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Quick Writes
Quick Writes are content or concept-related responses to questions posed by the teacher. The teacher can pose questions that are very explicit and concrete or open-ended. The most fruitful discussions will arise out of the open-ended questions. This kind of scientific discourse is a science process skill learners need more opportunities to practice as they become more scientifically literate. Quick Writes provide students with an opportunity to write quickly (about 5 minutes or less) yet to think deeply.
Quick Writes may be used in many parts of the day and may have a variety of structures. In science the goals of Quick Writes are to increase learners’ ability to make connections, think deeply about recent learning, organize thinking about the concept, and clarify individual understanding. When Quick Writes are done at the beginning of class, they can be used to bridge prior learning to upcoming concepts. Used at the end of class, Quick Writes give the learner an opportunity to reflect and make meaning of concepts. Writing about science naturally encourages correct use of new vocabulary in context. Quick writes can inform teachers of student misconceptions and the need to change classroom pacing and instruction, as well. They offer teachers another option for whole class and individual formative assessment, as well as individual summative assessment.
Quick Writes are most effective when they are a daily occurrence and when some other kind of processing can follow. Having students share and discuss their Quick Writes helps them to better understand the concepts, as they work toward organization of ideas and a clear, concise way of sharing them with others.
Possible Quick Write Ideas
Suggested Use
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Quick Write Question
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Use prior to starting Investigation 1
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What do we think we know about rocks? What can we observe about rocks?*
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After Investigation 1; part 1
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What are some of the properties we can use to describe individual rocks?
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After Investigation 1; part 2
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How are minerals different from rocks?*
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After Investigation 2 ; part 2
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How can we use simple tools to determine the hardness of a mineral?*
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After Investigation 3; part 2
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How can we tell if one of the ingredients in a rock is the mineral calcite?
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Brainstorm possible “Choose your Own Investigation” questions for Investigation 4; part 2
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What else do I want to learn about earth materials?
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* Adapted from Writing in Science (Fulwiler) pgs. 197-8.
**Many of these questions could be used at the beginning of class to link previous learning to the day’s activities and concepts. Questions can also be posed multiple times throughout the unit to track students’ growing understanding and knowledge.
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