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IV. Low-Stakes, Informal Writing Activities & Assignments

Examples of Standard Low-Stakes Writing Activities & Assignments

There are numerous tried-and-true, standard low-stakes writing activities and assignments, many of which are outlined in the table below.

For examples of low-stakes writing tailored to specific course contexts, check out: Examples of Low-Stakes Writing in UW-Madison Courses.

Interested in designing or adapting a low-stakes activity or assignment for your course but not sure where to start or what to include? Contact the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) team to set up a one-to-one consultation.

Table: Examples of Standard Low-Stakes Writing Activities & Assignments

Activity Name Description Logistical Notes

Freewrite

 

⏰ Activity Time:
2-10 minutes

Unlock immediate student thinking and reduce writing anxiety with this versatile activity.

Give students a set amount of time to write whatever comes to mind in response to a question or problem. Encourage them to be “messy” and not worry about polished grammar and syntax.

In-class (any time)

Individual


Write-Pair-Share

(or Ink-Pair-share)

 

⏰ Activity Time:
5-10 minutes
(2-5 min write, 2-4 min share)

Give students between 2-5 minutes to write in response to a question, or reflect on personal connections to course material. Have students turn to a partner and share their thoughts.

Optional: Invite interested pairs to share out afterwards

(Note: this can be an excellent way to help students cognitively warm up for a larger class discussion.)

Pro Tip: Clearly state the time limit for both writing and sharing to keep the activity on track.

In-class (any time)

Individual, then collaborative (pairs)

Minute Paper

 

⏰ Activity Time:
3-5 minutes

Five minutes before class ends, have students provide feedback about the session by writing in response to a question, such as:

  • What are the 3 most important points you learned today?
  • What questions remain unanswered for you?
  • What did you learn from what someone else said that you would not have thought of on your own?
  • How might you apply this theory to [new situation]?
  • What process would you use to approach this problem?

To build in accountability, have students turn these in (either digitally or on paper/notecards) as they leave the classroom.

In-class (at the end)

Modalities: on notecards (have them hand them in on their way out of the classroom – these are sometimes called “Exit Tickets”), TopHat, Padlet

Individual

Muddiest Point

 

⏰ Activity Time:
3-5 minutes

This variation on a minute paper asks students to respond to the question:

  • What are you still having trouble understanding?

In other words, have students indicate what concept or idea remains “muddy” for them after a particular class period.

In-class (at the end)

Modalities: on notecards (have them hand them in on their way out of the classroom), TopHat, Padlet

Individual

Stop-and-Write

⏰ Activity Time:
1-3 minutes

 

If there’s a “hot moment” in class, have everyone stop and write/reflect on thoughts/feelings about the conversation.

(Note: This can also give the instructor time to process the situation and gather themselves before proceeding.)

In-class (after a hot moment or coverage of a controversial topic)

Individual

Metacognitive Reflection

⏰ Activity Time:
5-15 minutes (if standalone);
integrated if part of another activity

Students reflect on their own learning; concerns/questions about the course; or connect course topics to their lives.

Metacognitive reflection can be worked into a freewrite, write-pair-share, minute paper, muddiest point response, or assigned as a standalone short reflection.

In-class (after covering something)

Individual

Collaborative Google Slide Deck

 

⏰ Activity Time:
15-30 minutes (in-class setup and work time); potentially more if outside of class

In small groups or pairs, students research and discuss a course concept. The instructor provides a meaningful prompt related to the concept. Students discuss the prompt and then create a Google slide for the whole class (or their section) to share (course dictionary).

Several variations of this are possible: students may take different important events in a timeline, different chapters in a book, different characters, different stages of a process, etc.

After making the slide, students collaboratively write a reflection about key takeaways or reflect on their collaborative process in the “Notes” section for their slide.

In-class (any time)

Pairs or small groups for each slide; slide deck could be entire class or specific section

Collaborative

Discussion Teams

 

⏰ Activity Time:
5-15 minutes per discussion prompt

Assign groups of 5-6 students who sit together on specified days and/or work together online during lecture. They then respond on a shared Google doc to authentic questions posed during lecture– for example, connecting themes to lived experiences.

Instruct students to specify roles within the group: facilitator, timekeeper, reporter. Have a few teams share out each time.

