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OBJECTIVE: To encourage and motivate writers.
SUPPLIES: paper, pencil, object
Directions:
Students have two minutes to write about an object that is presented to them. Points are gained by the team that continues to write during the entire two-minute period. Monthly rewards such as M & M’s (which stand for More and More details) are a great incentive to the winning team.
Writing Objects:
Anything!!! Students write about an object presented. For example, a spot on the wall, the thermostat, a picture of a bird, garage sale items, tools, scanned pictures from calendars…literally anything! They love Quickwrites. I often enjoy bringing unusual items into the classroom that make noise, smell unusual, taste great to spark student interest. The more unusual the item - the better.
Suggestions:
- Six to eight students volunteer to share their Quickwrites.
- The key to motivating and successful writing is that no negative comments will be made regarding the writing.
- There are no rules regarding the writing genre. Some students will write lists, some poetry, some in the narrative genre, some in an expository style - there are no restrictions to the direction that a student will take his/her writing.
- When the students are sharing their brief writing sample, I look for one specific comment that I can make: “I like your use of the word ‘skyscraper’.” “Your details about the ring made me feel sad.” “You are a natural narrative writer.”
- I try not to get overly excited about any particular writer’s piece because no one will want to share after a ‘successful’ writer. Some of the more proficient writers become depressed because you became so excited about someone’s writing and they may have gone unrewarded for having previously written just as well.
- Remember this should be a fun activity to get your students excited about writing!
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