Writing Blitz: Twenty Days of Review for the Writing Test
Overview
Some notes before you get started….
On the chart below, you will find a chart with an overview of the Twenty Day Writing Blitz. Each lesson number is hyperlinked to the lesson itself. Within the lessons, there are hyperlinks to other documents.
It’s probably a good idea to check out each lesson now, so that you can decide which ones you will use. You may find lessons there that you don’t feel you need to teach. We tried to choose lessons that would be a good review for all writers preparing for an assessment, but please feel free to add or subtract lessons as you go—you are the expert on your students.
We know that performance = ability x knowledge x motivation. This means that if your students have the ability, and the knowledge, but lack motivation, their performance is going to suffer. For this reason, you will find a motivational/thought provoking activator in each and every lesson. In the first lesson, if you choose to use it, there are links to motivational football videos, as well as a modified copy of a speech (“I am a Champion.”) The idea is to get your students comparing the writing assessment to a big game. You want them thinking and preparing like elite athletes. Only you know if this type of comparison will work for your class. If you don’t think it will work, consider finding another motivational video or speech that will do the job.
Also, each lesson has a link to a PowerPoint that is comprised of motivational/thought-provoking quotes. The idea is to choose one quote a day to display as your students come into the room at the beginning of writing class. They are to copy the quote down and respond to it in words and/or pictures. These quotes can lead thinking in a lot of different directions—hopefully this will get their creative juices flowing, and get them to think “outside of the box.”
We have recommended The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown to use as a way to keep track of thoughts for review. Don’t worry if you don’t own the book or can’t find it. You will want to make a chart with your students each day, as indicated in the lessons, regardless of the format. This is important because you will spend 3 minutes every day for 20 days reviewing the information on the charts. Use different colors and a bit of artwork so that when those charts are taken down, your students will still be able to visualize them.
You have worked hard to teach your students the craft of writing. Our hope is that these twenty lessons will help relieve a bit of your burden, and give you some ideas to tweak and make your own.
Click the hyperlinked number to get the lesson.
Day / Focus1 /
- I am a Champion.
- How is the Writing Test like a big football game?
2 /
- importance of prewriting
- begin wall charts—will review in wall talks daily
- Characteristics of each genre/graphic organizers—Important Book
3 /
- RAFTS—make chart
4 /
- State rubric: IDEAS domain
5 /
- “Show Don’t Tell” minilesson—how will this look in each genre? Talk about making things up!!
6 /
- State rubric: Organization domain
7 /
- minilesson: transitions
8 /
- State rubric: STYLE domain
9 /
- REVISION: FINAL four lesson
10 /
- revision: sentence fluency
11 /
- EDITING : CUPS
12 /
- minilesson: great beginnings
13 /
- excellent endings- books to share
14 /
- Prewriting (15 minutes)
15 /
- first draft (45 minutes)
16 /
- revision/editing: final four/cups (20 minutes)
17 /
- Final Draft (30 minutes)
18 /
- Share pieces- critique
19 /
- Continue to share pieces.
20 / Celebration!
Resources to have ready / List of prompts, cut up and put in attractive bowl or box
# Days Till the Writing Celebration chart
chart paper, markers
motivating music
The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Documents from Georgia DOE:
Informational Writing Checklist
Narrative Writing Checklist
Persuasive Writing Checklist
Plan/Prewrite Pages
Answer Document
Drafting Pages