"A writer in motion stays in motion."
Writing is not magic. It's work. Splashing the words across the page or screen is much easier than fretting about whether what we have to say is good enough. Start writing, and the rest comes. Most of what students hate (and writers for that matter) is the struggle, the procrastination, the pain of being stuck...
When the pen hits the page or the fingers tap the keys, the words will flow. Indeed, they won't all be perfect. But knowing that is freedom.
-Jeff Anderson
Activity One: Power Writing
As a class, choose from the pairs of words below.
- Soccer, Dragon
- Angry, Pop tart
- Potato, mellow
- Once your class has chosen your words, choose one and write it at the top of your page.
- When your teacher says, "Go!" write as much as you can, as fast as you can, as well as you can for one minute. You must use your chosen word at least once. The words are triggers; the writing won't be perfect, and that's okay.
- When your teacher says, "Stop!" count the number of words you've written. Look at the power writing chart. Where do you land?
- Choose a second pair of words as a class. Once your class has chosen your words, elect to choose one or both.
- Repeat the process; you have one minute to write using one or both trigger words.
- When your teacher says, "Stop!" count the number of words you've written. Look at the power writing chart. What did you notice about your score? Why do you think numbers tend to increase?
- Repeat for a third round. Doing this activity a few times a week builds your "writing muscles."
Activity Two: 5-7-10
- As a class, make a list of hot topics on the board.
- Free write for five minutes. You can use the words on the board as a stimulus, but focus on writing as much as you can, as fast as you can, as well as you can for one minute.
- After five minutes, turn to a partner and read your writing. You have exactly seven minutes to take turns reading and discussing your writing.
What happens when you hear other people's writing? - Next, you will write for ten minutes.
- Discuss:
- Why is it important for writers to interact with other writers?
- How do good ideas grow?
- Why is peer feedback necessary for growth?
Activity Three: Classical Invention
Read the following together:
- Brainstorm a list of possible theme words from the short excerpt above. Your teacher will write them on the board.
- Choose one word from the list.
- As a class, read and thoughtfully answer all questions presented under "definition" in your classical invention graphic organizer. Jot down brief notes for each answer. If you get stuck or have nothing to say, just move on. Feel free to use outside resources to find your answers!
- Try answering the questions in the other categories with a partner.
- Discuss:
How might this graphic organizer be helpful in generating hooks for essays?
How does this organizer inspire writing about your chosen topic?