Guiding Questions:
What strategies can be used to ensure effective writing?
Quick Writing-Warming Up the Mind
Each student will be given a visual prompt. With this prompt they are asked to begin writing (they can choose any direction and type of writing they would like--poem, story, reflection, etc). When a bell rings, students are asked to hand their visual prompt to the person on their right. Then the process will begin again.
What is Writing?
1minute/Station Brainstorm Activity
Each student will have chart paper and a space on the wall. When prompted they will be given an topic and asked to engage in 1 minute of brainstorming about that topic. After a minute. Students will then rotate paper and get a chance to see what someone else braintormed (30-40 seconds). Then a second topic will be announced and the brainstorming will commence once again. This pattern will continue until each student returns to the postion he/she started at.
The Writing Process
Investigating Outlines Station Activity
Students will be paired up and assigned to specific stations (Work Backwards, Make Corrections, Create the Outline). At each station students will be required to conduct a certain task that involves an understanding of creating outlines for writing. Students will be given a set amount of time to complete the station. Once they are done they will be asked to present their results to the class.
Assessing What is Given
Students will be shown an outline and a corresponding paragraph. Once students have completed reading both, they are asked to assess whether this is an effective paragraph. They they will be given the paragraph in hard copy and asked to make revisions to it. We will complete one paragraph revision as a class and then students will complete one independently.
Becoming a Proofreader
Students will be paired up. Each pair will be given a poorly editing sample of writing. The focus for each student will be to edit their assigned selection. Then at the end of editing, they will decide on three areas for the student to focus in terms of their writing (the aim here will be to have students identify how the author might improve). Students will submit their final pieces to the teacher.
Practice Makes Perfect
Using an assignment that students must complete for one of their academic classes, student will engage the writing process (brainstorm, outline, draft, revise, edit). After each stage of the process, students will be required to submit their work and at the end of the process they will need to complete a reflection focused on their engagement in the writing process.