Write the Room is a fun activity that gets students out of their seats and walking around to answer questions that are posted around the room.
Reviewing material can be boring, but it’s non-negotiable in any classroom. Students need a lot of review! They forget a lot of what we teach, and reviewing lessons is an essential aspect of teaching.
If you are looking for a review activity that your students will be excited about, then “Write the Room” is a perfect activity to incorporate into your lesson plans. “Write the Room” is my favorite go-to activity to reinforce what students have learned and to get them up and moving.
What is Write the Room?
Write the Room is an activity that can be used with any subject that gets students out of their seats to answer questions that are posted around the room.
Students walk around the classroom with an answer sheet on a clipboard or something hard to write on. Oftentimes, they take their notebooks with their guided notes inside to use if they need to look up a question that they don’t know.
Each question is numbered, and students don’t need to go in any particular order.
Students will naturally talk to each other about the different topics while looking through their notes. I love hearing them use the vocabulary in their conversations. It’s especially helpful for EL students.
Students really like this activity because they love to be out of their seats, walking around. Set a timer to gamify this activity, and reward students who have completed all of their questions during the time limit.
Materials You Will Need
- Questions about the subject you are reviewing. You can write the question on 8.5 x 11 paper or use half of an 8.5 x 11 sheet, depending on how big you want your question. Remember to number your questions.
- Tape or a thumbtack
- A recording sheet or a piece of paper your students number.
Setting Up Your Classroom
Take some time to strategically position your questions. Spread them out so students are not all bunched up together looking at a question. I usually set my classroom up when students do a quiet, independent activity earlier in the day.
Rules for “Write the Room”
Write the Room can get a little chaotic with so many students walking around, so it’s important to set some ground rules.
Before you begin, here are the rules you will want to explain:
- No running or skipping around
- No more than 3 students should be in front of one question
- If 3 students are in front of a question, skip it and go on to the next question
- No sharing answers, but students are allowed to reveal where an answer can be found in their notebook.
- Students who are done must return to their seats and not wander around aimlessly, talking to friends.
- Once most of your students are done, go over the answers together.
Classroom Management Tips for Write the Room
Set Expectations
If this is the first time your students do the Write the Room activity, you want to talk about expectations. I created an anchor chart at the beginning of the year, as shown in the picture below. It’s important that students know exactly how to behave; if not, they will run amok.
What to Do Before You Start
Before you let your students loose, assign them the first question they will go to. I do this so that I don’t have students crowded in one area of the classroom.
Questions are numbered, so assign your students numbers in alphabetical order. Or choose students to randomly go to different spots.
Write on the board what students need to do at their desks when they are done. I always find that when I “tell” students what to do when they are done with an assignment, most don’t listen.
Early finishers will often say, “I’m done. What do I do?” When they ask that, I just point to what I wrote on the board. Save your voice!
What to Do After Most Students Are Done
When most students are done answering all the questions, gather the class for a group discussion. Ask a few students to share their responses to specific questions and discuss any challenging questions.
If you are working on math questions, choose a few problems and have them explain the reasoning for their answers. This not only reinforces correct information but also allows your students to ask questions.
What type of questions should you post?
The beauty of Write the Room is that you can post any type of question. It can be used for Science, Social Studies, Math, etc. I even use it for Growth Mindset Scenario questions that I use at the beginning of the school year.
You can cut up math task cards and post the questions around the room, or simply copy some questions from your textbook.
Incorporating “Write the Room” into your lessons is something fun that your students can do that gets them out of their seats. It turns typical review time into an engaging activity.
Take a look at my 13 Colonies Write the Room questions by clicking HERE.
If you have never done Write the Room. Give it a try. I promise you that you and your students will love it and use it often. You got this! Giselle
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