Why does our writing sometimes lose its focus? Our brains are wired to pay attention to all the sensory input we are inundated with. As we write, we think about many things and we have a tendency to write everything that comes into our minds, even if it starts to wander from where we were headed! | What are some reasons why students lose focus in their writing? Distractions! Interruptions! Inattention! Oh my! Students generally do most of their writing in class, surrounded by two dozen peers. Distractions are everywhere! Your mind wanders and you begin to think about your favorite video game and start to lose your focus (inattention). Then, the teacher tells you to stop because it's time for gym - an interruption of your flow. No wonder it's hard to maintain a strong focus in your writing! | How do we improve our focus in our writing? One of the best ways to improve our focus in our writing is to constantly re-read what we've written and evaluate how it sounds. If it seems like we're headed in the wrong direction, it's time to stop, delete the text that lacks focus, and begin again. |
Activity:
- How does FOCUS make your writing better?
- Brainstorm what you did over the weekend by filling out the following T-Chart.
Brainstorm T-Chart
What I Did on the Weekend Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity Activity | What I Did on the Weekend Don't do anything in this section until you hear from me. |
Discussion:
- Did you notice anything about everyone's lists?
- Look at your list and try to dig up some interesting details that will make your writing stand out.
- Write about those small details that only you would have noticed - the details that are unique and would make the rest of us have a reaction when we read it (other than being bored).
- Choose one item from your list. This is the topic you will be writing about today. Use the right hand column of your Brainstorm T-Chart to list out all the steps and parts of this one event. Let's do one together on the board.
- Now it's your turn.
- What did you notice about these lists?
- The small details are what make a piece of writing interesting. Sharing the big events is like a summary - it tells us what happened, but it's rarely exciting!
Focus Theater:
- Get into your groups based on the sticks.
- Have one person act out all the little details from their event and let the others narrate what's happening. The actor cannot speak.
- Switch off until everyone has had a chance to act.
- Give each other positive feedback and any Quality Boosters that may help them identify more interesting details for their writing.
Journal Writing:
- Use detail to describe one focused moment in your day. (REMEMBER: You are being evaluated on your ability to stay FOCUSED on one moment in your writing.)