1. Low Stakes Writing for Fun & Fluency Heidi Fridriksson Brunei-US English Language Fellow, National Institute of Education in Cambodia

2. Overview Definition of low stakes writing Why use low stakes writing? Common teacher concerns Low stakes writing tools

3. What exactly is low stakes writing?

4. Low Stakes High Stakes Freewrite Blog Book Review Research Paper Journal Email to Teacher Argument Essay Exam

5. Why low stakes writing?

6. Low stakes writing develops fluency & enhances engagement

7. Low stakes writing reduces anxiety “a safe place to try out new language, to experiment” -Williams, 2008

8. Low stakes writing allows students to personalize their writing & find their voice in English

9. Common Concerns

10. Assessment

11. Common Concerns Assessment Time (in the term)

12. Common Concerns Assessment Time (in the term) Time (in the day)

13. Common Concerns Assessment Time (in the term) Time (in the day) Variety

14. Common Concerns Assessment Time (in the term) Time (in the day) Variety Level

15. Think Pair Share Low stakes writing to prepare ideas

16. Think: Ss write for a short time (2-5 min usually) on a topic Pair: Ss share what they wrote with a partner Share: Ss share answers with the full class

17. Try It! Think / Pair / Share Have you ever used low stakes writing in your teaching? What kind of low stakes writing tools did you use?

18. Picture Composition Low stakes writing for mixed ability groups

19. Students look carefully at the picture Teacher pre-teaches vocab and asks WH questions to give them ideas High students can write a whole story; low students can write just a few words

20. Multi-Entry Journals Low stakes writing as conversation with text

21. The Author Says In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading I Say In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas

22. The Author Says In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading I Say In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it. -Toni Morrison

23. The Author Says In this space, put quotations or ideas from the reading I Say In this space, put down your responses to the author’s ideas If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it. -Toni Morrison I’m not sure if I agree or disagree with this. I find it inspiring (I could write a book!). But I also find it scary (I don’t know if I can really write a book!) Maybe what Morrison means is that there is a writer inside everyone. We just have to find our ability and motivation.

24. Try It! The Presenter Says In this space, write down one thing you found interesting in this presentation I Say In this space, put down your responses to this idea

25. Dialogue Journals Low stakes writing as conversation with teachers and classmates

26. Do you like learning new languages? Why or why not? When you’re finished, pass this paper 3 people to the right! Read your classmate’s ideas. Do you agree or disagree?

27. Try It! -Write one idea from my presentation -Respond to that idea -Pass your paper to a peer -Read and respond to your peer’s thoughts -Pass the paper back to them

28. Application Which of these activities do you think would work best for your future teaching context? Do you have any LSW tools to share?

29. Questions?

30. REFERENCES Alexie, Sherman. The joys of reading and writing: Superman & me. In Dorris, M. & Buchwalk, E. (Eds.), The most wonderful books : Writers on discovering the pleasures of reading. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions. Bartholomae, D. & Petrosky, A.R. (1986). Facts, artifacts and counterfacts: Theory and method for a reading and writing course. Portsmouth: Boyton/Cook Publishers. Bauer, L. & Sweeney, L. (1999). The use of literary letters with post-secondary non-native students. Learning Assistance Review, 4 (1), 33-41. Blanton, L. (2008). Speaking of absence: when the connection is not there. In Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (Eds.), The oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing and other media interaction (pp. 10-25). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press. Cameron, J. (Producer & Director). (2010). Avatar [Motion picture]. USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Christenbury, L. & Kelly, P.P. (1983). Questioning: A path to critical thinking. Urbana, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communicative Skills and National Council of Teachers of English. Evans, S. (2008). Reading reaction journals in EAP courses. ELT Journal, 62 (3), pp. 240-247. Kreeft, J., Staton, J., Richardson, G. & Wolfram, W. (1993). In Kreeft, J. & Staton, J. (Eds.), Dialogue journals in the multilingual classroom: Building language fluency writing skills through written interaction (pp. 196-221). Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation. Mlynarczyk, R. W. (1998). Conversations of the mind: the uses of journal writing for second-language learners. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Salas, S. & Garson, K. (2007). Chifa: Freewriting within a required curriculum for adults. In Burns A. & De Silva J. (Eds.), Planning and teaching creatively within a required curriculum for adult learners (pp. 239-246). Alexandria, VA: TESOL. Thesen, L. (1997). Voices, Discourse, and Transition: In Search of New Categories in EAP. TESOL Quarterly, 31 (3) pp. 487-51. Williams, J. (2008). The speaking-writing connection in second language and academic literacy development. In Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (Eds.), The Oral-literate connection: Perspectives on L2 speaking, writing and other media interaction (pp. 10-25). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.