In-class (any time)

Collaborative work

Backchanneling during Lecture

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Ongoing throughout lecture; typically 5-10 minutes for focused prompts

Using a course blog, a course Slack channel, Threads, or Padlet, students “live tweet/live blog” lecture and are graded on their participation.

You might pose questions/prompts for them to consider or allow students to pose questions/respond in real time to lecture. You will need to scaffold this with clear community guidelines and use it toward a participation/writing grade.

In-class (any time)

Individual and collaborative work

High-Impact Questions

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Ongoing throughout lecture; typically 5-10 minutes for focused prompts

Rather than the more unfocused questions of activities such as Muddiest Point, these “questions…have students build on prior knowledge, apply knowledge to new situations, and reveal conceptual errors,” resulting in more learning and better performance on tests. In addition, questions that invite students to connect a course theme to their own lives or experiences can be especially engaging.

Such questions should be used at strategic points so students are not only memorizing material but grappling with it.

Discussion, pair-shares, or other collaborative activities could follow.

(Source: Kripa Freitas, 2023)

In-class (encouraged) or outside of class

Modalities: in their notes, on notecards, TopHat, Padlet

Individual

Critical Incident Questionnaire

 

⏰ Activity Time:
5-10 minutes

This is a classroom evaluation tool that may be used to find out what and how students are learning. The CIQ focuses on critical moments or actions in a class, as judged by the learners.

  • At what moment were you most engaged as a learner?
  • At what moment were you most distanced as a learner?
  • What action that anyone in the room took did you find most affirming or helpful?
  • What action that anyone in the room took did you find most puzzling or confusing?
  • What surprised you most?

Keep responses anonymous. Share themes and/or concerns at the beginning of the next class

Adapted from Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching

In-class (at the end)

Individual

Discussion Posts

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Varies (typically 1-2 hours per week for initial post + replies, depending on depth)

Students post to class boards in reaction to a specific question or in reaction to assigned material.

Often, students may be required to respond to a certain number of comments from other students as well as post their own comment.

In large courses, students may be assigned to specific “sections” even if they do not have a synchronous discussion section. Even in smaller courses, students may be assigned to smaller groups of 6-8 to foster deep engagement with one another.

Asynchronous discussion boards offer you as the instructor an opportunity to build community—either in the full class or small groups—around course content. They also allow more flexibility for students regarding when and where they might engage in the activity.

For information on setting up a Discussion Board in Canvas, check out this resource from the Canvas team.

Before class (and in conjunction with assigned material or in response to a question posed)

On Canvas as a “Discussion Board” or on Padlet

Collaborative

Padlet Posts

 

⏰ Activity Time:
5-15 minutes (for a single post); ongoing if semester-long

A cross between a discussion board and a Pinterest board, Padlet is an online tool that allows students to post pictures or text to a grid and comment on or “like” other posts.

Padlets may be used in a singular class period or over the course of the entire semester.

Posts themselves can operate as prompts (to which students can comment and reply) or the Padlet more broadly may have a prompt or task (e.g., asking students to post weekly about something they encounter that makes them think of course content).

(Note: to make Padlets more manageable in large classes, different “sections” might have their own Padlet boards.)

(Note: Padlet is not supported by UW-Madison and a free account only allows for 3 active boards at a time).

Check out an example of a semester-long Padlet board assignment featured in our Step-by-Step Guide to Designing a Low-Stakes Assignment.

Before class or during class

On Padlet (either on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone)

Collaborative

TopHat Responses

 

⏰ Activity Time:
1-3 minutes per question (for student response)

TopHat is a learning technology tool that allows students to use their own device (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) to respond to questions in the moment without verbalizing answers. Instructors may then display answers in real time.

To keep answers manageable, length expectations should be clarified with students for each question (e.g., one sentence, 100 words, etc.).

In class

On TopHat (either on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone)

Individual, collaborative

Structured Note-taking

 

⏰ Activity Time:
2-5 minutes per pause point;
5-10 minutes for end-of-class brain dump

Rather than copying a lecture verbatim, students strategically summarize lecture content. The instructor pauses a few times during lecture for 2-3 minutes to allow students to consolidate their notes and reflect on what they’re learning.

Instructors may reserve the last few minutes of class for students to write down everything they remember from the lecture.

