In English lessons, a great technique to use is ‘slow writing’. Slow writing is where you get the students to really think about every step of their composition.
You simply put some criteria for each sentence on the board i.e.
and the children have to write BUT carefully sticking to the set rules. It allows them to really focus on the quality of their writing; in particular the words they use and their sentence construction.
You can do it by hand, or if you want to go digital, Google Docs is perfect for doing this. You can make a template on Google Docs:
and then use a class management tool i.e. Google Classroom to share it with the pupils.
The children can edit the template because they each get a separate copy. The best part is that there is no ‘rubbing out’ whilst checking their sentences when refining their work.
Have a look at the video to see how I used it with my class. A student’s thought process follows:
My students are really engaged during slow writing and see it as a good challenge:
You end up with a superb piece of writing:
How do you find Google Docs? Slow writing? Please let me know.
EDTECH 4 BEGINNERS 
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