Which activity best represents a feature of interactive writing that distinguishes it from modeled or shared writing?

• A. The teacher and students share the pen to write the message.
• B. Students cue the teacher about the placement of spaces and punctuation.
• C. Students contribute to the wording of the message as the teacher writes it.
• D. The teacher and students stretch the sounds in words, saying them slowly.

Answer: (A)

Interactive writing centers on composing text together, with students and the teacher actively participating in the act of writing. The clearest sign of this collaboration is when the pen is shared and both can contribute to forming the message—deciding letters, spacing, and punctuation as the writing happens. This real-time joint writing distinguishes it from modeled writing, where the teacher writes alone for students to observe, and from some forms of shared writing, where students may contribute ideas but the writing instrument isn’t continuously shared by all.

So, the activity where the teacher and students share the pen to write the message best represents that collaborative writing process.