writing tutorial

Sometimes I make my students ponder a question for tutorial that I provide instead of bringing in questions themselves. Sometimes it has been math centered (the math question of the day for instance) but my favorite is writing centered.

We are in the midst of a persuasive essay based on a movie we watched as a class. We started with a thesis statement that defines each students position and then used a graphic organizer to record ideas and details. Instead of doing this in isolation, I made the kids work on it as a tutorial. Students volunteered to "present" if they didn't understand something. The rest of the group used the inquiry process to help guide the student to their answer. Everyone took notes and wrote reflections afterward. Many minds contribute to overall understanding and provide prescriptive help. I wouldn't say any of my kids have fallen in love with writing as a result but they learn from each other and find new ways to solve writing problems.