Quick Writes
Quick writes is an excellent strategy that develops writing fluency. Couple that with its ability to activate prior knowledge, informally/formally assess, promote critical thinking, foster peer reflection and critique, be applicable in any content area, build vocabulary, summarize content, make predictions, and multiple other areas of application makes it an extremely versatile tool.
In essence quick writes is a brief timed writing exercise. Students are giving a topic and told they have one or two minutes, the choice is yours, to write whatever they can about the topic. The only rules are that their pens/pencils cannot stop moving. They are not to worry about correct spelling, grammar, or anything besides getting as much information down on the paper as they can. I often couple this with a contest to see who can write the most…it’s amazing how a little competition will drive a class to write like crazy. The flexibility of academic focus and small time commitment required make it an excellent strategy for any classroom or area of study.
If I were teaching math I could use quick writes after introducing dividing fraction to see if they students fully comprehend how to divide fractions. In science I could use it to activate their prior knowledge of cells prior to teaching. For social studies I could use it to have students compare Walt Whitman and Allen Grinsberg. In reading I could have students tell me everything they know about the protagonist. To be honest quick writes can be used in every content area and at nearly every academic level.
Here are few links that can give you more examples of how to use this fantastic and engaging strategy. http://nrhs.nred.org/www/nred_nrhs/site/hosting/Literacy%20Website/Literacy%20Strategy%20Templates/Quick_Write__description.pdf http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/scholasticprofessional/authors/pdfs/rief_sample_pages_introduction.pdf http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/QuickWrites.html http://www.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/002154/MyQuickWritestextsamples.pdf