Taking the leap from the ledge onto the paper is no easy feat. Children need to be given the tools, confidence and knowledge to know that once they leap, they won't free fall.
|
|
|
| ||||||||
Purpose
The writing fluency activities have been designed to give children the opportunity to improve the speed at which they transfer ideas into written words.
In studies of children’s writing, fluency is viewed in different ways and has varied definitions. Fluency is influenced by a variety of factors: prewriting tasks, prior content knowledge, time spent on task and/or deep thinking and monitoring techniques. As our focus is on writers in early stages of their development, we are going to take a very simplistic view of writing fluency. Our definition of writing fluency will be a child’s composition rate; to put it plainly: the number of words a child writes in a specified amount of time.
The purpose of the fluency technique is to enhance a child’s ability to transfer their ideas into written pieces of work, or basically, getting words on a page. The thought process behind this is simple; if children write nothing, then there is nothing to improve. We need to get children comfortable writing at an acceptable pace before we can help them become better writers.
We want these activities to be empowering; therefore, all writing is complimented. Minimal critiques are made about spelling, punctuation, meaning making or handwriting. Our primary aim is to build the developing writer’s confidence.
The fluency activity aims to offer opportunities at writing fluency with limited preparation time. For optimal results, fluency needs to become embedded as part of the teaching day. With continual practice, students can learn to write their ideas on paper rapidly with minimal preparation. However, once you are satisfied with the level of wrting fluency being performed, five-minute preparation time using a simple planning technique will further aid development.
Daily writing fluency tasks offer opportunities for students to showcase their knowledge and writing skills. Children will be regularly offering raw samples of writing that can be silently assessed (formative assessment tool) and used to direct teacher instruction. Overtime, we expect that the skills they have been learning and applying will make their way into their writing fluency compositions.
In studies of children’s writing, fluency is viewed in different ways and has varied definitions. Fluency is influenced by a variety of factors: prewriting tasks, prior content knowledge, time spent on task and/or deep thinking and monitoring techniques. As our focus is on writers in early stages of their development, we are going to take a very simplistic view of writing fluency. Our definition of writing fluency will be a child’s composition rate; to put it plainly: the number of words a child writes in a specified amount of time.
The purpose of the fluency technique is to enhance a child’s ability to transfer their ideas into written pieces of work, or basically, getting words on a page. The thought process behind this is simple; if children write nothing, then there is nothing to improve. We need to get children comfortable writing at an acceptable pace before we can help them become better writers.
We want these activities to be empowering; therefore, all writing is complimented. Minimal critiques are made about spelling, punctuation, meaning making or handwriting. Our primary aim is to build the developing writer’s confidence.
The fluency activity aims to offer opportunities at writing fluency with limited preparation time. For optimal results, fluency needs to become embedded as part of the teaching day. With continual practice, students can learn to write their ideas on paper rapidly with minimal preparation. However, once you are satisfied with the level of wrting fluency being performed, five-minute preparation time using a simple planning technique will further aid development.
Daily writing fluency tasks offer opportunities for students to showcase their knowledge and writing skills. Children will be regularly offering raw samples of writing that can be silently assessed (formative assessment tool) and used to direct teacher instruction. Overtime, we expect that the skills they have been learning and applying will make their way into their writing fluency compositions.
Procedure
1. Write at the same time each day.
2. All students are to begin writing at the same time.
3. Students are given 5-10 minutes (depending on age) to write each day. Make sure it remains consistent each day.
4. Students are given a story topic or a word bank to use so that they can begin thinking about what they will write. There are word banks and topics included in this section. Students could be given a list of words. They could use one of those words or all of the words to create a piece of writing. ‘The Writing Treasure Chest’ 300 prompt cards or daily writing calendar could also be used for this fluency technique.
5. Students are given 1-2 minutes to think about what they will write about.
6. Set the timer for the allotted time and tell the students to begin writing.
7. After the allotted time has elapsed, children count the number of words they have written.
8. Students record their fluency results on their sheet, and on their fluency graph.
9. Students attempt to beat their previous scores.
10. Once satisfied with a level of fluency, remind students that writing is a form of communication. Writing needs to be readable as well as fluent; it must make sense. Students who achieve teacher set goals, in regards to fluency, should be concentrating on other aspects; such as: punctuation, capitalisation and varied sentences.
