Story Writing: FOCUS EXERCISE

And They're Off!

This activity can be done orally or in writing. Give your students a topic or prompt to talk or write about, and, after giving them about 30 seconds to 1 minute to think and plan, have them write for five minutes. The goal is to have the most writing that responds to the prompt without losing focus or purpose. After the five minutes have passed, ask all of your students to take turns reading their responses to the class; then decide which student kept the best focus.