A few days I wrote a seven minute essay. It was a late night and I needed to write quickly. Stacey commented that she would be interested seeing my notes. There was so much happening at the Content Literacy Institute I could hardly write fast enough which is clearly evident in my notes.Colleen Cruz present the concept on the third day of the institute. We were studying the Civil Rights movement and had been immersed in the content for three days. Colleen called it Essay Bootcamp in which students write a content essay (for third grade it may be a speech, letter or review) in seven minutes. The purpose is to development the skills of boxes and bullets creating a habit of mind so to speak. Colleen stressed it is about the process NOT the product.
We worked as a class to set up the essay framework develop a thesis (box) and supporting evidence (bullets). It is the structure used in the Personal Essay, book 3 of the UOS for writing.
Before we wrote Colleen had us turn and talk (rehearse) our essay. We shared our thinking before writing.
Here is the thesis we developed: History clearly shows that separate, but equal is not possible.
Our bullets included inequalities between schools, use of public places and employment opportunities.
It was an amazing week of learning and encourage anyone interested in content literacy to attend the institute next year. It is worth every penny you will spend.
Oh that sounds interesting! Wish I could have been there. Thanks for sharing!
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