1. Writing to Learn: Quick Writes
Vanessa Conatser & Jennifer Klaerner

2. Premise
Students understand and retain course material much better when they write copiously about it.
Learning is not just input and writing always output.
Learning is increased by “putting out”, writing causes input.

3. Definition
A quick write is a short, focused writing in response to a specific prompt.
Students express their thoughts and ideas without concern for mechanics of writing or grades.

4. Different Goals for Writing
Writing to Demonstrate Learning
Writing to Learn
Low stakes writing
for learning, understanding, remembering and figuring out what they don’t know yet.
effective at promoting learning and involvement in course material.
Easier on teachers—especially non-writing teachers.
high stakes writing
Genuine, well-written essays that are clearly written, coherently organized, carefully copy-edited, and typed.
Demonstrates their final learning capacity of certain content concepts and topics.
Takes longer to grade, but should occur less frequently.

5. Different Uses Before lesson: activate student’s prior knowledge
During lesson: bridge the new concepts, review component before moving on.
End of lesson: summary of what they learned or questions they still have.

6. Different Degrees of Response
Private Writing-learn fluency in writing.
Sharing but no feedback- no pressure
Peer feedback or student response groups. (Socratic Thinking)

7. Teacher Responses or Comments
Your only real obligation is to assess whether the learning has been demonstrated.
No comments are necessary as you would in an essay.
Exception: Entry points to teachable moments.

8. Do I grade it? use fewer categories E, S, U =, -, , +, ++
70-75, 80-85, 90, 95, 100
+, -
ok/strong/weak
Simply grade as a completion grade!

9. Procedures
Teacher formulates a statement or question related to the content and ask students to respond in a certain amount of time
When the time expires, students share with a partner (and possibly the whole class for discussion)

10. Variations
Have students write for a couple of minutes, exchange papers and have partner continue their thoughts.

11. Examples!!! Before Lesson After Lesson
Clinked/Clunked - What did you get “clink” or what did you not get "clunk”?
Timeline- Draw and label a mini-timeline of today’s learning.
1-5 Word Summary - Summarize today in 1-5 words.
Look at another student’s response from yesterday and compare. What do you think?
During Lesson
10 min. Review- What do you remember from the last ten minutes?

12. Examples!!! Can be used anytime
Highway Ad- Draw a highway billboard and write an ad about today’s topic.
Ask & Answer- Ask the author, teacher, character a question. Answer it how you think they would.
American Idol- Give today’s learning a song title.
I need help!!!- Write one thing the teacher could help you learn more about.