Writer's+Workshop


 * Setting Up Writer's Workshop**

The focus of the first three weeks of school is to help students develop writing stamina and the ability to engage in the writing process. Students need to understand that the best stories come from their own experiences. Teachers should model on a daily basis so that students have supportive experiences developing story ideas. Teachers need to be flexible with the strategies they model because some strategies will work for certain students, while other strategies may prove more effective. Oral storytelling to multiple partners is an excellent way to help students work · Writers use their own experiences to write stories. · Writers tell their stories to other people as a way to rehearse and plan what they will write. · Writers use a variety of strategies to plan what they will write; writers understand that some strategies are more effective for some people than others. · Writers share their stories with others and choose to make changes in their stories based on the reaction of the audience. Writers write every day.


 * Essential Questions**

· What kind of personal experiences do authors write about? · How do people rehearse/plan stories they want to write?

· What are the different ways that writers share their work with others?
 * When authors are not sure what to write about, how do they come up with ideas?

3.17(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience and generating ideas through a range of strategies (e.g., brainstorming, graphic organizers, loges, journals) 3.17(B) develop drafts by categorizing ideas and organizing them into paragraphs 3.17(C) revise drafts for coherence, organization, use of simple and compound sentences, and audience 3.17(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling using a teacher-developed rubric 3.17(E) publish written work for a specific audience 3.23(D) use correct mechanics including paragraph indentations.

Wednesday-Introduce Writer’s Workshop: Creating a Writer’s Notebook Minilesson: People who matter to us the most (small moments with them)

Big Idea || Details ||
 * || Writer’s Workshop
 * Day 1 || Introduce Writer’s Workshop:

-Creating a Writer’s Notebook-Minilesson: People who matter to us the most (small moments with them) || Introduce the framework of Writer’s Workshop: 1. Explain to the writers that during this time, we will gather as writers in a particular area of the room. Before transitioning to the carpet, go over expectations of how they will get to the carpet and sit when they get there. Think of words or phrases you will use everyday:

Ex: “Writers, it’s almost time to gather. Please put everything else away and show me when you are ready.” 2. Students come to the carpet and wait for the mini-lesson 3. Teacher introduces the writer’s notebook (composition book) as a tool for writing 4. Teacher shows her own decorated notebook and explains how and why she uses it. Explain to the writers that they will also be using their own writer’s notebooks to capture ideas and practice just like professional writers do. 5. Explain to students that they are writers and story ideas come from their everyday lives. Introduce the idea of using the notebook to capture seed ideas. 6. Professional writers use the people in their lives as inspiration for their writing. We do the same! The people who mean the most to us can be a great starting point for a story.

Modeling: Teaching Point: Strategy for Generating Personal Narrative Writing 1. Teacher explains that true stories are personal narratives. What do you think that means? (take answers) 2. Teacher creates a poster illustrating personal narrative What it means, Strategies for generation 3. Teacher models brainstorming ideas of **people who are important to her and special memories and small moments that are crystal clear in her mind**. Teacher makes a list on chart paper of people and moments. Ex: dad- making pancakes on Sunday morning Mom- tucking me in at night

Students will partner up and pair-share their thoughts about important people 1. Students go to their desks and generate their own lists on their own! 2. Teacher walks around to monitor students’ work

Share Time: 1. Teacher gives a warning a few minutes before time is up 2. Students gather on the carpet. Teacher chooses a few student examples to share with the rest of the class. 3. Teacher acknowledges students’ hard work and says things like, “I really like how _ __did__ __.”__ 4. “As you worked today and everyday for the rest of your lives, remember that as writers we choose the stories we write. If we aren’t sure what story to tell, we sometimes use a strategy to get started. One strategy is to jot down a person and list small moments connected to that person.” ||
 * Day 2 || Continuing Personal Narrative || Review Teaching Strategy from previous day: Generating Personal Narratives using people and small moments

Modeling: 1. Put up chart from yesterday with people and small moments 2. Choose one of those

3. Picture that memory in your mind 4. Tell the story step-by-step out loud 5. Make a sketch to help remember (on chart paper) as the story is told 6. “The memory is really clear. Now I am ready to write.” 7. Model writing story on chart paper: Ex: Going to a basketball game vs. As I was getting ready to go to the game..” Debriefing:
 * 1)  Tell the sequence of actions that you used when writing: list, choosing one, visualizing, sketching, writing

