Whole Brain Writing Game

In the past year I have had a chance to try out the Whole Brain Writing Game.  I like how it starts by creating sentences orally before pushing to have them written down.  In the future I will definitely combine this game with the Air Punctation brain toy, so that students can use gestures to practice capitalization and punctuation.

I tried this game last year with my entire 2nd grade class but unfortunately I did not follow through.  It is always challenging to find the time to fit everything in!  However, I really feel that taking the time to use this game will truly impact the students' writing.  It would have worked if I kept at it, but I think it may be even better to do it in small groups next year (at least in the beginning) so that I can more closely monitor for understanding.

I also used the writing game with the 7th grade boy that I tutor.  He needed practice writing and I really like how this game allowed for specific practice in a limited amount of time.  The topic lists for each complexor are also helpful because it sparks ideas while also allowing for plenty of creativity.


Just last week I had the 7th grader use the WB Writing Rules listed in the book to check his writing.  I love the list because it kind of took the pressure off of me.  It was no longer just me critiquing his writing.  It gave him guidelines to assess his writing himself.   Each rule also has a gesture to go along with it to make it more active and fun.  Even this 7th grader started to giggle when he got to #5 and got to flick each punctuation mark with his finger!

Last year I created a simplified version of the writing rules for my 2nd graders.  Before my students ever turned in their writing they had to grab a checklist and review their own work.  Click here to preview/download a copy of the document.  To download a free copy of the Whole Brain Writing Game book click here.