• Is your instruction geared to helping your students become the next great American novelist?
• Is your primary goal to make sure that your students never leave a dangling participle or slit an infinitive?
• Do you hope to develop a passion for writing?
• Is your goal to help develop the writing skills your students will need to be successful in middle school and high school? 

All of this is much more likely if your students learn how get an assignment… break it down, organize their thoughts and then quickly start and finish the assignment. There should be very little hesitation from start to finish. These skilled and confident writers have the ability to write fast… and get the assignment done.

Every year I teach much more than what I just described, but first I get students ready for success by creating fluent writers who can… write fast.

Writing Fluency

According to studies (among them the National Reading Panel’s report on “Teaching Children to Read”) fluent readers tend to good readers. Fluency is one of the five important areas that bring about reading success. That makes sense. In fact, it also makes sense in writing. Fluent writers will likely be good writers. My experience is that fluent writers also make happy students! So much of school… involves writing.

Portfolios vs. a Timed Writing System for Monitoring Student Growth

Portfolios have many great benefits… and I am not against them in any way. However, portfolios do not show objective apples to apples comparisons. They are apples to oranges comparisons… and often apples to hamburgers comparisons.

First, and foremost, different amounts of time allowed produce different results. Kids know this when looking at portfolios. Somewhere in the back of their mind they know these are not apple to apples comparisons… so they are not really sure exactly how much they have progressed.

You may have heard the old musing that a monkey left in a room with a typewriter for eternity will eventually type out “Hamlet.” Let’s face it… eternity is a long time. Students don’t have an eternity to get an assignment done. Students also know it makes more sense to do good work quickly instead of spending an eternity trying to get one writing assignment perfect.

Furthermore, kids don’t want to spend all day on their homework. They don’t want to be the last one finished… every single day. Show students ways to become efficient writers… and they are happy.

The timed writing system I use is a high-octane portfolio system where students see real and objective growth. It’s a simple system that quickly lets students compare apples to apples.

The Timed Writing System: Principal Approved!

Using this system my bulletin board always shows excellent and objective student progress. It was so successful that my principal once suggested (or requested) that I put it back up when I had taken it down and was maintaining the timed writings in a portfolio as compared to being displayed.

The way I use the timed writing system has changed a little with the creation of the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” system. However, this timed writing system is very effective with or without “Pattern Based Writing.”

Before “Pattern Based Writing” the progress in the students’ writing was always steady and consistent. Over the course of a year, the progress was substantial, and admirable. It was a very accurate representation of the gradual, consistent progress that can be achieved with good writing instruction, and a lot of hard work!

Now, I get the results A LOT faster. Within a month most elementary and remedial middle school writers will be saying, “I can’t even read what I was writing before.”

Of course if your students aren’t making great progress in their writing… this timed writing system will reveal that as well. If this is the case… I would suggest you get “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay.”

The Timed Writing System Directions

1. Students do a 5-minute prewriting and a 20-minute essay.
2. Staple each student’s first timed writing to a piece of construction paper and post them on a bulletin board using pushpins so that they can easily be removed and updated. (Most years I have students illustrate a picture that goes side by side next to the writing on the same piece of construction paper.)
3. After a certain amount time, and after a certain amount of instruction, we do another timed writing. Staple the new writing to the front of the old. Students evaluate their progress and then the writing is returned to the bulletin board. 

Simple Benefits

You may be surprised how simple the system is. You’re right, it is. I created this simple system very early in my teaching career. Teachers would ask, “Why are you timing the writing?” I can’t say I was aware of the term “writing fluency” but I did know that the students I taught MUST write faster in order to have success in school.

What I discovered was that when students see OBJECTIVE progress… progress they can see with their own eyes… without anyone having to point it out in a “manipulative” way… they begin to like writing more… and they are willing to invest more.

All teachers want their students to see growth. Quite simply, students become motivated when they see growth. However, “you telling them” is not the same as “them telling you.” Do you have a system where students gleefully proclaim the growth… without being prodded? If not, give this “Timed Writing System” a try! Also be sure to check out the complete writing program.

Deciding on and Giving the Assignment

Step 1: Spend time on the computer clearly outlining the assignment. You may want to include a rubric detailing how the report will be graded and detailing what is expected. Give detailed directions on how you expect students’ sources to be cited and exactly how you will determine what you consider to be plagiarism. Be sure to discuss exactly what the report must cover along with the formal style that you may expect. Give each student a printed copy of this.

Researching Main Ideas and Sub-Topics

Step 2: Have students find sources of information for their subject. (Library, internet, encyclopedias, textbooks)

Step 3: Students now quickly skim and scan their resources getting a quick overview of their entire subject. Students need to learn the information as they research the material. Writing the report in their own words is hard to do if they don’t understand the material. (Teach students how to avoid plagiarism while they are young. Learning the material as students research helps students write their report in their own words.)

Step 4: Have students use a separate sheet of paper for each of their sources. At the top of each sheet of paper have students write the bibliography information for one source that they will be using.