Active Engagement:
 * 1)  “Class, it’s time to practice this strategy. Students look through their lists and choose your one moment that you can really remember clearly. Thumbs up when you’re done.”
 * 2)  Think back and pick a part that you want to tell. Zoom in on the MOST important part. Thumbs up when ready
 * 3)  Make a quick sketch in your notebook of whatever you did first.
 * 4)  Now, make a quick sketch of what you did next (listen in and whisper to some)
 * 5)  Turn to the person next to you and explain what you are sketching. Tell it with tiny details.
 * 6)  “As you worked today and everyday for the rest of your lives, remember that as writers we choose the stories we write. If we aren’t sure what story to tell, we sometimes use a strategy to get started. One strategy is to jot the person and the things. Then we take one small moment and zoom in on one part of the story, sketch or remember its details, and after we have the sketches, we write the story.
 * 7)  Students go to their desks to continue sketching if they want to or to begin writing their story

Share Time:
 * 1)  Students reconvene. Praise!!! Share some student examples that are excellent that you saw as you were walking around  ||
 * Day 3 || Examining a Mentor Text for Strategies/ Introducing Writing Partners || Revisit My Rotten Redheaded Brother __and read with the purpose of identifying the “zoomed in moment.” Then, identify the sketches that were used to tell the story.__

(This will help students see the process as well as zooming in on one moment)

Students continue their writing from yesterday.

Before work time is over, explain that when students reconvene for share time, they will find pieces of paper with two names and the numbers “one” and “two.” Students are to come to the carpet and find their name on the papers. You will sit knee-to-knee with your partner and you will each hold two corners of the paper. These papers are very important because it has the name of your writing partner. You will work with your writing partner for the first unit of study in Writer’s Workshop.

Conversation with your partner:

Would you each think of a person who has helped you in your writing life. Partner 1, you will tell your partner, then partner 2 will tell your partner.

Now, would you and your partner make some plans on how you will be effective writing partners for each other.”

“Tell one thing that you have learned in Writing Workshop and one think that you are going to remember to your partner.”

-How do you want to be treated by your partner? -What are some ways that your partner can help you with your writing? How would it look? What would it sound like?
 * In Lucy Calkins** ||
 * Day 4 || Being an Effective Writing Partner and Sharing the First Story || Minilesson: How to be an Effective Writing Partner
 * Make a Chart** Looks Like/Sounds Like

Students share their stories if they feel comfortable. If they do not, they can simply talk about what they wrote instead of reading it. What are the benefits of partners? Real writers talk about their writing and get help from other people to help make their writing better. ||

Big Idea || Details ||
 * || Writer’s Workshop
 * Day 1 || Generating More Writing

Need Book: Shortcut or Bigmama’s || Instructions on the board to bring Writer’s Notebooks with pen tucked inside and to sit with partners

Connection: “Check the section of the board for directions. It will tell you what to bring so we won’t waste a minute of precious writing time. Many of you told me stories about what happened this weekend. I could tell you lived like writers.” (Need an example of a student’s work and read it- if you want to) review the strategies we learned last week for generating writing- using a person and listing small moments with them, visualize and sketch the story, and then write the story

Teaching Point: “Today I want to teach you another strategy for generating personal narratives. Sometimes writers think of a place that matters to them and write about small moments that occurred in that place. That is what we are going to do today. I want you to think of a place that is very special to you. Imagine every detail you can about that place.” Read Bigmama-__ this is a book describing Big Mama’s house- lots of detail

Ex: Playground Refer to copy for more details

Model: Model your example Visualize, Sketch, Write the Story (a few sentences)

Active Engagement: Students share with their writing partner a special place to them

Independent Practice: Students go back to their desks and brainstorm places that matter to the and list details they remember Write story

Closure: Bring students back to the carpet, share some stories out loud if students feel comfortable. Add the strategy to the chart titled “Strategies for Generating Personal Narrative” that was started last week. || ation || Connection: Review yesterday’s teaching point which was to use an important person as inspiration
 * Day 2 || Using an Object for Inspir

Teaching Point: Use an object as inspiration- Notice an object, and let that object spark a memory. Write the story of that one time

Modeling: Jitter Jar- Recall the first day of school and what we did to fill the jitter jar? What was I feeling- think of the day in my head and try to remember it with crystal clarity- Write on chart paper: Jitter Jar- write the story that goes with it (few sentences)

AE: Partners share an object they will use to spark a memory and talk about the memory that goes with it)

Ind. Practice: Students go to their notebooks and try using this strategy. If they get stuck, remind them that they can use any of the other strategies we have talked about in previous days

Closure: Bring students back to floor. Talk about stamina- discuss how runners are always trying to push themselves to run longer and setting goals for themselves. Talk about how we can push ourselves as writers to write more and more everyday and set goals for the amount of writing we do Share student work Take the students’ notebooks home and read them at night and make comments (if you want to) ||
 * Day 3 || Qualities of Good Personal Writing || Connection: Remind the students of the strategies we have learned so far.

