Quick Writes
Quick writes are a fun way to get students writing. I present the students with a picture and give them five minutes to tell me the story of what is going on in the picture. I ask the students to pick a person or a thing in the picture and write from that point of view. These quick writes are usually extremely funny. After writing for five minutes, I give the students a little bit of a rest and then we do another one. After a few quick writes, I have the students get with a partner and share their writings. They usually love listening to each other. Each student has their own style of writing and I think it is good for them to see how their peers write. At the end of class, I have volunteers read their writings to the whole class.