Objective To employ appropriate peer group responses.
Writing Task Write a collaborative story.
Prewriting
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1. Have students select a partner. Ask one in each pair to tell a favorite story or fairy tale to the partner. Then have the partners switch roles and tell another story.
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2. Bring the class back together as a group and ask individuals what was the beginning of their tale, the ending, and the main body of the tale. Note that all three are important elements of a story.
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3. After the discussion, one of the pair should be selected as a recorder for the composing task.
Composing Students write a story together, taking turns adding one complete sentence. After 20 minutes or so of writing time, ask them to write an ending.
This activity could be repeated, with either the teacher assigning another topic or each pair of students selecting an original idea.
Intervention Students may not be writing and ask, “Do we have to read this aloud?”
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Teacher’s response—“I’ll give grades only on whether or not you participate.”
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One student cannot come up with a sentence.
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Teacher’s response—“Think of what you want to say and ask your partner to help you put the idea into a complete sentence.”
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Student pairs ridicule each other’s ideas.
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Teacher’s response—“It’s alright if your story is not a masterpiece. The important thing is to learn to work together.”
Assessment/Revision/Proofing
When the story is complete ask the pairs to correct their stories for spelling and punctuation.
Ask students to form small groups of two pairs, read their stories to each other, and check the other pair’s story for complete sentences, spelling, and punctuation.
Evaluation Invite students to read aloud. Focus on how the writers felt about working together. Some stories, written collaboratively, may not be appropriate for a general audience. If it is required of every child to share their writing in the future, a description of the final audience should be provided before the next writing begins.