔁 What I Use Instead: The ELA Three-a-Day
This simple, powerful warm-up routine aligns directly with my student-led, skill-focused writing framework. It builds essential habits, supports fluency, and eliminates wasted time.
✍️ 1. Sentence Combining
We start every class this way.
At the beginning of the year, students combine simple sentences using coordinating conjunctions and commas. Later, they build complex sentences with dependent clauses.
Eventually, they write from just a topic or idea, drawing on their sentence structure knowledge. It’s a simple task, but in order to earn the points, they must do this perfectly (spelling, punctuation, the whole deal).
Stickers and digital trophies keep it fun, and the growth is incredible.
Students go from fragmented thoughts to intentional, sophisticated writing...with punctuation in all the right spots!!
🧠 2. Test Prep Skill
Every day, we focus on a grammar or language standard using multiple-choice questions modeled after state tests.
This daily exposure builds stamina, test-savviness, and real-time insight into what students understand (and what they don’t). It informs my instruction!
Bonus: They also practice reading questions carefully and eliminating distractors.
💬 3. Quick Write
This is their favorite part. Students respond to:
- Weird photos
- Creative prompts
- Silly scenarios
It’s ungraded. It’s fast. It’s creative.
And most importantly, it builds writing fluency, voice, and confidence...cornerstones of The Structured Writer’s Workshop®.
💡 How I Kick Off Class: A Question of the Day
While students settle in, a “Question of the Day” is waiting on the board. Think Scattergories-style prompts with odd categories. It’s quick, funny, and gives them a reason to show up ready. Just five minutes of joy and laughter builds the classroom culture you need for productive writing.
THIS is your bellringer. Your warm-ups serve a deeper purpose.
🎥 Want to See It in Action?
I explain how each piece connects to writing growth, grammar mastery, and long-term engagement.
🕰️ Make Every Minute Count
You don’t need a gimmick to start class, you just need a system that builds skills.
The ELA Three-a-Day routine is:
- ✔️ Repetitive (in the best way)
- ✔️ Predictable (so students can lead it)
- ✔️ Skill-based (so it moves the needle)
- ✔️ Aligned to research and writing standards
Whether you're in a test-heavy district or running a student-led writing workshop, this system fits seamlessly.
Use those first 10 minutes to warm up their minds and their pens!!
✅ Want to Try It Yourself?
Grab your FREE blank daily agenda slide HERE.
Need warm-ups? Pick your grade!
Happy Writing!
~Robin