This or That: A Quick Activity to Learn About Writers (and Help Them Learn About Themselves)

The Context:

One of the things I value most about being a writing teacher is knowing my writers and providing opportunities to help them know themselves. A strategy that recently helped me do this is a “Writing This or That.”

A Backstory:

This is my eighth year as a district literacy coordinator, and I miss working with kids every day. I decided to start an after-school writing club this fall at one of our middle schools to keep my “writing teacher skills” fresh. At our first meeting, knowing our time was short and wanting to maximize what I know about each writer, I generated a “This or That” to get us all thinking about the possibilities of our writing time together.

The Details: 

There are many ways to use this tool, but I chose to start with an independent reflection and transition to a whole group activity. First, each writer had their own copy to fill out. When a majority of the kids were finished, I turned it into a line-up activity, directing kids to go to one side of the room or the other depending on each preference. They also had the option to stand in the middle if they liked both options or to stand outside the line if they preferred neither. As we highlighted some of the items on the list, I used it as an opportunity for kids to share their thinking by asking them to explain some of their answers or volunteer why they preferred one option over another. We didn’t spend time on every item (I read the room as we went along and decided on a few to skip), but used our time wisely to build some relationships and set some goals. When we finished, I collected each paper to take home and return later to allow myself the time to take some notes and plan for future activities.

The Impact:

I learned a lot about this group of young writers in a short amount of time, not only individually but also as a group. I found out that most of the kids like to write with quiet instrumental music in the background and low lighting. They prefer to work on long fictional pieces rather than short informational writing. Only one writer said she wants to write outdoors (I need to figure out a way to make that happen!), and the group unanimously said they prefer to free write rather than plan in advance (something to work on together). While these kids built up their identities as writers, they also realized how much they have in common with the other writers in the room.

Try This:

The tool I’m sharing was created with a vision, a few ideas, and some help from Canva AI. This version will work well for writers in the intermediate and middle grades, but it’s also easy to recreate your own version that fits the vision you have for your writing classroom. And, while this is a great activity at the beginning of the year, it can be used any time you want to learn a little more about your writers (and will nudge them to learn a little more about themselves!).

If you try it or tweak it, please share your experience and ideas in the comments!