What It Is
A Quick-Write is a brief activity that can be inserted at almost any point within a lesson or planned ahead using prepared prompts. It doesn’t have to take long – just enough time for students to stop and reflect in writing on what they are learning (3 minutes is usually sufficient).
A teacher might say something like this: “For the next three minutes, jot down your reflections on how the Earth’s shifting plates may have directly affected the landscape of where you live.”
Quick-Writes can also make use of word banks to ensure that students address important concepts learned. For example, teachers can identify a handful of words that they would like students to use within their Quick-Writes.
Having half sheets of paper available for students in an easily accessible location will allow you to save time in asking students to grab a sheet of paper and quickly jot down their thoughts.
How It Works
- Select a prompt that you would like students to address.
- Give students a specified amount of time to collect their thoughts and jot down a response (approximately 3-5 minutes).
- Follow this up with a Pair-Share, a Networking Session, Chalkboard Splash or other collaborative structure.
How to Ensure Higher-Order Thinking
Go beyond asking students to explain the meaning of a concept. Instead, ask students to make connections between the concept and their effect on the world around them. Use wide-open questions. For example, get used to using questions that begin with phrases like “In what ways…” and “How might things be different if…”
Provide opportunities for students to understand the broader implications of what they are learning. Simple questions like “Why is this important?” and “How does it relate to our lives?” might help students stop and reflect on the deeper connections and purposes for what they are learning.
Allow students opportunities to interact and listen to their peers as they share their Quick-Writes in small groups.
Source
Himmele P., and Himmele, W. Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner. ASCD, 2017, pp.42-45.