Informal Writing Assignments

• In-class writing
1. Writing at the Beginning of Class to Probe a Subject
2. Writing During Class to Refocus a Lagging Discussion or Cool Off a Heated One
3. Writing During Class to Ask Questions or Express Confusion
4. Writing at the End of Class to Sum Up a Lecture or Discussion

• Journals

5.      Open-Ended Journals

6.      Semi-structured Journals

7.      Guided Journals

8.      Double-Entry Notebooks

9.      “What I Observed/What I Thought” Laboratory Notebooks

10.  Contemporary Issues Journals

11.  Exam Preparation Journals

 

• Reading Journals or Reading Logs

12.  Marginal Notes or Focused Reading Notes

13.  Reading Logs or Summary/Response Notebooks

14.  Student Responses to Reading Guides

15.  Imagined Interviews with Authors

 

• Creativity Exercises
16. Writing Dialogues
17. Writing Bio-Poems
18. Metaphor Games, Extended Analogies

 

• Other Ideas for Using Exploratory Writing
19. Occasional Thought Letters
20. Electronic Mail
21. Exploration Tasks to Guide “Invention” for a Formal Writing Assignment
22. Portfolio System

 

• Informal Tasks for Practicing Thesis Writing

23. Practice Essay Exams

24. Thesis Statement Writing

25. Frame Paragraphs