Adapted from: One-minute Academic Functional Assessment and Interventions – Chapter 5: Increasing Writing Fluency Performance – author unknown
2. All students are to begin writing at the same time.
3. Students are given 5-10 minutes (depending on age) to write each day. Make sure it remains consistent each day.
4. Students are given a story topic or a word bank to use so that they can begin thinking about what they will write. There are word banks and topics included in this section. Students could be given a list of words. They could use one of those words or all of the words to create a piece of writing. ‘The Writing Treasure Chest’ 300 prompt cards or daily writing calendar could also be used for this fluency technique.
5. Students are given 1-2 minutes to think about what they will write about.
6. Set the timer for the allotted time and tell the students to begin writing.
7. After the allotted time has elapsed, children count the number of words they have written.
8. Students record their fluency results on their sheet, and on their fluency graph.
9. Students attempt to beat their previous scores.
10. Once satisfied with a level of fluency, remind students that writing is a form of communication. Writing needs to be readable as well as fluent; it must make sense. Students who achieve teacher set goals, in regards to fluency, should be concentrating on other aspects; such as: punctuation, capitalisation and varied sentences.
Adapted from: One-minute Academic Functional Assessment and Interventions – Chapter 5: Increasing Writing Fluency Performance – author unknown
Further Fluency Tasks
For some children, writing can be a slow and awkward process. Generally, children are able to tell a story but struggle when it comes to writing in their books. The purpose of writing fluency is for children to get their ideas down on paper as quickly as possible. We are not looking for the perfect sentence with this strategy, we want children to get their thoughts out, a vital part of the writing process. With a daily or weekly routine, children will develop their speed and accuracy while building confidence in their ability to write.
There are a variety of resources available to enhance student fluency. Students need to be fluent in different styles of texts and also when confronted with different prompts. To help students become fluent writers across the board we need to expose them to a range of activities. Regardless of the prompt, we need to allow students time to build their knowledge and use planning tools to organise their writing.
The types of fluency activities provided in this resource are outlined below:
Writing prompts
Writing prompts are general prompts for writing activities. They include a building knowledge phase and a planning component. They provide an opportunity to write based on a different format.
Image prompts
Images are powerful tools for writing. These image prompts are used to spark imagination. Children explore the picture, engage their senses, build their knowledge, and then plan a piece of writing. Images are often used in exams, so becoming fluent with picture prompts is an important skill.
People, Places & Things prompts
Children are given a list of people, places and things. They choose one word from each category and brainstorm by drawing and labelling pictures. The children then use their chosen words to write a story. These activities should be used once students are regularly achieving fluency goals as they do not offer as much brainstorming and planning opportunities.
Subject - Verb prompts
Most of the resources are based on the theory that “if you have someone doing something, you have a story”. The subject and verb fluency task is the basic sentence; it’s the seed of the sentence before it blossoms into a story. From a list, children select a subject (someone) and a verb (doing something). Using those two ideas, the children write.
There are a variety of resources available to enhance student fluency. Students need to be fluent in different styles of texts and also when confronted with different prompts. To help students become fluent writers across the board we need to expose them to a range of activities. Regardless of the prompt, we need to allow students time to build their knowledge and use planning tools to organise their writing.
The types of fluency activities provided in this resource are outlined below:
Writing prompts
Writing prompts are general prompts for writing activities. They include a building knowledge phase and a planning component. They provide an opportunity to write based on a different format.
Image prompts
Images are powerful tools for writing. These image prompts are used to spark imagination. Children explore the picture, engage their senses, build their knowledge, and then plan a piece of writing. Images are often used in exams, so becoming fluent with picture prompts is an important skill.
People, Places & Things prompts
Children are given a list of people, places and things. They choose one word from each category and brainstorm by drawing and labelling pictures. The children then use their chosen words to write a story. These activities should be used once students are regularly achieving fluency goals as they do not offer as much brainstorming and planning opportunities.
Subject - Verb prompts
Most of the resources are based on the theory that “if you have someone doing something, you have a story”. The subject and verb fluency task is the basic sentence; it’s the seed of the sentence before it blossoms into a story. From a list, children select a subject (someone) and a verb (doing something). Using those two ideas, the children write.
OrgaNISATION
The further fluency resources can be used for a whole class activity, during guided writing time or they can be given to small groups to work on independently; these activities are ideal for reading and literacy group activities. These worksheets can also make up part of a writing/literacy centre or be an option for children who complete their work in a set time.
Teachers should pre-test students to determine their fluency level prior to commencing lessons.
The worksheets are double-sided. The first side is generally for prewriting activities, and the second page is for writing and editing tasks.
The first step is brainstorming. Children are provided with question stems or vocabulary lists related to the topic. They are encouraged to make notes, compile lists, and draw and label pictures to help them think about the topic. This is our Building Knowledge phase of writing. Without background knowledge and information, writing is an impossible task.
