Writing Workshop
This year we will be focusing on narative text, expository, informational, and opinion text. Students will be expected to compare and contrast text, relate their experiences to those from a fiction piece, analyze and write about their understandings, and write to convey learning or information. Everything we do is text dependent.
THE MINI LESSON
5 -10 MINUTES
THE MINI-LESSON IS WHERE I CAN MAKE A SUGGESTION TO THE WHOLE CLASS...RAISE A CONCERN, EXPLORE AN ISSUE, MODEL A TECHNIQUE, REINFORCE A STRATEGY. FIRST MY STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR OWN IMPORTANT WORK. THEN I ASK MYSELF, "WHAT IS THE ONE THING I CAN SUGGEST OR DEMONSTRATE THAT MIGHT HELP MOST?" A MINI-LESSON GENERALLY LASTS 5-10 MINUTES. I TRY TO CHOOSE A TEACHING POINT THAT I FEEL WOULD BENEFIT MANY MEMBERS OF THE CLASS.
INDEPENDENT
WRITING/COLLECTING ENTRIES
35 - 40 MINUTES
AFTER THE MINI LESSON, STUDENTS WORK IN THEIR WRITER'S
NOTEBOOK TO COLLECT ENTRIES THAT MAY LATER BECOME PUBLISHED
PIECES OF WRITING. THE TOTAL WRITING TIME LASTS FOR ABOUT 35-40 MINUTES, BUT DURING THAT TIME SOME STUDENTS MAY BE INVOLVED IN CONFERENCES WITH THE TEACHER OR WITH THEIR PEERS. STUDENTS
CHOOSE ENTRIES IN THEIR NOTEBOOKS TO TAKE INTO "DRAFT FORM." IT IS THESE CAREFULLY SELECTED PIECES OF WRITING THAT WILL BE TAKEN THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EDITING AND REVISING SO THAT THEY CAN BE PUBLISHED AND SHARED WITH OTHERS. ALL ENTRIES IN THE WRITER'S NOTEBOOK DO NOT BECOME PUBLISHED PRICES OF WRITING. ALL PUBLISHED WRITING IS ADDED TO EACH STUDENT'S WRITING PORTFOLIO, AND SOME PIECES WILL EVEN BE PUT INTO STUDENT CREATED BOOKS. (END OF YEAR)
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CONFERRING DURING INDEPENDENT WRITING
WHILE STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN INDEPENDENT WRITING, I USE THIS TIME TO CONFER WITH MY WRITERS. I TAKE NOTES DURING CONFERENCES TO DOCUMENT STUDENTS' PROGRESS AND TO PLAN FUTURE MINI-LESSONS. DURING THIS TIME I MAY:
* LISTEN TO STUDENTS READ THEIR ENTRIES ALOUD
*HELP STUDENTS DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY
*RETEACH SKILLS TAUGHT DURING MINI-LESSONS
*PROVIDE FEEDBACK
*TEACH NEW NECESSARY SKILLS
*REINFORCE A WRITER'S STRENGTHS
*GIVE WRITERS A NEW WAY OF THINKING
SHARING
5-10 MINUTES AT THE END OF WRITING WORKSHOP EVERYDAY, STUDENTS ARE BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER FOR A 5-10 MINUTE GROUP SHARE AND REFLECTION. SOMETIMES A WRITER MIGHT ASK FOR HELP OR RECEIVE
FEEDBACK FROM HIS OR HER CLASSMATES ("I LIKE MY STORY, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF A GOOD TITLE."). THE AUTHOR MIGHT ALSO WANT TO SHARE PART OF AN ENTRY OF WHICH HE OR SHE IS ESPECIALLY PROUD.
WRITING JOURNAL
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, EACH STUDENT BRINGS A BLANK COMPOSITION BOOK. AFTER BRINGING PICTURES AND OTHER SPECIAL MEMENTOS FROM HOME, STUDENTS PERSONALIZE THE NOTEBOOKS IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM THEIR OWN. THESE PICTURES CAN BE PHOTOS OF THE CHILD AND HIS/HER FAMILY. THE PICTURES CAN BE FROM MAGAZINES SHOWING THINGS THAT YOU LIKE TO DO SUCH AS DIRT BIKE RIDING, PLAYING BASEBALL, YOUR FAVORITE RACE CAR DRIVER, ETC. THESE WRITING JOURNALS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL USE ALL YEAR LONG AND WE WANT TO MAKE THEM SPECIAL! THEY CAN ALSO CREATE ONE AT HOME TO WORK ON DURING SUMMER, HOLIDAY BREAKS...
