Writer's Workshop

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Writer's Workshop
By Debbie

Hi all,
There have been many outstanding books published about writer's workshop...see the following authors for possibilities: Lucy McCormick Calkins, Nancie Atwell, Donald Murray, Ralph Fletcher, Georgia Heard, Jerome
Harste, Regie Routmann, Fountas and Pinnell, among others...If you'd like specifics in set up and organization, try Guiding Readers and Writers GL 3-6, by Fountas and Pinnell.
Our Writer's Workshop begins with a minilesson..a read aloud, a modeled writing, a procedural lesson or whatever is needed by the majority of the group...This lasts for maybe 15 minutes, then the children move

to quiet writing. While they write, I work with individuals or small groups to extend and support them as writers. Each child has a writer's notebook, in which the 'seeds' of writing (ideas, thoughts, etc.) are planted. They use their writer's notebook to select topics for writing. The entire writer's workshop usually lasts about an hour with minilesson, writing and a reflection time at the end. They aren't given prompts, but there are many minilessons on using their notebooks as 'lifebooks'. I do focus lessons on writing in different genre, and expect them to complete a piece or two (near or to publication) in that genre by quarter end, so they're exposed to different writing styles and possibilities. If you'd like specific titles, please post again or email. ;-D And no, many pieces are just drafts, so they never get to the editing stage.