Because it was an early release-anchor day, we had micro-classes today. In contrast to our typical 90-minute blocks every other day, I saw every section for 23 minutes.
"Why did we even have school today?" moaned several students as they entered the room.
"You might surprised what we can do in a short time!" I answered cheerfully, knowing that I would be finished teaching by 10:15. "Clear your table of everything but your writing notebook."
"No iPads?" some asked incredulously.
"No iPads," I confirmed. "It's a paper and pencil and partner day."
I gave them a list of high-interest writing prompts, went through each to clarify, and asked them to choose three that they had a good story for. Then I asked for a volunteer to tell me the story, and as they did, I modeled asking clarifying questions. The objective was to help the writers with structure and adding detail. then they partnered up and did the same thing, telling stories and asking questions. With just a few minutes left in the class, I asked them to write the first paragraph of the story in their notebooks,. Then it was time to go.
"Enjoy your afternoon off!" I said as they packed up.
"Can we spend more time on this next class?" someone invariably asked.
And of course, the answer was "Yes!"
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