Run an Experiment on Your Own Habits

Pick a sheet that fits the season or the unit. Model one chart entry aloud so students see how short notes become sentences. These sheets have no answer keys because every response is the student's own.

Test one claim about yourself for 3 days, with a hypothesis and a daily count or time. The directions on the page read: Pick one claim to test for 3 days in a row, such as "I focus better after moving around." A hypothesis is your best guess at the answer. Complete Steps 1 to 6 in order.

Yes, both. We made it for 7th grade writing topics, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

It is writing that looks back on an experience and explains what it taught the writer. Trace One Teacher's Ripple Effect follows a four link chain from what a teacher did to what might happen next.

Good topics come from a student's own life. Examples here include Restart One Thing This Spring, What Your Fall Routines Teach You and An Assignment You Almost Gave Up On.

Plan with a chart and then use specific, sensory details. How Autumn Colors Change a Mood links four colors to what they appear on and the mood they create.

Students choose what to share. Cooling Off After a Heated Moment asks them to use initials instead of real names.