Which of the following activities represents a key 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 collaborative text creation where both students and the teacher act as co-authors. The defining moment is when the pen is shared and everyone contributes to writing the message, so the text reflects the class’s joint thinking. This hands-on, together-on-the-page approach helps students see how letters, spaces, and punctuation come together to convey meaning and provides authentic practice with composing and print conventions in a meaningful context.

That shared-pen activity captures the essence of interactive writing and distinguishes it from modeled writing, where the teacher writes alone for students to observe, and from other formats where student involvement happens without this same level of joint, on-the-page authoring.