Step 5: Students now skim and scan each source writing important big picture main ideas and main sub-topics which they feel they could build a report around. They should put a strong focus on headings, chapter titles, and table of contents. Have them write these ideas down in their own words by paraphrasing.

Outlining and Organizing

Step 6: Have students look over their sheets of paper that have all their big picture main ideas and sub-topics. Have them decide which main ideas and sub-topics they will want to build their report around. (Continue to urge students to learn the material.)

Step 7: Now students build a perfect puzzle of main ideas and sub-topics which will outline their report. In other words, they create an outline of what they want to focus on in their report. (It’s okay if they decide they need to change some of their main ideas and sub-topics as they continue to research their subject.) 

Researching for Facts

Step 8: Now students research and take notes. They can continue to use the same sheets of paper that they have their main ideas on, OR they can use an index card for each main idea or sub-topic. If you use an index card with the main ideas you need to be sure to mark which source you got your information from. Students do not write their notes in complete sentences. Have students write their notes in “Frankenstein Writing.” (Nile River – 4185 miles long – longest river in world) Sounds like Frankenstein, doesn’t it? Frankenstein writing is fast, and it makes sure students will later write their report in their own words.

Writing the Report

Step 9: Students follow their outline and use their notes to write their report. Students can research more if needed, but no using books when writing the report. Make sure students understand how to give credit to their sources of information. Students should also understand how to write a proper introduction, body, and conclusion for their report.

Step 10: Students create a bibliography page giving credit to all of their sources of information.

Proofreading and Editing

Step 11: For proofreading and editing, it’s best to give a short cooling off period so students will be able to look at all of their hard work objectively. If students hold off for 1-3 days, they will do a much better job.

Step 12: Students proofread and edit their report.

Step 13: Recopy for a fabulous report! (This may not always be a great use of time. However, sometimes it’s good for students to see a fantastic final copy on nice white paper.)

Sharing and Displaying

Step 14: Share! Students read their entire report to at least one other person. Also have an “Author’s Chair” where students can read a part of their report to the entire class. 

Step 15: Display! There are lots of ways to display reports. You can put them up on the bulletin board. You may want to put them in a binder to create a class book or have students create a cover for their own report and you have a classroom library! You may want to show them off when it’s time for back to school night, parent conferences, or open house. Consider all this before you send them home.  

Fantastic report! Great job!

Since calling a bottom on the stock market on March 5th, 2009 during one of the worst financial crises in history I’ve received quite a few emails from people that read my post at “The Elementary Educator” blog. They seem to be impressed.

I’ve only brought it up in relation to “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” because it’s been my passion for both teaching and studying patterns that has led to the creation and effectiveness of this writing program, as well as being able to see things clearly when our country was in a time of crises.

The “A, B, C Sentence” in Pattern Based Writing is directly connected to one of the most famous of all patterns in the stock market which is called an “A, B, C Patten.” The A, B, C Pattern simply lets you see things clearly. I wanted to be able to make my students be able to see things clearly in their writing, and the “A, B, C Sentence” worked like nothing I had ever seen before.

I bring it up because… I want people who are considering “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” to know that this is a truly unique writing program that gets amazing results. It’s not what you think… and it works better than you can imagine.

When I made the post on “The Elementary Educator” blog, I had nothing to lose. If I had been wrong, who would have blamed me? But it turns out that depending on what market you look at it was within ONE or TWO days from the actual bottom.  This means ONE or TWO days from the bottom of a financial crisis that had been going on for 1 ½ years!

I’m not in the habit of making predictions, and that will likely be my “prediction of a lifetime.” Also please note that in my prediction I use the word “probably” and “probability” quite a bit. I didn’t “know,” but I felt so strongly that this was the very bottom that I knew I should put it in writing.

Basically… I’m a teacher… and I’ve created a writing program that helps kids visualize an entire essay in their mind before they even start writing.

How I Made My Call for a Market Bottom and a Brighter Future

You can find my market prediction by doing a Google search for “Paul Barger One Teacher’s Prediction.” I wrote this prediction on another teacher’s blog (mrpullen.wordpress.com) in response to their rather bleak prediction. (Scroll to the bottom of their page where I added my comment to their blog.)

For me, their bleak prediction was the first piece of the puzzle. As the weeks passed I could see continued pieces of the pattern coming together. Finally, I was quite sure that “this is the bottom,” so I went on record.

A Little Bit about Patterns

Patterns help you see and understand what is going on. Here are my favorite two examples of what I would call the power of patterns.

In the movie “A Beautiful Mind” there is a part where he looks up and points out all the beautiful patterns shining in the night sky. Most people think, “How great it would be to see the world that way! What a gift!” The truth is we all have the ability to see the world that way. We all have a beautiful mind…

By the end of the Pattern Based Writing program, students have the ability to see writing just the way that the character in the movie was able to look up at the stars and see the constellations. It’s all clear. They understand what they are doing, and where they are going in their writing. Total control makes writing fun!  

Blink- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

In the book “Blink- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking” the author, Malcolm Gladwell’s basic premise is about how our first impressions and our intuitions are actually our amazing and natural gift of being able to instantly decode and process patterns.

