Procedure Guide: THOUGHTSHOT

Purpose: To use the thoughts, reflections, feelings, and opinions of the writer to improve the quality of writing.

THE SNAPSHOT ACTIVITY SHOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE BEGINNING THOUGHTSHOT.

Preparation

· Ask students if they can "Take a walk inside your head at that moment".

(See Procedure Guide for Snapshot activity.)

Before

• Introduce the thoughtshot writing strategy, the thoughts and feelings of the snapshot.
• Place the event in a context.
• Explain that writers should give the reader a reason to be interested. Some questions to consider are:

How did you feel?

What were you thinking? Why?

How has this influenced/affected your life?

What changes at this moment?

What do you realize now that you are looking back?

What did you learn/gain from this moment/event/experience?

· Model the THOUGHTSHOT strategy.

Choose a different color to write your thoughtshot on a transparency.

Share this with the students and ask them if they can "take a walk inside your head at that moment."

During

· Have students write at least one full-page** (**you decide length) thoughtshot about their snapshot.

After

• Have students share their snapshots with a partner for suggestions as to how to clarify their writing.
• Have students revise their thoughtshots. Ask them if they can "take a walk inside the writer's head at that moment", based on their partners' suggestions.
• Have students submit the thoughtshots to the teacher for guidance and suggestions for revision.

Assessment

Thoughts, feelings, opinions expressed in thoughtshot

Reader can "feel" what is happening

Focus on reflection