(Source: Ruhl, Hughes, and Schloss, 1987)

In class

In students’ own notes

Individual

Collaborative Note-taking

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Ongoing during lecture;
dedicated 3-7 minutes per pause point for discussion

2-3 students share a Google document and work together to take notes. At specific points, the instructor pauses to allow students to talk to one another about the notes document. This may generate questions (one student not understanding what another wrote, or needing further explanation of an example). Pauses in lectures can also provide students with important opportunities to grapple with complex material.

Potential risks include students just designating one person from the group as the notetaker. Giving students particular roles may be helpful in mitigating this (e.g., one takes notes, another writes questions, another provides examples).

(Source: Jamie Costley & Mik Fanguy, 2021)

In class

In a shared Google document

Collaborative

The Question Box

 

⏰ Activity Time:
2-5 minutes (for students to submit); instructor time for review and response varies

Have students write anonymous questions about the content of lectures, encouraging them to think more critically about what they are learning. Students can be asked to write these questions before, during, or after lectures.

They can then deposit them either in a physical box in the classroom or in an online forum.

During subsequent classes, the instructor can incorporate these student questions and insights into presentation materials, answering particularly relevant comments.

In class (before, during, or after lecture)

Either on paper or in an online forum

Individual

Persona Pieces

 

⏰ Activity Time:
10-20 minutes (in-class);
30-60 minutes (outside of class)

Have students role-play a particular figure (fictional or historical) in the form of a short journal entry or letter.
  • In class or outside of class
  • In notes or on Canvas (as an assignment)
  • Individual
Journals

 

⏰ Activity Time:
10-30 minutes per entry (can be weekly or bi-weekly)

Have students write regularly in a journal. Journals provide students with time to think about course material and to engage in an ongoing written dialogue with their instructors.

As Toby Fulwiler explains, journals can help individualize learning and encourage “writers to become conscious, through language, or what is happening to them, both personally and academically.”

Students can use journals to:

  • record thoughts, insights, and impressions about course material
  • ask questions and speculate; clarify, modify, and extend ideas
  • respond to readings, lectures, or the instructor’s questions
  • begin thinking about ideas that can later be developed into more formal, high-stakes papers and assignments
  • discover connections between course materials; prepare for exams, class discussion, or course papers
  • gain fluency in writing
  • Typically outside of class time, but time can also be devoted to journaling in class
  • Hard copy (a notebook) or digital (Canvas or a Google doc)
  • Individual (regularly or occasionally reviewed by the instructor or TA)
Course Dictionaries

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Varies (5-15 minutes per term/entry; can be ongoing throughout a unit or semester)

Have students keep a glossary of key terms in a course and produce definitions, examples, illustrations, maps, diagrams, etc.

During the first part of a course, students work to identify main terms and major concepts. During the second part, they work collaboratively to compile the course dictionary.

The audience for the dictionary is students who will take the course in future semesters.

  • In class or outside of class
  • Could be on paper or digitally at first, then digitally to allow for sharing and compiling (consider a shared Google slide deck, Google doc, or a platform like Padlet)
  • Individual then collaborative
Course Blogs

 

⏰ Activity Time:
Varies (30-90 minutes per post, depending on complexity and research; ongoing if weekly)

Blogs are an incredibly versatile platform, combining text with visual functions and hierarchies and allowing your students to experiment and customize features. Blogs allow students to develop skills related to writing for the public. Blog writing may take many forms, including:

  • Reading responses: after reading course content, students respond with their reactions and takeaways
  • Personal reflections: students share their concerns and anxieties about the class or about their lives in general. You may consider asking students to reflect on what they want to get out of the course at the beginning of the semester, and have them re-visit and respond to/revise this post at different points throughout the semester.
  • A Writer’s (b)log: Students keep track of and provide justification for the changes they make over time and across multiple drafts of an assignment, which emphasizes writing as a process. In a writing-heavy course, this can be a simple way to identify how students are growing as writers throughout the semester.
  • An online writing sandbox: If your class involves other types of online writing like website design, using blogs as an “online writing sandbox” can allow your students to experiment with the different affordances of online writing—crafting titles, aligning pictures with text, adding hyperlinks, writing captions.

One concern that you will want to address early on is the issue of privacy. Though you can set certain security features on blogs, they still exist in the public domain of the internet. Establish protocols and guidelines for your students’ engagement on blogs.

For instructions on setting up a WordPress blog, check out this resource from UW’s Software Training for Students. 

Outside of class

Online

Individual with potential to be collaborative