Spring is in the air! And along with the sweet smell of Spring, may come a wave of state testing anxiety! Not so fast! By following the steps of The Write Tools Writing Routine, students are thoughtful, confident writers in all types of writing situations. Whether they are taking tests, completing homework or in class assignments, students are confident writers when they know exactly what to do.
The first step of the Writing Routine is for students to Read and Analyze the prompt. In this step students must identify the topic of the writing, the audience, and any key words in the prompt.
T= (topic)__________________________________________
A= (audience)______________________________________
K= (key words)______________________________________
When students know the text type they are being asked to write, they are better able to organize their thoughts and plan for their writing.
One way to assist students in finding key words when they read and analyze prompts is to generate a list of common key words that tend to coincide with each text type. This can be easily done with students in a mini lesson. One mini lesson per text type. Making lists with students for each text type helps give students confidence to find key words in a prompt when working independently.
As with any strategy, students need lots and lots of practice. Your Write Tools binders are loaded with many prompts you can use with students to practice Reading and Analyzing prompts. Practice this step of the Writing Routine with the charts you make with your students.
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As you enter this next season of Spring and testing, take a deep breath and smile knowing you are doing what is best for your students. By giving them the tools they can use and the time to practice, the result will be confident students who know how to Read and Analyze a prompt and complete all of the steps of the writing routine. Whether your students are emergent, independent, or sophisticated writers, they will be able to know the type of writing they are being asked to do and the self-assurance to begin planning.