Pattern Based Writing leads to writing in an organized and beautiful nature without really even having to think about it. It’s kind of like what Malcolm Gladwell describes.

It’s like teaching an artist some patterns, and then watching them create new patterns using those patterns. (Pattern Based Writing does not lead to “rote writing.” It actually gives students the control to do to their writing what Picasso did to his painting. And they do!)

Patterns in Language and the Stock Market

I learned patterns in both NLP (neuro linguistic programming) and the patterns in the stock market. Between these two subjects I’ve studied just about every single kind of pattern found in science, nature, art, and in language.

I’ve read LOTS of books on patterns in the stock market and in NLP. (I’d be embarrassed to tell you how many…) NLP is VERY pattern intensive and is most famously known for it’s in depth study of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles. I have to admit that I was shocked to find the kinds of advanced language patterns found (and hidden) in language.

It’s quite amazing that you can tell by listening to the words a person is using if they are in a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning mode.

Language is amazing, and you can be sure that CEO’s, lawyers, and presidents have long SEEN the power of language!

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is the first step in opening up a new universe for students and teachers!

Stock Market Prediction

Along with organization, ideas are the other trait that Paul B. Diederich felt deserved greater weight.

Good prewriting skills lead to good ideas. If students think the first idea that pops into their head is a good idea, it’s unlikely they will become effective writers or take great pride in their writing. Students need to understand that the first ideas that pop into their heads are just the tip of the iceberg.

Mass idea generation through prewriting makes this kind of thinking a habit. It’s not so much that students (and adults) must do prewriting for every single assignment they have, but they must be aware that they are not choosing from among just a few ideas, but that they are choosing from an unlimited number of possible ideas.

With the prewriting system I use students get in the habit of generating at least 80 unique ideas over a range of main ideas in anywhere between 5-10 minutes.

Developing the Habit of Exploring Endless Possibilities Before You Start Writing

I have a background in acting and the theater. A lot of actors will tell you that if you want to learn to act, you learn by doing theater. Acting classes are a poor substitute for real acting in the theater. Here’s why.

In acting classes you might rehearse a scene a few times, and you might perform the scene a few times. That’s it. You’re done. You think you have taken the part as far as you can.

However in the theater, you rehearse a part 4-5 days a week for 5 weeks. By opening night you have found layer upon layer that before lay hidden.

Six weeks later on closing night, you are almost embarrassed at how little you had understood both the character and the play on opening night. You realize how even on opening night you had just scratched the surface in understanding both the play and your character.

The next play you are in, right from the beginning you know that there are many, many layers that you can’t see at the moment. You know you don’t understand either the big picture or the subtle nuances that you will soon come to understand.

As such, you know to continuously seek new ideas and new interpretations. You learn new methods and new tricks for discovering different ways to uncover the hidden and complex possibilities that lay hidden in the words.

With each additional play you continue to learn how to more quickly uncover all the hidden possibilities. You learn that there are endless possibilities, some of which you will discover early, and some you will discover when it’s too late. But you get better and better, and faster and faster!

The Skill of Exploring All the Possibilities

Generating ideas is not something students should have a problem with. If they do have a problem coming up with lots and lots of ideas, it is most likely because they are not in the habit of coming up with LOTS and LOTS of ideas.

Students need to discover the “big picture” and the “fine details” early in the writing process. Don’t wait until it’s time to edit/revise to make it better. An effective prewriting system makes it better before students even start writing!

Frustrations with Prewriting

I have explored and experimented with many, many prewriting systems over the years. There are lots and lots of very creative prewriting ideas. Most of these prewriting ideas are not practical for students to use as a consistent prewriting system.

Graphic organizers are great. They are like math manipulatives for writing. However, they are rarely a practical resource that will help students get the job done. In fact, they are often more of a distraction than a problem solver. Students need a prewriting system that they can count on when they have work to get done.

Here are Eight Qualities of an Excellent Prewriting System:

1.      Quick, useful, repeatable, and practical.

2.      Improves students writing (I’ve seen prewriting systems that actually make children write worse!)

3.      A skill students can use and will use to get started writing and when they are stuck in their writing. (If the prewriting system is too complicated, students won’t use it. The prewriting system needs to be so accessible that students will naturally use it when they are stuck.)

4.      Will not distract children or prevent children from starting the “real writing.” The real writing is the part that people are going to read and for which they will be graded. (Some prewriting systems can be like an art project and prevent students from getting started on the real writing. They are fun and interesting, but not useful for everyday assignments.)

5.      Provides an opportunity for mass idea generation. (More ideas to choose from means better ideas get written on the paper.)

6.      Is easy for students to connect their prewriting to the actual writing. (There is an art to connecting prewriting to the actual writing. This art needs to be built into the prewriting system.)

7.      Helps students learn how to see both the “big picture” and the “fine details” of their subject or story.

8.      Student created. If the teacher has to “pass it out” it is not practical, and likely not allowed in many testing situations. As well, the student will not develop the self-reliance for organizing their own writing.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay has a prewriting system which gets students in the habit of generating at least 80 unique ideas over a range of main ideas in anywhere from 5-10 minutes.