Staying up late (lesson planning) seemed to pay off today.
Today I scheduled our writers' workshop to be completed by writing in different locations around our campus. I set the expectations, provided prompts, and we were on our way! Some classes were better behaved than others, but for the most part, the kids were great.
They wrote.
This idea was not one of my originals.
Last summer we did a similar activity during our rl txt Program at ASU. I actually planned that event too (well, created a schedule of locations to visit). It was so fun to be out and about while writing. It's a cool concept for sure. This idea was introduced to us as a "Writing Marathon" in which you go to a location, write, share, and then move on to the next location.
Here is a list of where we went today:
Location #1: Lunch Tables
Location #2: Victor Viking
Location #3: Media Center
Location #4: Football Field (bleachers)
Location #5: The Forrest (right outside McNary’s classroom)
Location #6: McNary’s classroom, room 507
It was fun to get out of the classroom. The kids were given prompts that accompanied each location. They taped a list of these prompts into their composition notebooks, so they would have access to ideas if they got "stuck" on what they were writing. Michelle, one of my 6th hour students, said the experience was even "peaceful" which I totally agree. It was peaceful to sit outside and write. I hope the kids enjoyed today's experience as much as I did.
Prompt: When is the last time you sat outside and wrote just because you could? What did you write about? Did being outside influence your writing in any way? Explain.