Writing to Learn Instructional Strategy of the Month
Through writing, students can develop their ideas, their critical thinking abilities, and their writing skills. Writing enables students to experiment every day with written language and to increase their fluency and mastery of written conventions. By taking time to write in low-stakes exercises, students actively engage in thinking about a concept. Writing increases equity within the classroom since students have time to try out their ideas in non-evaluative activities before they have to present them to a group or as individuals. Writing can also be used as formative assessment and as a way to scaffold mid- and high-stakes writing assignments and tests. ~JFF
Classrooms that engage in writing activities are classrooms where students are given the opportunity to write using low stakes writing everyday. Students may write to explore, explain, evaluate or discover. Keep in mind:
Students are given multiple opportunities to write in the classroom.
Students have specific writing that aligns with the goals and objectives for the class.
Teachers use writing to plan for the class (i.e., responses from exit tickets)
Teachers use low stakes writing as a way to increase writing fluency and mastery of key concepts.~excerpt Athens Drive High School
“…Writing is best understood as a complex intellectual activity that requires students to stretch their minds, sharpen their analytical capabilities and make valid and accurate distinctions. … Writing is not simply a way for students to demonstrate what they know. It is a way to help them understand what they know. At its best, writing is learning.”
From The Neglected 'R': The Need For A Writing Revolution, The National Commission on Writing In America's Schools and Colleges
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