Reading in the Middle, Junior and Senior High Schools, Spring, 2010

Buehl, D. (2004). Classroom strategies for interactive learning: Third edition. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Quick write s is designed to assist students in fully understanding what they read and clarify questions they may have. One of the main goals of Quick Writes is to get students involved in their reading by adding personal meaning, reformulating what they learn into their own words, and expressing their understanding in writing. Quick Writes are exactly what the name suggests; short unedited writings aimed to gather initial thoughts or questions. When assigning Quick Writes teachers should explain the purpose of the assignment as well what they expect from the student. Ground rules for Quick Write are: Set time limits for students, students are expected to use the entire time, students should write down thoughts that come to them as they respond to the writing prompt, students should not be to concerned with writing form, students may be asked to share their Quick Writes with a partner. For this task a timer with a buzzer is suggested because it encourages students to transition directly into their thinking. Time limits for this assignment depend on the assignment and the students. To jump start student thinking teachers should provided prompts. Prompts should be read aloud and should not be lengthy; a minute or two is usual long enough. Quick Writes can be designed to be open-ended or they can be designed to provoke specific thoughts. Also students can be encouraged to use deeper thinking in the content area by being asked to explore new vocabulary.