Learn about Quick Writes

What are Quick Writes?

Quick Writes are a lightweight exercise that makes creating, organizing, and grading assignments a breeze. Quick Writes are great for journaling and bellringers.

Quick Writes can be used to serve a range of purposes, from building writing fluency and developing specific writing skills to assessing understanding of course content.

How do I assign a Quick Write?

To assign a Quick Write, first head to our content library by clicking “Browse & Assign." Next, click "Writing" to view NoRedInk's Writing activities.

Click "Browse prompts" to explore our library of pre-made assignments.

• While browsing prompts, you can click the   eye icon to preview the student view of the assignment or click the arrow button to assign this prompt.
• You can also click "Create Your Own" to add a custom prompt. 

After creating or selecting a prompt, you can customize your assignment in the following ways:

• Add sources that students will be able to reference while working
• Set a minimum length target for students
• Choose how you want the assignment to be graded
• Add a rubric or focus points to give students a reminder of what they should consider while writing

💡 Depending on which grading method you’ve selected, you’ll see different options for customizing your assignment.

What do students see?

• Student writing is saved automatically every 30 seconds. 
• Students can also click "Save & exit" to manually save their writing, allowing them to return to it later. 
• A progress bar in the top-left corner allows students to know how far along they are toward meeting the minimum length.  

Viewing their submitted writing

• To view the writing they've submitted, students can click "Past Work" at the top of their page.
• Clicking "View Writing" will show a student's submitted work, any comments you've left, and their grade. 

Want to preview your assignment as a student?

• Once an assignment is created, you can click the  eye icon on your Assignments page to preview it.
• You can also preview active assignments using the view as a student mode, which allows you to see what students in your class will experience.

How do I view and grade writing?

• To view students' submitted writing from your My Assignments page, click on the "View Writing" icon next to the assignment. You can click on a student's name to view their writing. 
• Students will be grouped based on whether they are still working or have submitted their assignment.

You can learn more about how to grade a Quick Write assignment here!

• When reviewing student writing, you can edit their grade by clicking the pencil icon as shown above.
• Teachers can also leave feedback using the "Comments" box and save frequently used comments for later.
• When finished, clicking "Save grade and comments" will allow students to see their grade and feedback.

Best practices and tips

• Use Quick Writes as a diagnostic. This allows teachers to have a sample of student writing focused on a particular skill, informing how they may pre-teach skills in class before assigning practice in NoRedInk.
• Use Quick Writes as a formative assessment. Once students have completed NoRedInk practice, create a Quick Write and add focus points that require students to apply their new skills to their own writing. Check out our Daily Lesson Plans for inspiration!
• Check for student understanding. Tired of collecting journals or half-sheets of paper at the end of each class? Have students write responses to bellringers or exit tickets in NoRedInk as a way to keep their writing in one place and assess class retention.