5 -10 MINUTES
THE MINI-LESSON IS WHERE I CAN MAKE A SUGGESTION TO THE WHOLE CLASS...RAISE A CONCERN, EXPLORE AN ISSUE, MODEL A TECHNIQUE, REINFORCE A STRATEGY. FIRST MY STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR OWN IMPORTANT WORK. THEN I ASK MYSELF, "WHAT IS THE ONE THING I CAN SUGGEST OR DEMONSTRATE THAT MIGHT HELP MOST?" A MINI-LESSON GENERALLY LASTS 5-10 MINUTES. I TRY TO CHOOSE A TEACHING POINT THAT I FEEL WOULD BENEFIT MANY MEMBERS OF THE CLASS.
INDEPENDENT
WRITING/COLLECTING ENTRIES
35 - 40 MINUTES
AFTER THE MINI LESSON, STUDENTS WORK IN THEIR WRITER'S
NOTEBOOK TO COLLECT ENTRIES THAT MAY LATER BECOME PUBLISHED
PIECES OF WRITING. THE TOTAL WRITING TIME LASTS FOR ABOUT 35-40 MINUTES, BUT DURING THAT TIME SOME STUDENTS MAY BE INVOLVED IN CONFERENCES WITH THE TEACHER OR WITH THEIR PEERS. STUDENTS
CHOOSE ENTRIES IN THEIR NOTEBOOKS TO TAKE INTO "DRAFT FORM." IT IS THESE CAREFULLY SELECTED PIECES OF WRITING THAT WILL BE TAKEN THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EDITING AND REVISING SO THAT THEY CAN BE PUBLISHED AND SHARED WITH OTHERS. ALL ENTRIES IN THE WRITER'S NOTEBOOK DO NOT BECOME PUBLISHED PRICES OF WRITING. ALL PUBLISHED WRITING IS ADDED TO EACH STUDENT'S WRITING PORTFOLIO, AND SOME PIECES WILL EVEN BE PUT INTO STUDENT CREATED BOOKS. (END OF YEAR)
*************************************
CONFERRING DURING INDEPENDENT WRITING
WHILE STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN INDEPENDENT WRITING, I USE THIS TIME TO CONFER WITH MY WRITERS. I TAKE NOTES DURING CONFERENCES TO DOCUMENT STUDENTS' PROGRESS AND TO PLAN FUTURE MINI-LESSONS. DURING THIS TIME I MAY:
* LISTEN TO STUDENTS READ THEIR ENTRIES ALOUD
*HELP STUDENTS DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY
*RETEACH SKILLS TAUGHT DURING MINI-LESSONS
*PROVIDE FEEDBACK
*TEACH NEW NECESSARY SKILLS
*REINFORCE A WRITER'S STRENGTHS
*GIVE WRITERS A NEW WAY OF THINKING
SHARING
5-10 MINUTES AT THE END OF WRITING WORKSHOP EVERYDAY, STUDENTS ARE BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER FOR A 5-10 MINUTE GROUP SHARE AND REFLECTION. SOMETIMES A WRITER MIGHT ASK FOR HELP OR RECEIVE
FEEDBACK FROM HIS OR HER CLASSMATES ("I LIKE MY STORY, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF A GOOD TITLE."). THE AUTHOR MIGHT ALSO WANT TO SHARE PART OF AN ENTRY OF WHICH HE OR SHE IS ESPECIALLY PROUD.
WRITING JOURNAL
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, EACH STUDENT BRINGS A BLANK COMPOSITION BOOK. AFTER BRINGING PICTURES AND OTHER SPECIAL MEMENTOS FROM HOME, STUDENTS PERSONALIZE THE NOTEBOOKS IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM THEIR OWN. THESE PICTURES CAN BE PHOTOS OF THE CHILD AND HIS/HER FAMILY. THE PICTURES CAN BE FROM MAGAZINES SHOWING THINGS THAT YOU LIKE TO DO SUCH AS DIRT BIKE RIDING, PLAYING BASEBALL, YOUR FAVORITE RACE CAR DRIVER, ETC. THESE WRITING JOURNALS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL USE ALL YEAR LONG AND WE WANT TO MAKE THEM SPECIAL! THEY CAN ALSO CREATE ONE AT HOME TO WORK ON DURING SUMMER, HOLIDAY BREAKS...