Improv ‘N Ink
Do you know a student in grades 4-12 who resists writing, hates writing, doesn’t write enough?
Problem
Students who do not write a long enough writing sample makes teaching writing or assessing content knowledge difficult if not impossible.
This can be a difficult situation to address because often teachers do not know if their reluctance is due to a deficit in their literacy skills or because of a social-emotional reason, like a lack of self-esteem, trust in one’s ability, feeling anxiety at school or in class.
Imagine…
What if there was a fun, fast and effective way to increase your or your student’s writing fluency so you can teach writing?
There is!
Improv ‘n Ink will help your student increase the length of their writing so you can teach writing.
Improv ‘n Ink! Overcoming “I Don’t Know What to Write!” is based on a program offered since 2000 and supported by the research article “Improv and Ink: Increasing Individual Writing Fluency with Collaborative Improv,” published in The International Journal of Education and the Arts.
Whether you have students who are occasionally reluctant to write, don’t write enough or just won’t pick up a pen, the sequence of games serves as a quick and effective intervention, simultaneously developing both the social-emotional and literacy skills important to writing fluency.
Improv ‘n Ink is research-based and trauma-informed.
With its 1 to 3-minute game structures and inherent ability to reach and engage students of diverse educational needs, learning modalities, generations and backgrounds, improv is a valuable instructional intervention fitting easily into the already content packed classroom.
Games are easy to facilitate and play. The only performance skill required is that students speak loud enough to be heard. Movement in place is optional and no physical contact is required.
Play with as few as three students, although two is possible.
Skills simultaneously developed include:
- Narrative Writing: An an inclusive and dynamic way to teach narrative writing.
- Literacy: Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing
- Reading: Scanning, Fluency, and Comprehension skills
- Social-Emotional: Collaborative, Self-esteem, Confidence, Trust, Resilience…
- And more: Creativity, Adaptability, Spontaneity, Self and co-regulation and more…
RESULTS
Supported by peer reviewed, published research
Students progressed rapidly through a series of essential literacy skills that impact the ability to write, while concurrently nurturing the development of important social-emotional skills that also affect a students’ individual writing.
FEATURES
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Module 1: How Improv and Ink unleashes thoughts onto paper
Learn how Improv n’ Ink’s approach to improv and this scaffolded series of games and writing activities helps students overcome their resistance to writing.
Module 2: The Foundations: Making the experience, fast, safe, and effective with One Rule Improv
If you are unsure about facilitating improv, this module gives you an abbreviated version of the One Rule Improv’s online course. This module helps you master simple frameworks and essential facilitation strategies to learn and teach improv quickly and confidently. This trauma-responsive approach to improv is responsible for addressing social emotional issues inhibiting writing.
Module 3: Sequence: Game #1
Module 4: Sequence: Games 2 & 3
If you have students who are very comfortable expressing themselves verbally or rarely say anything, these games help them both develop the skills they need to move from collaborative oral speech to individual writing.
Module 5: Games 4 & 5
If blank papers were the norm, now watch those students start to fill papers with writing. Students continue developing social- emotional and literacy skills through collaborative oral and written games.
Module 6: Transferring Skills to individual and other types of writing
Transfer these new skills and connections to their individual writing. Starting with individual narrative writing as an extension of the game sequence, students then transfer their skills and newfound confident to writing in different styles and for different purposes. Scripts and Game Plans
- Game Rubrics
- Master Skills and Standards covered
- Master Worksheets for Student Use
- Videos of Games and Writing Activities
Modules include:
- Instructional Videos
- Game Rubrics
- Master Skills and Standards covered.
- Master Worksheets for Student Use
- Demonstration Videos of Games and Writing Activities
- Downloadable Coaching Tools
- Game Plans and Scripts for easy Facilitation
Get INSTANT ACCESS Now
1 payment of $197
3 monthly payments of $75
7-Day, No-Questions-Asked 100% Money-Back Guarantee!*
*Refund requests must be received within 7 days of enrollment and will be considered if you have not viewed more than 25% of the course.
BONUS HANDBOOK: One Rule Improv Handbook
Do you like to look back on your notes, but sometimes can’t find them? This abbreviated One Rule Improv Digital Handbook presents the most essential information and downloadable tools from each Make Improv Your Own modules included in this course.
BONUS RESOURCE: One Week Free Access to the Improv Game Library
This invaluable resource, that will have materials added on an ongoing basis, makes finding the right games for you fast and easy. Games are organized by families for fast selection and include the following:
- Video demonstrations, so you can understand and learn quickly and easily before you introduce a new game
- Game Plans which included directions, as well as as notes, variations, and side-coaching tips
- Facilitation Scripts with effective facilitation strategies embedded into them, so you can confidently know exactly what to say when introducing a new game.
