Some good websites for teaching writing are Scholastic and Teaching Ideas

Remember to teach the writing process (Pre-Writing, Writing, Editing, and Proof-reading). Start with Pre-Writing, so that students can get their ideas down on paper. Graphic Organisers, Outlines, Notes, Brainstorming and Lists are a few of the ways students can start organizing. Talking to people or reading is another. Writing is when students start to organize their ideas into a traditional format, such as an essay or letter. Editing is the third step and is when students rearrange, delete or add words, sentences, or paragraphs in order to make their work better. Finally, students must Proof-read their paper and look for mistakes, such as spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Let students doodle or walk around while brainstorming.

Keep the teaching part to a minimum and allow plenty of time for the students to practise

Aim to do a bit of writing every day if possible. Short writing, such as diaries, free writing or poems don't take up much time and can be done at home or at school.

Teach little things such as key vocabulary words, paragraph structure, spelling and punctuation.

Try to teach a variety of writing, such as descriptive, persuasive, information, narrative, or creative writing. And let students know that one piece of writing may involve a couple types. Such as an essay on global warming, which can combine informative and persuasive types.

Involve the students personally and make sure there's a reason for writing. A child isn't going to want to write a cover letter, nor will an adult student want to write about what they want to be when they grow up. Keep the age, level, and reason for learning English in mind. Ask students about what topics interest them. They will be more likely to write about subjects they choose than those that you simply assign them.

Expose students to different writing, such as poetry and drama. When students have examples to look at, their writing will be enriched. Try to plan some field trips to theatre, book clubs, or museum visits. You can also consider starting a theatre group or book club of your own.

Don't forget to keep reading to students. Many parents and teachers read to young children and stop when they get older, but all people can benefit from listening to a story once in a while. You'll find that even the most proper adult students will sit and listen while you read a story.

Organise your lessons. Make a binder with worksheets, transparencies, and ex-students' work. Consider a separate binder that students' can use. You can put in tips and other students' work in it for students to use as reference.

Let students help each other. You might try keeping an expert list. It can be a list of what each student is best at. For example, Mike - grammar: Lisa - spelling. This way if students have a specific question, they can go to each other for help. But be sure to limit time with other students. It's ok that students ask each other for help, but they also have to use class time for writing. Limit the time to a couple of minutes.

Before moving onto the next writing, try reading a text or story about the topic you just did, look at artwork, or drawing. It's a nice way to wrap up the lesson and take a bit of a break from writing.

Have the students create a writing folder where they keep all parts of the writing process together. They will be able to see their progress and also get ideas for further writing assignments.

Make a question rule for students. Tell them that before asking you for help, first they have to ask two other students to help them. You can also refer them to the expert list and they can ask the experts for help.

Organise the classroom. Dictionaries, thesauruses, grammar books, and other reference books should be kept in the same place and in order so that students can easily access them.

Tell students about online resources. Pick and choose a couple of helpful websites that students can use to help them with their writing task. Teaching students to be independent is a large part of the learning process.

Make sure students try to make their work better. Introductions and Conclusions should be very strong sections. Students can look at professional examples, other students' work, or even your own work to get ideas. Look at good and bad examples so that they know the difference and can see what they should and shouldn't use.

Don't forget to give feedback. There are different ways to do this, such as a class discussion, group correction, a meeting with the student, or writing feedback on their paper. Try different ways and see what appeals to your students.

Have discussion sessions where students can share things they've learnt, such as rules for punctuation or grammar. Students can learn just as much from each other as they can from the teacher.

Use rubrics for grading. Students can help you make the rubrics that you use in class. They make grading much easier and help students know what they did well and what they need to improve.

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. As well as teaching short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan.

She has created The LA Job List http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.

Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com - With 60 pages it's a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.