Nonstop Write
A nonstop writing activity helps explore and reflect on their ideas. This can be done as a pre-reading or lesson activity, or it can be done in a more reflective manner afterward. The key to this activity is to give students a short window of time and insist that they do not stop writing until the time is up. By doing this, students are forced to expand on their ideas or come up with related ideas in order to keep writing. Students must dig deeper, make connections, and create original thought.
To begin, explain to your students that the goal of this activity is to write nonstop for a specified amount of time to explore a topic about which we are learning. Give them some tips for how to expand their ideas once they feel like they can’t write anymore. Students might give examples, explain their thoughts, reference the text, or make connections to ideas they have already written. Once time is up, students get in pairs or small groups to share and discuss what they have written. You can ask them to highlight specific parts of their writing, too. Here are some examples:
“Underline the sentence that best describes what you are writing about.”
“Circle the details you included to support your main point.”
“Are there any sentences that seem off-topic? If so, mark them with a question mark”
Doing this provides students with an opportunity to reread and critically analyze their writing. With repeated practice, they will become comfortable with writing about text and recognizing strong writing. Also, if students know that a nonstop write is coming, they can read with a purpose, looking for connections and important details to write about later.
A few key tips for a successful nonstop write:
· Model! Give examples of how to write and expand.
· As students are writing, circle the room and look for students who are stuck. Suggest ways to connect or expand so that they keep writing.
· Start with a shorter time period, maybe three minutes, and work up to five, six, or even ten minutes as students become more comfortable and proficient with this activity.
· Put the writing to work! Use it as a tool for discussion, reflection, and deeper understanding. Students can even save and revisit their old writings and see how their understandings have grown and changed throughout a unit or semester.
To begin, explain to your students that the goal of this activity is to write nonstop for a specified amount of time to explore a topic about which we are learning. Give them some tips for how to expand their ideas once they feel like they can’t write anymore. Students might give examples, explain their thoughts, reference the text, or make connections to ideas they have already written. Once time is up, students get in pairs or small groups to share and discuss what they have written. You can ask them to highlight specific parts of their writing, too. Here are some examples:
“Underline the sentence that best describes what you are writing about.”
“Circle the details you included to support your main point.”
“Are there any sentences that seem off-topic? If so, mark them with a question mark”
Doing this provides students with an opportunity to reread and critically analyze their writing. With repeated practice, they will become comfortable with writing about text and recognizing strong writing. Also, if students know that a nonstop write is coming, they can read with a purpose, looking for connections and important details to write about later.
A few key tips for a successful nonstop write:
· Model! Give examples of how to write and expand.
· As students are writing, circle the room and look for students who are stuck. Suggest ways to connect or expand so that they keep writing.
· Start with a shorter time period, maybe three minutes, and work up to five, six, or even ten minutes as students become more comfortable and proficient with this activity.
· Put the writing to work! Use it as a tool for discussion, reflection, and deeper understanding. Students can even save and revisit their old writings and see how their understandings have grown and changed throughout a unit or semester.