Cure for Constipated Writers....the Smacker.
First of all...it's not what you think.
Like most ELA teachers, I find my middle-high school students are somewhat constipated in their writing. Not a nice word, I know, but it totally fits. I'd give them a prompt...and they'd just sit there, scared to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). They worry about spelling, punctuation, but most of all, they worry what they write will sound "dumb." So...they just don't write. To counter this writing constipation, I sometimes walk around the classroom with a ruler (I call it the "smacker"), and I tell the students I will smack their desks if I don't see them writing something....anything! Before you call DHR, I don't smack the students (and they know I won't), but I do walk around the classroom, and I have smacked many a desk. After a few weeks of this, my students know I mean business when I say, "Let's WRITE." The kids love the "smacker" and often remind me to pull it out, which never ceases to crack me up.
No matter what the grade level, this little trick works wonders. The students often surprise themselves with the content, as well as the amount of it. Granted, it's not appropriate for every mode of writing or lesson or even some students, but it definitely has its place. It is especially helpful for what I call "quick writes" and brainstorming. I tell my students that I want their pens to be extensions of their minds, pouring out what they are thinking...even if it's dumb or misspelled. We can always clean it up later.
I introduce the "smacker" to my students at the beginning of the year when I teach them how to "sponge" or "brainstream." In conjunction with the "smacker," sponging/brainstreaming really helps my students write more thoughtful content instead of overanalyzing each word of their first writes. In other words...they learn to "let go" and just write.
Like most ELA teachers, I find my middle-high school students are somewhat constipated in their writing. Not a nice word, I know, but it totally fits. I'd give them a prompt...and they'd just sit there, scared to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). They worry about spelling, punctuation, but most of all, they worry what they write will sound "dumb." So...they just don't write. To counter this writing constipation, I sometimes walk around the classroom with a ruler (I call it the "smacker"), and I tell the students I will smack their desks if I don't see them writing something....anything! Before you call DHR, I don't smack the students (and they know I won't), but I do walk around the classroom, and I have smacked many a desk. After a few weeks of this, my students know I mean business when I say, "Let's WRITE." The kids love the "smacker" and often remind me to pull it out, which never ceases to crack me up.
No matter what the grade level, this little trick works wonders. The students often surprise themselves with the content, as well as the amount of it. Granted, it's not appropriate for every mode of writing or lesson or even some students, but it definitely has its place. It is especially helpful for what I call "quick writes" and brainstorming. I tell my students that I want their pens to be extensions of their minds, pouring out what they are thinking...even if it's dumb or misspelled. We can always clean it up later.
I introduce the "smacker" to my students at the beginning of the year when I teach them how to "sponge" or "brainstream." In conjunction with the "smacker," sponging/brainstreaming really helps my students write more thoughtful content instead of overanalyzing each word of their first writes. In other words...they learn to "let go" and just write.
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