As the fire drill alarm blares across your room, students scramble to line up quickly, quietly, and efficiently in order to get out of the classroom to safety. This monthly practice drill that all teachers and students go through remind us of the urgency to be prepared in case of a real emergency. Well, what if we applied this same concept towards writing? This month's blog will describe a quick-write technique called Fire Drill Writing. It is fun and encompasses the same sense of urgency that real fire drills do...except for the noise!
I learned this strategy at a reunion that I attended for the Inland Area Writing Project hosted at UCR this past weekend. If you would like more information regarding the IAWP please visit here: https://iawp.ucr.edu/
1. Display the fire drill sheet onto your whiteboard using projector:
2. Have students circle ONE of the boxes. Students will use the three words in that box in their writing however they wish. They can write a poem, a narrative, informational piece, or perhaps even a song. They must use each word at least once in their writing.
3. Give students 10 minutes to write. They don't have to worry about grammar, spelling, or conventions. The idea is just to get their creative writing juices flowing!4. It is important that they see YOU writing along with them as well. At the IAWP reunion that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I was surprised at how easily I was able to use my three words. I also thought about the amount of editing and revision I did along the way. Sharing your piece with your students is such a powerful way to demonstrate and model how writers can write, edit, and revise in a limited amount of time. Imagine how your students' writing fluency will improve!
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| At all our IAWP activities, we always make room for Author's Chair! |
5. Above all else....have fun!
6. Never forget to share and celebrate writing using Author's Chair.
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| Happy Writing! Gus Macuil |
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