For the second semester this year, my friend Mary and I are piloting a new kind of homework for us. Called a "Writing Log", the concept is to have students free write a page or more regularly in their notebooks, and then select an entry to turn in weekly. Because the expectation is still new, today I took the opportunity to check in with a couple of kids.
"How long does it usually take you to do your writing homework?" I asked one young man.
"8-12 minutes," he told me with certainty.
"That seems... reasonable?" I prompted.
"It all depends if I know what I'm going to write about when I sit down," he said. "If I do? Then it... just flows!" He opened his hand expansively to show me what he meant.
He needn't have. I know all too well how a daily writing committment goes. "If you get an idea during the day," I said earnestly, "you should definitely write it down."
He nodded skeptically.
I went to my desk to jot our conversation down.
"How long does it usually take you to do your writing homework?" I asked one young man.
"8-12 minutes," he told me with certainty.
"That seems... reasonable?" I prompted.
"It all depends if I know what I'm going to write about when I sit down," he said. "If I do? Then it... just flows!" He opened his hand expansively to show me what he meant.
He needn't have. I know all too well how a daily writing committment goes. "If you get an idea during the day," I said earnestly, "you should definitely write it down."
He nodded skeptically.
I went to my desk to jot our conversation down.
that is brilliant! Inspiration is everywhere. I keep notes on my phone but call the documents 10 - originally it was because there were 10 ideas on the page - now it has just became an organization tool! My notebooks aren't as organized.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I wonder f you provide students a choice of prompts for times they get stuck and don't know what to write? Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI used that when I was teaching - with kids doing responses to their reading. Some wrote with little effort - others struggled. Loved the dialogue!
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