Have You Tried This Easy Idea for Paragraph Planning?

Struggling students often hesitate to plan their writing on a graphic organizer. Writing ideas down on paper feels so permanent to a student who is unsure or lacks confidence. Technology provides some wonderful alternatives (e.g. SimpleMind), but if you don’t have easy access to devices, try this.
 
Replace your traditional graphic organizer with flexible sticky notes!

This photo shows one student’s plan for a 5 paragraph opinion essay with text-based evidence. Because the 3 paragraphs in the body would need the most detail, we created a tri-fold note catcher. Each paragraph was color-coded, with the main idea at the top and the supporting details below. Once notes were captured, students were able to move ideas around, changing the order of their ideas as they thought more deeply about how to sell their opinion.
 
All students were more engaged as they moved the sticky notes around and struggling students were more comfortable with the planning process.