The
You Speak/I Write Strategy
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Step 1: Introduction
of the You Speak/I Write Strategy The You speak/I Write Strategy
helps the student who has trouble getting ideas onto paper. At first,
the strategy requires two people. The writer must verbally respond
to questions asked by the teacher or peer partner. While the student
responds, the partner then writes down the information almost exactly
as the writer says it. This is important because the writer must know
that those are his or her words and ideas when going back to include
them in the draft. The questions that the listener/recorder asks are
based on the draft or topic they are working with. Where are more
ideas needed? Where can you help to generate more detail? Once the
students get used to using this strategy, they adapt it for themselves
to use it alone. Some students tape record themselves, some talk quietly
aloud through their ideas.
Step
2: Modeling the You Speak/I Write Strategy Modeling the strategy using
the overhead helps to demonstrate "good" questions to ask
their partners. Students also see how to write down the writer's ideas
in the writer's own words, and writers become aware of the fact that
they can't talk too fast or their partners will be lost. Modeling
by using the overhead and a student who already knows the strategy
is a good idea. For providing specific instructions, a list of steps
on the board or overhead is helpful. For Example: 1. Read your partner's
paragraph and decide where it needs more detail. 2. Ask your partner
(the writer) questions based on the places the essay needs more detail.
3. Record ideas nearly exactly as they are said. The next step is
to put the students to work! Let them use the strategy.
Step
3: Scaffolding the You Speak/I Write Strategy The You Speak/I Write Strategy
makes writing part of the writing conference, and it builds on the
struggling writer's strength with spoken language. On a separate piece
of paper, the partner writes down all the ideas a writer speaks during
a conference, and then shows the writer where the ideas may be inserted
in the draft. Using this strategy gives writers confidence in their
own ideas, because everything going into the piece is in their own
words; it just may be in someone else's handwriting at first. |