- Strategies for increasing engagement
- Integration ideas for sustaining results and impact
- Cheat Sheets for quick reference
- Suggested Playlists with a Purpose
Meet Your Instructor
In my early years of teaching, I ran from student to student trying to encourage them to write. Externally prompting them from through to though, “… and then what happened?” I offered them “fun” or “interesting” topics… But nothing really helped them overcome their resistance to writing.
Improv changed all of this. By integrating improv games into classroom practice, my students began to demonstrate more confidence in participating and sharing their thoughts. All of their ideas mattered. Students contributed without fearing they would be rejected, laughed at, dismissed, or disregarded. Even more interesting was that those statements of, “I don’t know what to write,” “I don’t have anything else to write about,” and “I’m done,” began to disappear. Improv was impacting writing fluency.
Such a counter-intuitive approach was not conceived in theory but was instead discovered organically. It was the students themselves who had independently transferred specific improv concepts and skills to their writing.
I decided to purposefully sequence a series of improv games, to see if a deliberate approach could yield fast and consistent results. It did.
On two occasions research was conducted to measure the impact of improv on improving writing fluency. The research can be found here: “Improv and Ink: Increasing Individual Writing Fluency with Collaborative Improv,” published in The International Journal of Education and the Arts.
I still use this approach with elementary, middle, and high school-age students, and I am so happy to share it with you!
This program IS for…
- Teachers: of language arts, special needs, gifted and talented, home schools, academic or vocational courses where students are required to write, after school/summer programs.
- Parents: whose child is struggling with putting their thoughts onto paper or may be looking for a fun and effective way to develop essential literacy skills between siblings of different ages.
- Students who would like to help themselves overcome their anxiety or dislike of writing or just have some fun and laughs while still learning super valuable skills with friends…
This program is NOT for you if…
- You or your students are English Language Learners, who are still struggling with spelling, syntax and grammar. If you are a group of students with a couple of students who are ELL, they can participate in the activities, but may struggle with Games 3 and 4.
- If you or your students’ writing would not be understandable by another student. Grammar, spelling and handwriting does not have to be perfect, but it needs to be able to be read and understood by other students.
Now is the Time
Writing is essential personally, academically, and professionally.
Help your student overcome their reluctance to write and set them up for a lifetime of success now.
FAQ
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Is this a complete writing curriculum?
This is a program to use within a complete curriculum. If other interventions have not helped reach your resistant student(s), this program is a fast, easy, and fun while also developing essential social-emotional and literacy skills that will benefit students beyond a writing assignment or course.
How much time will this take?
This program could be taught in five 40 minutes classes. If this time is not available, you could spend 5 or 10 minutes a day working through the games and writing activities with your group.
Will this help someone learn to write?
Students do need to be able to write. This means that a student’s writing needs to be legible and the spelling understandable enough for other students to be able to read and understand what is written.
Will this work with English Language Learners?
While improv is a powerful tool for ELL students to learn English, the games used in this program do not. ELL students who are still mastering English syntax, grammar and sentence structure may experience difficulty with two of the games. They however will have no issue with the first game and the last two games, allowing them to complete the program and achieve the benefits it produces.
I have no experience with improv AND My students are not actors or extraverted.
With the One Rule Improv approach there is nothing to worry about. All of these concerns are addressed in Module 2 when you move through an abbreviated One Rule Improv program. To learn more visit our home page.
I am worried that when doing improv, a person might be emotionally triggered/upset.
There are many improvisational games and activities that utilize situational role-playing activities, are not framed by the rule of “Yes, and…” or don’t feature collaboration as a central theme. These are the types of activities that may trigger someone emotionally.
In contrast, this program uses collaborative short-form improv games framed by “Yes, and…” which helps individuals achieve a more neurologically balanced state, as well as research-based instructional design and strategies that create a trauma sensitive and supportive experience for all players.
How does enrollment work?
When you enroll in Improv ‘n Ink you will receive immediate access to the course. An email providing you direction on how to set up your password and account.
What else will I need to purchase after I sign up?
Absolutely nothing. Everything you need will be provided.
If I have other questions, how do I ask them?
You can send us an email at hello@oneruleimprov.com and someone from our team will be in contact within 24 hours.
Are there other resources available?
Yes. The Improv Video Library will be available with a membership after the completion of the Make Improv Your Own Online or the Improv ‘n Ink Course. This resource includes improv games presented in video format and supported with written resources so that you can quickly and confidently find games, plans and resources that work for you and your people.
Get INSTANT ACCESS now for just 1 x payment of $197 USD
or 3 x monthly payments of $75 USD
COMING FEBRUARY 2022
7-Day, No-Questions-Asked 100% Money-Back Guarantee!*
*Refund requests must be received within 7 days of enrollment and will be considered if you have not viewed more than 25% of the course.
Mary DeMichele is simply the top expert in the country on using improv in the classroom to achieve instructional goals such as increased writing volume and fluency. In her dynamic workshops, she models a step-by-step approach that teachers can start using immediately. She takes away all the angst and fear that the word ‘improv’ sometimes inspires and replaces it with sheer joy.
