Teaching Writing: Writers Workshop

Why Writing Workshop?

The Red Flower
Justin was a little boy who loved to draw.
One day his teacher told the class they were going to draw a picture. Justin was very excited. He thought of all the wonderful things he could draw: a dinosaur, a ship on the ocean, or even his friend, Chris.
The teacher said, “We’re going to draw a flower.”
Justin was disappointed. He thought for a moment and began to dream of the beautiful flower he could draw. Maybe he would draw a blue daisy or even a red dandelion.
The teacher said, “This is how you draw a flower. First, you make a yellow circle in the middle. Then, you add six red ovals around the circle. Finally, you draw one straight line down for the stem and add a green leaf on the side.”
Justin felt disappointed, but he did as he was told.
Six months later, Justin moved across town and began at a new school. Justin’s new teacher was interesting. She wore long flowing dresses and large gold hoop earrings.
One day after lunch, the teacher announced, “Today we’re going to draw a picture.”
Justin waited patiently for instructions. The teacher walked over to his desk and asked, “What’s the matter, Justin? All the other children are drawing.”
Justin said, “But I don’t know what to draw.”
The teacher patted Justin on the back. “Draw whatever you like, Justin. The sky is the limit. Use your imagination.”
Justin took out a piece of paper and his crayons. First, he made a yellow circle in the middle. Then, he added six red ovals around the circle. Finally, he drew one green line straight down for a stem and added a green leaf on the side.

-author unknown

What does it look like?

Part I: WHOLE GROUP (10-15 minutes)
Direct instruction
Ideas from Power Standards or specific needs of students
Minilessons
Craft
Procedural
Skills / Strategies

What does it look like?

Part II: Independent and Small Groups (20-60 minutes)
Writing Time
Response groups
Revision / Editing groups
Teacher / Student Conferences
Various stages of writing process

What does it look like?

Part III: WHOLE GROUP
2-3 students share current writing (10-15 minutes)
Comments, questions, feedback offered
Inspiration and motivation for reluctant writers
Status Check (3-5 minutes)
Students report step of process
Students give number to signify level of performance
Accountability (along with Writing Records)

Conferencing

Start with the positive.
Respond as a reader with human emotions.
Choose ONE or TWO teachable items in each piece.
Don’t be TOO ambitious.
Keep it short.
Help the writer, not the writing.

Conference Records

Mailing labels
Grid (one box per student)
Chart (one page per student)
Record:
Skills mastered
Skills Taught / Retaught
Goals

Writing Process

Prewriting
First Draft
Revising
Editing
Publishing
Getting ideas down on paper
Fixing mechanical errors
Rereading for self fulfillment
Emphasizing content not mechanics
Sharing, discussing piece with others
Proofreading by author: punctuation, spelling, grammar
Creating a polished form: book, poster, display
Getting-ready-to-write stage
Verbal sharing
Choosing topic and audience
Refining content of the piece
Brainstorming

Writing Process

Prewriting
Getting-ready-to-write-stage
Choosing topic and audience
Brainstorming
First Draft
Getting ideas down on paper
Emphasizing content not mechanics
Revising
Sharing, discussing piece with others
Refining content of the piece

Editing
Fixing mechanical errors
Proofreading by author: punctuation, spelling, grammar
Publishing
Rereading for self-fulfillment
Creating a polished form: book, poster, display
Verbal sharing

Writing Cycle

Prewriting (Rehearse / Brainstorm)
First Draft
Sharing
Revise
Edit
Publish
“We don’t want to teach our students the writing process; rather, we want each one of them to find a process that works for him or her” (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001).

Peer Sharing

Primary
Two stars and a wish
Begin with the positive
Phrase wishes as questions
Authors or teacher may write oral responses
Input utilized during revising process
Intermediate
Triad response groups
+ / ?
Be specific!
Model, model, model!
Use responses to revise

Revising vs. Editing

Revising
CONTENT ONLY!
How do you feel about the piece?
5 of 6 traits dealt with here
Different and usually separate from editing
Editing
Punctuation
Spelling
Grammar
Different and usually separate from revising

Invented spelling?

My name is Suzanne
I am six years old.
I go to school.
I have a dog.
WEN RAN KUMS DAN
IT DANS IS IN THU PUDLS
AND SPLAZI IN THU IR
PSSSSS
IT SPASHI ON THU WIND
GOO PAT PAT PAT
IND I KEHS IND MY MUSH

When rain comes down
It dances in the puddles
And splashes in the air.
P-s-s-s-s
It splashes on the window.
Goes “Pat, pat, pat”
And I catch it in my mouth