writer's workshop explained
The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using the Workshop Method of instruction. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writer's Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop. It can be used in concert with Reader's Workshop as part of your genre study - use the Writer's Workshop techniques to assist in the assessment of student skills.
Components of the Writing Workshop
Time: Component: 5 minutes Read aloud, 10 - 15 minutes Mini-lessons, 30 - 60 minutes Independent Writing & Conferring Guided Writing, 5-10 minutes Sharing (Total time 90 Minutes) Angela Maiers provided us with the 2-5-2 approach to designing what she calls the "Clubhouse" approach to literacy. This same approach can be used in Writer's Workshop or even during Math instruction with some simple modifications.
Description of each component:
"The Passion Driven Classroom" and other sources
Components of the Writing Workshop
Time: Component: 5 minutes Read aloud, 10 - 15 minutes Mini-lessons, 30 - 60 minutes Independent Writing & Conferring Guided Writing, 5-10 minutes Sharing (Total time 90 Minutes) Angela Maiers provided us with the 2-5-2 approach to designing what she calls the "Clubhouse" approach to literacy. This same approach can be used in Writer's Workshop or even during Math instruction with some simple modifications.
Description of each component:
"The Passion Driven Classroom" and other sources
components of writer's workshop
2
Mini-Lessons - WATCH VIDEO
Usually, when teachers use Writing Workshop, they teach using genre studies. Examples are personal narratives, information writing, procedural writing (how-to), and so forth.
- If students are expected to produce writing in these genres, then they need to be immersed with books based on those genres. These texts are known as touchstone texts or mentor texts.
Students can see how writers use different styles and literary elements to create pieces of writing.
Teachers are not required to read the entire text. Excerpts are acceptable and recommended.
- 4th Grade Example of Writer's Workshop Mini-Lesson
- WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT WHAT FAMOUS WRITERS DO WHEN THEY WRIT
- KINDERGARTEN WRITING WORKSHOP
Websites on touchstone/mentor texts:
- Book List
- Touchstone/Mentor Texts
- Teaching With Mentor Texts - WATCH VIDEO
- Read Alouds List
- Mentor Texts for Launching -
- procedures for Writing Workshop - WATCH VIDEO OF 1ST GRADE TEACHER EXPLAINING HOW SHE DOES WRITER'S WORKSHOP
- writing strategies and skills - WATCH VIDEO
- literary elements -
- literary techniques (i.e. voice, descriptive words, etc.)
- genre studies
- text features
Here is a mini-lesson planning sheet from BTC to help you plan effective mini-lessons.
Websites for Writing Mini-lessons:
lucy caulkins writer's workshop video
more steps to writer's workshop
5
Independent Writing/Conferring
The majority of time of Writing Workshop is devoted to independent writing. During this time, students are prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their pieces. Depending on the age and abilities of your students, independent writing can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as 45-60 minutes. It helps to build stamina with your class, beginning with a short amount of time and building that time until they can work for up 30 minutes or more.
According to Katie Wood Ray (The Writing Workshop, 2001), students can also do other activities during their writing time, such as
- writing in their schema notebooks
- journal writing
- writing exercises to experiment with language and style
- conducting peer-conferences
- reading to support writing
Teachers should keep conferences short. The purpose is to ask students how their writing is going and to teach them something that makes sense at the time.
Websites on Conferring:
- How do I conference with students? WATCH A VIDEO SHOWING CONFERENCING WITH A STUDENT
- Conferring Notes
- Conferring in Writer's Workhop
- How to Make Conferring Better
Guided Writing Sharing
During independent writing time, the teacher can gather a group of students to work on guided writing. Similar to guided reading, the teacher works with a group based on their needs. This is particularly helpful if a group of students is having difficulty with a concept and you want to avoid repeating the same conference with a number of students.
Sharing is an extremely important component of the writing workshop that many teachers tend to dismiss due to time constraints.
During the share portion, students contribute what they did during their independent writing time, either with the whole group or with a peer. This gives students the opportunity to observe and learn from each other.
roving conferences
final steps in writer's workshop
2
Sharing - Closing or Wrap-Up - Celebration
- This is a time to review the goals for the day
- How did they feel about their learning today?
- Good time to journal
- Good time to review
- Important for all students to answer and hear their voice
writing celebration
management of writer's workshop
Management of the Writing Workshop Schema/Writer's Notebooks or Folders
Writer's notebooks, also known as schema notebooks, are a place for students to write notes, practice their writing, and other various activities. Check out the sites below for more information.
You can use them to remind students about the writing process or you can use them as headers for a management system. Place a plastic cup under each header and students place a wooden stick or clothes pin with their name in the cups to keep track of where they are in the writing process.
Launching Writing Workshop
The first unit of study Lucy Calkins recommends is the launching of the Writing Workshop. This establishes the rules, procedures, and practices for running the writing workshop in your classroom.
Here are some useful sites
- Launching the Writing Workshop Packet (a must see!!)
- Starting Writer's Workshop
- Getting Your Classroom Ready
- Launching Mini-lessons
- Starting Writer's Workshop
- How to Start a Writer's Workshop
- Mandy Gregory's Writing Workshop Management Tips
- Reading/Writing Journey Writing Workshop Forms
- Structure of Writer's Workshop
- Writer's Toolbox: Helping Teachers Teach Writing
- Example of Donors Choose Request for Writer's Workshop Materials