Strategies and Practice for Timed Writing Responses

Session Overview:

Introduction (5 minutes)
Begin with a brief discussion about the importance of writing responses in a timely manner. Explain how this skill is helpful in tests, exams, and everyday communication, where responses need to be quick and clear.

Warm-up Activity (5 minutes)
Ask students to quickly jot down answers to simple questions (e.g., "What is your favorite book?" or "If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?").
Time this activity for 3 minutes. The goal is to get students comfortable writing under time pressure.

Timed Writing Practice (20 minutes)

Step 1: Present a writing prompt. For example:
"Describe a memorable event in your life and explain why it was important."
"If you could invent something to help people, what would it be and how would it work?"
Step 2: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Students should respond to the prompt in an organized, clear manner. Encourage them to focus on getting their ideas down first rather than editing.
Peer Sharing (10 minutes)
After the timed writing session, ask students to exchange their responses with a classmate.

Have each student read their peer's response and offer one piece of feedback. This feedback should focus on one strength (e.g., good organization, clear ideas) and one suggestion for improvement (e.g., more details, better transitions).
Reflection and Tips (5 minutes)

As a group, discuss the challenges of writing under time pressure. Encourage students to share strategies that helped them (e.g., outlining briefly before writing, focusing on key ideas).
Provide tips for improving timed writing: practice brainstorming quickly, develop a simple structure (beginning, middle, end), and focus on clarity rather than perfection.
Closing:
Encourage students to practice writing timed responses regularly. Reinforce that the more they practice, the more confident they will become at expressing their ideas quickly and clearly.

Camera Policy: Because this class has a large writing component, I require learners to keep their cameras on throughout the class. This helps me make sure your learner is staying on task and doing the class activity, and it also make the class more enjoyable overall when we can all see each others faces. The only exception will be for learners who have been pre-approved by Outschool Security to have their cameras off.