Where to Begin your Writer’s Workshop? Don’t Overthink it.
I structure my Writer’s Workshop using a pretty simple model. I do a Mini Lesson at the beginning of the workshop. Always. At the start of the year when I am just getting started this can look as simple as: how to hold a pencil or I might model writing with Inventive Spelling. If you aren’t familiar with this term see link below. Anything simple really can be a lesson that you see they are struggling with. Inventive spelling to begin this process with is important because it will boast confidence in all of your struggling readers. I always tell them I don’t care if they spell perfectly, I don’t even do that, I just want them to try. I really push that message.
Do I NEED to do Writer’s Workshop lesson, Every Day?
Later in the year you can start just doing Mini Lessons about whatever in the curriculum you want them to work on. If you prefer to have a continuum to follow every day, Tara West has some pretty stellar ones on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers) that I will post a link for below. I hope to also promote Priceless in Primary some day soon on TPT but we aren’t quite there yet. 😉 Tara is amazing. Once your students get used to writing you don’t need to do a mini lesson every day. Sometimes just twice a week will be enough. This gives them extra time to write in our already crunched schedules. It’s really just important that they get into a daily writing routine, so it becomes less scary, more fun.
How long should my students write for? What about the Early Finishers?
I set a timer on YouTube for 15 minutes to begin with. We work up to 20 minutes later in the year. I like YouTube because it has some really fun kids timers and I can just project it on the whiteboard. I tell them they need to write for the whole time. This prevents early finishers. They learn that if they finish one piece they begin another, because, they need to write for the entire length of the timer. If they don’t finish? It’s Okay! We will continue the next day. If they tell me they’re done!?! I just point to the timer and tell them to keep going. I use journals most of the time because they don’t loose their work that way. It’s also easy to date stamp their work daily, I teach the kids how to do this. It’s a great portfolio for mid or end of year for their family’s. Also, easy way to display the growth of your students should anyone want to see.
How do you store their Journals?
They keep their journals in their mailbox and independently get them as I dismiss them from the carpet or tables after our Mini Lesson. I also have them put them back once the are done writing. This dramatically cuts down on lost writing journals, usually only leaves us looking for one or two each day, Ha!
What about Writing Assessments?
Once I do my initial assessments at the beginning of the year, I group the kids appropriately usually by missing skills. This gives me the chance to teach them needed skills more productively and support as required. I like to leave feedback with the kids twice a week at minimum in their journals. Usually, Two Stars and A Wish. I find two things that they have done a great job on and one thing I would wish to see the next time. For my higher learners, I make sure to check in at least twice a week to drive them forward. It can sometimes become a full time job to support our struggling learners daily. I strongly believe that our higher learners need that attention just as much, to stay motivated. As they independently write, I rotate through small groups at my horseshoe table.
Writer’s Workshop Consolidation at the End? Every. Day.
We always end with a consolidation share daily. I choose two or three kids that have done something I want to model to the rest of them or I pick someone that needs a confidence boast. I let them use the classroom microphone so they feel important and are heard, then they get to pick two different students to ask two questions about their writing so we get our structured Oral language in. This helps to also fit in the active listening, turn taking all those things. Some teachers think this doesn’t need to be daily and that’s okay but I aim for it because it really builds the structure in our routine. If you’re new to teaching and looking for a few tips be sure to check out my blog about “Getting Ready for your First Day of Teaching” linked below.
Wishing you busy pencils and happy students.
With Love, C.