The second step is choosing a topic to write about. Lists of possible writing topics, based on the theme, are suggested on the sheet or it could be selected following a class discussion. Children can either select one of these, or a topic of their own choosing to write about.
The third step is planning. Students are given a blank box to plan their writing. Planning prior to writing will ensure that their attempt at fluency is successful. It is suggested that children use a planning strategy with which they are familiar. An outline of possible planning techniques can be found on ‘Simple Planning Techniques’ on page 139.
Before commencing writing, a goal to focus on should be selected. Please see earlier in the guide (on page 37) for information on each of the different goals. While this is a fluency activity, it’s important to note, some students will need to focus on another goal as they could already be achieving high levels of fluency. Goals could be selected individually or as a class.
Students are now ready to write. Writing should be limited to a certain amount of time. It is essential that it is an unbroken period of writing where students can focus on what they are going write; it is only a short session of writing and not a sustained period. It needs to be short and sharp with the aim of increasing writing output in the timeframe. At the end of the allotted time, students count up the number of words written.
Once the writing has been completed, students should attempt to edit their work. There are 5 parts to the editing process. Students need to check to ensure that they have used appropriate punctuation in their writing, especially to mark sentences. They need to find and correct, where possible, any spelling errors. Students should also double check to ensure that their writing makes sense and decide if they could use better vocabulary to improve their writing. Finally, a recommendation could be made to the student in the follow up box; this is something they could work on next time. See the editing and feedback section (on page 40) for further information. Editing could be completed leading into the next lesson; this would allow children time between writing and editing. It also could be a simple warm-up exercise which will make them aware of areas to focus on when writing in the new lesson.
Teachers should pre-test students to determine their fluency level prior to commencing lessons.
The worksheets are double-sided. The first side is generally for prewriting activities, and the second page is for writing and editing tasks.
The first step is brainstorming. Children are provided with question stems or vocabulary lists related to the topic. They are encouraged to make notes, compile lists, and draw and label pictures to help them think about the topic. This is our Building Knowledge phase of writing. Without background knowledge and information, writing is an impossible task.
The second step is choosing a topic to write about. Lists of possible writing topics, based on the theme, are suggested on the sheet or it could be selected following a class discussion. Children can either select one of these, or a topic of their own choosing to write about.
The third step is planning. Students are given a blank box to plan their writing. Planning prior to writing will ensure that their attempt at fluency is successful. It is suggested that children use a planning strategy with which they are familiar. An outline of possible planning techniques can be found on ‘Simple Planning Techniques’ on page 139.
Before commencing writing, a goal to focus on should be selected. Please see earlier in the guide (on page 37) for information on each of the different goals. While this is a fluency activity, it’s important to note, some students will need to focus on another goal as they could already be achieving high levels of fluency. Goals could be selected individually or as a class.
Students are now ready to write. Writing should be limited to a certain amount of time. It is essential that it is an unbroken period of writing where students can focus on what they are going write; it is only a short session of writing and not a sustained period. It needs to be short and sharp with the aim of increasing writing output in the timeframe. At the end of the allotted time, students count up the number of words written.
Once the writing has been completed, students should attempt to edit their work. There are 5 parts to the editing process. Students need to check to ensure that they have used appropriate punctuation in their writing, especially to mark sentences. They need to find and correct, where possible, any spelling errors. Students should also double check to ensure that their writing makes sense and decide if they could use better vocabulary to improve their writing. Finally, a recommendation could be made to the student in the follow up box; this is something they could work on next time. See the editing and feedback section (on page 40) for further information. Editing could be completed leading into the next lesson; this would allow children time between writing and editing. It also could be a simple warm-up exercise which will make them aware of areas to focus on when writing in the new lesson.
REcording
Students can graph their results on a fluency chart to monitor their progress – examples on pages: 85-87.
TIMING
Time limits for the brainstorming and planning sections can be used; this will depend on how the activities are being used in the classroom. Suggested timeframes are below, but are dependent on the age of students and the structure of lesson.
Brainstorming
10-20 minutes
Planning
5-10 minutes
Writing
5-15 minutes
Editing
5-10 minutes
10-20 minutes
Planning
5-10 minutes
Writing
5-15 minutes
Editing
5-10 minutes
Student Progression
This is a sample of a 7-year-old girl’s improvement after 6 months of writing fluency instruction.
February
|
June
|
This is a sample of a 7-year-old boy’s improvement after 6 months of writing fluency instruction.
February
|
June
|