The 11 Minute Essay
A Campus Wide Writing Initiative: Two Essays Per Six Weeks
Let's Try It!
What did you think?
1. What surprised you about writing this way?
2. What about this kind of writing challenged you?
3. What about this kind of writing helped you?
How Do I Come Up with Prompts?
This is the basic structure for every 11-Minute Essay:
And, as you saw when you wrote your own 11-Minute Essay, the minutes were broken down like this:
- Students react to the truism = 1 minute
- Students connect their belief about this truism to something they've read = 3 minutes
- Students connect their belief about this truism to something they've seen in a movie or show = 3 minutes
- Students connect their belief about this truism to something they've personally experienced = 3 minutes
- Students elaborate on the significance of this truism = 1 minute
My favorite thing about the 11-Minute Essay is that it really only requires two things:
- Students must write in short, timed bursts.
- Students must be given a structure in which to write.
And that's it! So, once you've tried this basic 11-Minute Essay structure, you can - and should! - feel free to explore other possibilities!
Check out the wealth of essay structures on Bernabei's website to support every content area:
- Structures for Writing about Math
- Structures for Writing about Science
- Structures for Writing about Social Studies
- Structures for Writing about Current Events
- Structures for Basic Informational Writing
- Structures for Creative/Personal Writing
For any of these structures - or for any others you might create - you would simply need to set time limits for students as they write. Generating ideas in timed situations is a tough skill, and our students need as much practice with it as they can get!
So How Am I Supposed to Grade These?
Thankfully, Gretchen Bernabei has a super simple rubric for these essays!
It's easy to understand and use, so I think this is a perfect opportunity to allow students to peer and self assess.
Campus Expectations
Frequency:
- Students will engage in writing practices daily, throughout the school day, in every content area.
- Students will write two essays per six weeks in all content areas.
Accountability:
- These essays should be reviewed during PLC time in Week 3 and Week 5 of the six weeks, to compare students' overall comprehension of the skills & information assessed.
- During PLC time, departments should consider how to support students who still need support and instruction over certain concepts and build this into upcoming lessons.