Low Stakes Writing for Fun & Fluency

Low Stakes Writing for Fun & Fluency

Heidi FridrikssonBrunei-US English Language Fellow,

National Institute of Education in Cambodia

Overview

• Definition of low stakes writing

• Why use low stakes writing?

• Common teacher concerns

• Low stakes writing tools

What exactly is low stakes writing?

What exactly is low stakes writing?

Low Stakes High Stakes

<--------------------------------------------------------------------------->Freewrite Blog Book Review Research Paper

Journal Email to Teacher Argument Essay Exam

Why low stakes writing?

Low stakes writingdevelops fluency &

enhances engagement

Low stakes writing reduces anxiety

“a safe place to try out new language, to experiment”

-Williams, 2008

Low stakes writing allows students to

personalize their writing & find their voice in English

Common Concerns

Common Concerns

• Assessment

Common Concerns

• Assessment

• Time (in the term)

Common Concerns

• Assessment

• Time (in the term)

• Time (in the day)

Common Concerns

• Assessment

• Time (in the term)

• Time (in the day)

• Variety

Common Concerns

• Assessment

• Time (in the term)

• Time (in the day)

• Variety

• Level

Think Pair Share

Low stakes writing to prepare ideas

• Think: Ss write for a short time (2-5 min usually) on a topic

• Pair: Ss share what they wrote with a partner

• Share: Ss share answers with the full class

Try It!

Think / Pair / Share

Have you ever used low stakes writing in your teaching? What kind of low stakes writing tools did you use?

Picture Composition

Low stakes writing for mixed ability groups

• Students look carefully at the picture

• Teacher pre-teaches vocab and asks WH questions to give them ideas

• High students can write a whole story; low students can write just a few words

Multi-Entry Journals

Low stakes writing as conversation with text

The Author Says

In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading

I Say

In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas

The Author Says

In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading

I Say

In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it.

-Toni Morrison

The Author Says

In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading

I Say

In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it.

-Toni Morrison

I’m not sure if I agree or disagree with this. I find it inspiring (I could write a book!). But I also find it scary (I don’t know if I can really write a book!) Maybe what Morrison means is that there is a writer inside everyone. We just have to find our ability and motivation.

Try It!The Presenter Says

In this space, write down one thing you found interesting in this presentation

I Say

In this space, put down your responses to this idea

Dialogue Journals

Low stakes writing as conversation with

teachers and classmates

Do you like learning new languages? Why or why not?

When you’re finished, pass this paper 3 people to the right!

Read your classmate’s ideas. Do you agree or disagree?

Try It!-Write one idea from my presentation

-Respond to that idea

-Pass your paper to a peer

-Read and respond to your peer’s thoughts

-Pass the paper back to them

Application• Which of these activities do you think

would work best for your future teaching context? Do you have any LSW tools to share?

Questions?

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wonderful books : Writers on discovering the pleasures of reading. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.Bartholomae, D. & Petrosky, A.R. (1986). Facts, artifacts and counterfacts: Theory and method for a reading and

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Assistance Review, 4 (1), 33-41.Blanton, L. (2008). Speaking of absence: when the connection is not there. In Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (Eds.), The

oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing and other media interaction (pp. 10-25). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Cameron, J. (Producer & Director). (2010). Avatar [Motion picture]. USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Christenbury, L. & Kelly, P.P. (1983). Questioning: A path to critical thinking.  Urbana, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on

Reading and Communicative Skills and National Council of Teachers of English.Evans, S. (2008). Reading reaction journals in EAP courses. ELT Journal, 62 (3), pp. 240-247.Kreeft, J., Staton, J., Richardson, G. & Wolfram, W. (1993). In Kreeft, J. & Staton, J. (Eds.), Dialogue journals in the

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Mlynarczyk, R. W. (1998). Conversations of the mind: the uses of journal writing for second-language learners. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Salas, S. & Garson, K. (2007). Chifa: Freewriting within a required curriculum for adults. In Burns A. & De Silva J. (Eds.), Planning and teaching creatively within a required curriculum for adult learners (pp. 239-246). Alexandria, VA: TESOL.

Thesen, L. (1997). Voices, Discourse, and Transition: In Search of New Categories in EAP. TESOL Quarterly, 31 (3) pp. 487-51.

Williams, J. (2008). The speaking-writing connection in second language and academic literacy development. In Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (Eds.), The Oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing and other media interaction (pp. 10-25). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.