What is guided practice?
- Guided practice is a research-based writing strategy in which the adult guides the student in writing practice, asking questions and providing advice in every step of the writing process.
When should you use guided practice?
- Guided practice can be used to write at any complexity (match the student at their current level) and about any topic.
- Children who struggle with organizing their thoughts in order and putting them in “well-written” sentences or paragraphs could benefit from guided practice
How do you use guided practice with your students?
- Ask your student to give you some piece of information. Ask for specific details about the event and ask questions.
- Ask your student to write down what they did. Have them first say their sentence out loud, using the details they just gave. Students may find it helpful to verbalize their thoughts out loud before putting them on paper. If they leave out important details or words, guide them by asking questions. It also might be helpful to encourage them to create a picture in their mind of the scene.
- When they start writing their sentence, ask questions about capitalization and punctuation. For example, ask “Should you start with a capital letter?” or “What should go at the end of your sentence?” Show them the rules and/or provide a sample if necessary.
What else can you do to make the most out of your guided practice?
- Encourage the student throughout the process to boost motivation. Provide specific positive feedback so the student can use it towards their next writing assignment.
- Don’t pressure your student into participating in any of these strategies.
- Stay calm.
- Keep practice sessions short unless the student is eager to keep going.
- Practice at regular intervals.
Original Source:
Rachel Wise, Education and Behavior, "3 Steps to Help Improve Your Child’s Sentences with Guided Writing Activities": https://educationandbehavior.com/guided-how-to-help-your-child-develop-writing-skills-through-guided-writing/
