WRITING-TO-LEARN / WRITING-TO-THINK ACTIVITIES

that don't drown the teacher in paper


Before lecture/activity Quick Writes can

-prepare them for the next lecture/activity/discussion

-connect what was last discussed/explored with what is forthcoming

these can be collected or merely used to jump-start the class

 Mid-Lecture Quick Writes and end of class End Writes can be used to ... -summarize the lecture/discussion's major points

-encourage students to form a conclusion or an opinion, make predictions or connections

-discover what confuses them

-prepare them for the next lecture/class/reading

-respond to a question posed before lecture/instruction

these can be collected + responded to (then or later) or not, as you wish

 Dialogues (created by students in pairs or individually) can be used to explore concepts, points-of-view, debate issues or theories (Newton vs. Aristotle, Flat Earther vs. Columbus), practice new vocabulary and/or syntax in a language class, explore differences between religious beliefs in a religion class, give life to a moment in history ...

these can be evaluated simply (did/didn't) or in more detail (OK > well done)

 Double-Entry Explorations (done as a journal or periodic assignment) can be used in any class, with formulae, problems, sketches, excerpts from lectures or readings, questions either teacher or student raises, whatever! in the left column

and student's writing on the other side to

...explain, think about, explore, relate the concept or information to everyday life, try to solve the question posed, turn the scientific or mathematical problem into a "word problem" based on the student's own experience, provide a moment-by-moment record of thoughts, questions, Ah ha! moments as students work through a problem or do an experiment ... "Regular" Journals (also called workbooks or thinkbooks) in them, students could ...

-summarize or comment on readings or lectures or films or experiments ...

-think about what was learned, seemed interesting or confusing

-make connections (between what read or heard in class + previous material/experience

or opinions, beliefs, prior understanding, etc.)

-write at home to assigned prompts

-write notes-while-working or reading

-write during class (before/during/at the end) for 5>7 minutes

evaluation and response ideas

-early on, collect & read to make sure students are on the right track

-periodically collect, read and respond to 1 or more entries (re: content only)

(at the same time, record # of pages/entries, regularity, quantity, appropriateness)

-periodically collect most recent/best entry (easiest if in loose-leaf form)

-collect only some journals on X days, others on Y days

-check mark for minimally acceptable entries, check-plus for "better" ones (more thoughtful and/or lengthy)

grading ideas (if it doesn't "count", many won't do it)

-if satisfy minimum requirements = C; to earn higher, must write more / more often / more thoughtfully

-well-kept journals will boost final grade by ______

how-to possibilities

-each entry is dated and/or titled and/or numbered

-kept in a loose-leaf notebook or sewn-back composition book

-never evaluated for punctuation, grammar, spelling, only content (stifles thinking)
 
 

Sandra Kelley