Written Conversations

1. Written Conversations (All Write Round Table)

2.This activity is used as an after reading activity. The purpose is to allow all students to
communicate their thoughts and ideas in a conversation around the text. The cognitive
skills this strategy develops include: attention skills, memory, and logic and reasoning.
This strategy could be used as a formative or summative assessment if you had students
use different colored pens to write their answers or put their initials by their comments.
3. Audience: Any grade level, any content, and any ability level
4. Text: Any (Text Complexity PowerPoint)
5. Guidelines for implementation:
Have students read text.
Inform students they will participate in a silent written conversation about topics and
ideas in the reading.
All conversation is done in writing.
The writing format is informal, but must be readable. (Similar to a Quick-Write).
All writing pertains to the text and addresses the standard being taught.
Intended audience is the students in their group.
This can be done with partners or in groups of 4 or 5. Students write their thoughts
about the text on their papers and then pass them clockwise (1-3 minutes).
Continue until the students papers make it back to them. Students write the last
comment on their papers.
After the written conversation, have students discuss salient points with the whole
class out loud.
6. Modifications and Accommodations: Students needing extra support could use a
computer to type responses, or speech-to-text app to record responses. Students could
also respond by drawing pictures. Some students may need to have the responses read
to them aloud. A list of possible writing prompts could be provided to help students get
started.
7. Strengths:
Written conversations provide students with:
Engagement of everyone
Practice verbalizing thoughts about texts
Time to comment on, question, and summarize their reading and learning
An opportunity to listen in on their classmates thinking
A way to socialize and interact with their peers around text
An opportunity to use technology, if done online either in class or at home
Weaknesses: Some students may need to process their thinking aloud, prior to writing.
This could be done prior to having students write. It may be hard for students to think of
ideas quickly.
Standards that could be met using this strategy:
R.1, R.2, R.3, R.6, R.8, R.9, R.10
SL.1, SL.3, SL.4
W.2, W.9, W.10
L.5, L.6
Presented by: Dr. Tammy Anderson
Date: August 28, 2014

Written Conversations