Quick Writes
Parents, a great way to support writing at home is the strategy called: "quick writes." These short writing segments allow students to target writing skills such as beginning, middle and ending, introductions and conclusions, staying on topic, handwriting and spelling. This is a great way to encourage effective writing, and to practice the writing skills that I am teaching in class. Take a day over the weekends and have your student perform a quick write! Afterwards, you could sit down and talk about his/her writing, and what he/she could try to work on for the next quick write sample. Here is how to execute the quick write:
Step 1: Choose 3 words (preferably from fourth grade vocabulary, but any three will do!). Write these words down, but do not show your child yet.
Step 2: Set a timer for two minutes. Before you start the timer, tell your child to put his/her pencil on the floor. The first two minutes of a quick write is dedicated, entirely, to thinking about what to write, not actually writing.This is a good time to plan their beginning, middle, end, introduction, or conclusion.
Step 3: Start the timer for two minutes, leaving the pencil on the floor, and flipping your paper over to show the three words you have chosen.
Step 4: At the end of the two minutes, the student can pick up the pencil and begin writing. Set the timer for eight minutes for this part.
Step 5: The student's hand must be moving the entire eight minutes!
Step 6: When the timer stops, the student stops writing. Take a few minutes and talk to your child about the writing! Have him/her read it back to you to hear how it sounds when read aloud.
Step 7: Set goals for the next quick write!
Step 8: Email me to let me know you are working on strengthening your writing at home! :)
Step 1: Choose 3 words (preferably from fourth grade vocabulary, but any three will do!). Write these words down, but do not show your child yet.
Step 2: Set a timer for two minutes. Before you start the timer, tell your child to put his/her pencil on the floor. The first two minutes of a quick write is dedicated, entirely, to thinking about what to write, not actually writing.This is a good time to plan their beginning, middle, end, introduction, or conclusion.
Step 3: Start the timer for two minutes, leaving the pencil on the floor, and flipping your paper over to show the three words you have chosen.
Step 4: At the end of the two minutes, the student can pick up the pencil and begin writing. Set the timer for eight minutes for this part.
Step 5: The student's hand must be moving the entire eight minutes!
Step 6: When the timer stops, the student stops writing. Take a few minutes and talk to your child about the writing! Have him/her read it back to you to hear how it sounds when read aloud.
Step 7: Set goals for the next quick write!
Step 8: Email me to let me know you are working on strengthening your writing at home! :)