Improve Student Writing with Quick Writes

It’s every middle school ELA teachers dream: strong student essays. But getting students to write effective essays is hardly a walk in the park. You might have tried making comments on students paper, spoon-feeding essay ideas, and breathing deeply in a corner to keep from going insane. (I’ve been there, too.) But the answer to improving student writing might be easier than you think… It starts with quick writes.

What are Quick Writes (or Flash Drafts)?

Quick writes, otherwise known as flash drafts, are essentially a giant brain dump. Students write without stressing over grammar, spelling, organization, or structure. They are just working to get their thoughts down on paper.

At first glance, this exercise might seem pointless. Isn’t spelling and organization an important part of writing? Yes, but these writing structures can also hold students back (especially when they are struggling to get started). By removing those barriers, you can jump-start the writing process and skip the, “I don’t know what to say” phase.

How Quick Writes Improve Student Writing

I used flash drafts for several years, and I saw a ton of benefits. Let’s talk about some of the ways quick writes can improve student writing.

#1 Jumpstarts Writing

A huge advantage to quick writes is that is removes the barrier of intimidation. For many kids, the actual work of writing can be daunting. They get caught up in the rules, and they aim for perfection. With flash drafts, there are no expectations other than to write! This means they are jumping in headfirst and sorting out the details later – which is much less intimidating.

#2 Improves Writing Stamina

Let’s be honest: writing is a process. It takes time and a lot of mental energy. Sometimes, students are not ready for that. With flash drafts, you can slowly increase the time that students spend writing to improve their stamina.

#3 Writing Becomes Accessible

You don’t need complicated lesson plans to differentiate your quick writes. Just utilize different tools, like providing students with sentence starters or allowing them to transcribe their verbal brain dump. This makes writing accessible for all students, no matter their abilities and skills.

#4 Builds Writing Independence

Writing can be exhausting as a teacher because your name is being called all class period. Students are desperate for help. Because quick writes ditch the “rules” of writing, it’s easier for students to go at it alone – and build confidence in their abilities. AKA you can relax instead of rushing around the room.

When to Use Quick Writes in Your ELA Classroom

Ready to use flash drafts? You want to start by modeling what it is. Give the class a question, and then take a few moments to write a draft in front of the class – thinking aloud as you write. You can write on the board or display a word document and type. When it’s your students turn, set a timer and set the expectation that they are writing for the entire time.

Once your class has gotten the gist, you can use quick writes in various ways in your classroom.

#1 Argumentative Writing 

One of my favorite ways to use quick writes is with argumentative writing. I recommend starting your argumentative unit with debates. This gets the ideas flowing and allows students to practice their argumentative skills. Next, students will write flash drafts. Using some of the ideas they heard in the debate, they will write their argument and use evidence to back it up.

They use this flash draft as they move through the argumentative writing unit. They will add onto, edit, and improve their flash draft. This takes the intimidation out of writing because they already have a starting place!

#2 Reading Response

You don’t need to be in the middle of a writing unit to use flash drafts. After reading a text, give students a reading response question and set the timer for a quick write. They can brain dump their thoughts right after reading, then edit and revise their flash draft to create a strong written response.

#3 Literary Analysis

Breakdown literary analysis (and help students write better essays) with quick writes. After reading a short story, ask students a specific question to get them thinking about a literary device. For example, “What conflict or struggle do the characters face? What do you think the author want us to learn from that conflict?” Then set the timer and let them write!

I have students write at least three flash drafts for literary analysis. Then, they bring their quick writes together for their comparative analysis. Instead of having to remember everything about the story later, they can refer to those quick writes so they write faster and more effectively.

#4 Practice a Specific Writing Skill

Sometimes you want to practice writing skills, like editing, organization, or revision, without writing a whole essay. Quick writes can help with that. Have students write on a particular topic, then go back and improve that draft using the skills they’ve learned. For example, adding in transition works, checking spelling, or improving their evidence.

If you want to improve student writing, start with flash drafts. They help your students kick start the writing process, instead of getting stuck in their head and overthinking the writing process.