Today my sixth graders were finishing up the editing process for their personal narratives. They were all at different places–just starting, halfway through, almost done–so I decided to create some fun, Halloween-related extension activities for those who were finished.
The first extension activity I did with a small group was a whiteboard game, Fix That No-No Sentence. Today I did did a competition where students worked independently, then battled against one another.
I gave my students a list of five sentences and previous to each class, typed their name in a color on the side of the sheet. This would be so that they each had their own spot for typing.
The object of the game was to work independently, trying to take a boring sentence and make it the most detailed, specific, and interesting sentence possible! This related back to their editing process, but was looking at it in a new way, plus, in the competition format, I hoped they’d have fun and challenge one another.
I gave all students access to the document, allowing them to edit. This way they could write all at the same time, and see one another’s sentences as they were being added. This, I hoped, would push them, because if they saw what their peers were writing, it would make them want to write even stronger and better sentences!
This picture above was a class that had quite a few students done with editing. As you can see, they each have their own space for writing and are writing simultaneously. This was very productive because it was fun, engaging, and challenging. My only concern is with some goofy students that make take the opportunity to be inappropriate. However, as an editor yourself, you can constantly see the document and nip any negative activity right in the bud. Plus you can add comments and even award first place on the best sentence!
I think the students had fun with this! It was definitely a productive way for them to use their time, while still connecting to the editing and writing process!
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