Writing to Learn

At UPCS, the staff believe that writing is thinking. Most lessons are based on writing to learn or low-stakes writing, that students use to develop and show understanding in all classes. Low stakes writing strategies such as those listed below are a means through which students can develop confidence, reach understandings and demonstrate learning prior to high-stakes tests and writing assignments. After working in class constructing knowledge through a series of low-stakes writing activities, students apply the material and understanding that they have developed to traditional high stakes assessments such as essays and tests.

Here are some common writing to learn strategies. Many of the strategies below can be found in the Writers, INC: A Guide to Writing, Thinking, and Learning, a writing handbook used at the University Park Campus School. (This list was developed by UPCS English teacher and Clark professor James McDermott, Ed. D.)

Writing Response Groups: Writing that comes from a peer revision session where students engage in group discussion or brainstorming session helps student clarify thinking, write for different audiences, and begin to talk about what makes good writing. Also, this is a great activity for quick summaries and short observation reports.

Double Entry Journals: Students divide paper into two columns. In one column they write a quote from the text. In the next, they give their comment on the quote (“This reminds me of…”, “I wonder…”, “I can see…”, “I think…”, etc.). Double entry journals help students grapple with text. In fact, this is a terrific technique to help students become active note takers using textbooks.

Journals: Journals are places for students to keep their personal writings to record their impressions, questions, comments, discoveries, etc., about any subject. Often they are called “learning logs.”

Dear Confused Letters: Letters students write to an imaginary or real friend who is confused by a particular concept, problem, or task. Students who write them often are themselves unclear but show their thinking as they try to work things out for their friend.

Free Writing: Students write nonstop on a particular subject for a short amount of time. Students often discover things they were not aware they knew and sometimes make personal connections that were not obvious before their writing.

Admit Slips: Brief pieces of writing (index cards work well) that are collected as admission to class. The teacher reads several aloud to focus on the day’s work. Admit slips can be a summary of homework, questions about content, requests to clarify a point, etc.

Exit Slips: Short pieces of writing (index cards work well) asking students to summarize, evaluate, or question something about the day’s lesson—an excellent way to informally assess students’ understanding and to plan for the next class.

Brainstorming: The key word in brainstorming is “zany.” Brainstorms encourage students to write quickly whatever comes to mind and write everything down, even that which at first might seem irrelevant, crazy, or zany.

Bio-poems: This activity can be used across all subjects to help students synthesize learning. Even though the form is set up to describe character, it can be used to describe complex terms such as utilitarianism, existentialism, or photosynthesis.

Bio-Poem

Line 1. First name

Line 2. Four traits that describe the character

Line 3. Brother, sister, daughter, etc., of …

Line 4. Lover of (Give 3 things or people)

Line 5. Who feels (Give 3 items)

Line 6. Who needs (Give 3 items)

Line 7. Who fears (Give 3 items)

Line 8. Who gives (Give 3 items)

Line 9. Who would like to see (Give 3 items)

Line 10. Resident of

Line 11. Last name

Class minutes: One student is selected each day to keep minutes of the class lesson to be written for the following class. The student either reads or distributes copies at the start of next class.

Clustering: Clustering begins with placing a key or nucleus word in the center of the page. Students then connect this word to others that come to mind. They must circle each word and connect each to the closest related word or words.

Dialogues: Students create an imaginary dialogue between themselves and a fictional or historical character, or between two characters.

Dramatic scenarios: Students create scenes that are outside of the concrete scope of the text they are studying to develop understanding of the hearts and minds of the characters involved. Students might for example put themselves into the shoes of Harry Truman as he decides whether or not to use the atomic bomb. They might create a script and act it out using primary documents as their sources.

Predicting: Students stop at a particular point in their reading or in their lesson and predict what they think might happen next.

Question of the day: Students to respond to a question in a “What if” format. This activity forces students to think beyond the obvious.

Writing to Learn

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