Teaching Point: Specific Qualities of Good Writing: Watermelon Topic and Seed Stories Title a new chart paper: Qualities of Good Writing Add: Write a little seed story, don’t write all about a giant watermelon topic -Zoom in so you tell the most important parts of the story

AE: Practice giving examples of watermelon topics and seed stories (use arms open wide for watermelon topics, and fingers close together for seed stories)

Modeling: On chart, list some watermelon topics (draw a circle around them to resemble a watermelon) then list seed story ideas underneath or in the middle of the watermelon) Ask students to answer whether each thing you add is a watermelon topic or a seed story

Ind. Practice: Students write in their notebooks and practice zooming in Closure: Share- Homework: Live like a writer- notice the small details of what is happening around you ||
 * Day 4 || Including True, Exact details || Con ||
 * Day 5 || Introducing Conferences ||  ||

Depending on your class situation and available time, Writer's Workshop activities can be a useful and meaningful extension to TeachersFirst's online instructional units. Writer's Workshop is a teaching technique that invites students to write by making the process a meaningful part of the classroom curriculum. Third Grade students learn to write daily through varied activities. In Writer's Workshop, Third Grade students are exposed to the organization and thought required to create a story or write about a favorite topic and develop it into an understandable narrative with a voice and focus. Third Grade students shift from writing for the activity itself and presenting material to classmates, as in Second Grade, to paying more attention to writing correctly and mechanics. Because they are allowed to choose the topic, students are motivated to create and complete works, however correct completion may be at the price of creative expression. As in Second Grade, peer conferencing can become a central part to the creative process. The Writer's Workshop format includes story planning (possibly with peer conferencing), revision, teacher editing, and direct instruction in the mechanics of grammar. For the Third Grade student this teaching technique allows students the opportunity to develop expression, revision strategy, and skill in writing, and encourages them to try a few new things during the revision process. Third Grade students differ from K-2 students in that they may not be as willing to take a chance in their writing. They would rather 'get it right.' Teachers will notice that students can write independently and fluently, but a student may become more concerned about the correctness of the final product rather than the actual process and content. In the Third Grade classroom the goals are to challenge the students to expand their ideas in the revision process, not simply 'correct' the previous ones This helps students become aware of writing for different audiences, create focus within a topic, and try to see the piece of writing from a distance. Because the student is naturally more aware of correct spelling and punctuation, more computer time may be appropriate. Story mapping and first drafts may done on the computer, and revisions can certainly be done effectively on a computer. Skills will still vary and progress at different rates, but most Third Grade students who are familiar with Writer's Workshop will continue to enjoy the activity of independent writing, the power of their words to express thoughts, and the opportunity to describe experiences to classmates. Writer's Workshop can be paired with reading activities to create a powerful motivating tool when teaching literacy. In Third Grade literature can become an essential source to model good writing, and a wise teacher will carefully choose the books used as sources. In Writer's Workshop a teacher can quickly see a student's vocabulary level; organizational skills; their ability to learn, retain and apply information in new situations; attention span; and how a student's abilities grow through the year.
 * Introduction - Grade 3**

The Writer's Workshop is typically a part of each day. However, for teachers with a schedule problem it can be a 3 day a week activity. Teachers may work within a set curriculum by using Writer's Workshop as an occasional extension activity for specific curriculum units. In Third Grade the main components of the Writer's Workshop include a Mini-lesson, Status of the class, Writing & Conferencing, and Peer Sharing & Author's Chair. Some of these components may already be a part of your classroom routine.

A Mini- Lesson is usually a 5-10 minute whole class activity and may be as simple as doing guided writing from a story, or how revision codes are used. An example is to lay out a favorite story's events in beginning, middle, and end form, create an idea web featuring a book's plot, or formally present the use of 'mechanics' such as more complicated punctuation. A group reading activity such as a big book, or song or poem written on chart paper can introduce patterns in language and rhyming words, it could be used to search for vocabulary and spelling words, or even to recognize story plots and genres. In Third Grade it is appropriate to model 'interviewing' so students can observe questioning techniques to use in their peer conferences. Two very useful mini-lessons for Third Grade are story mapping and having an adult guest writer, or yourself, model the process of revision to illustrate it as a process of discovery. This is a direct teaching opportunity for teachers to formally present the information to a class, and to reinforce expectations. Some teachers require students to use the mini-lesson information immediately; other teachers will gently re-introduce information to students at the teacher conference sessions and make note of how students are applying what they are learning in whole group activities.
 * Mini-Lesson**

The Status of the Class takes about 2-3 minutes and provides the student and teacher with information about how the student's work is progressing. In Third Grade Classrooms it can be done with a quick handing out of the folders and a quick response from the students such as Conferencing, First Draft, Work in progress, Revision, Illustrating, Final Editing, Publishing, or it may be posted a bulletin board that has color coded cards. A written work must have the following format:
 * Status of the Class**

· Front cover: typically a piece of colored construction paper with title, author's name, and illustration (This information can be completed after the book is written and revised) · Title Page: with title, author's name, and illustration (may become optional if student is writing a longer text) and date of completion. · Dedication Page · Story pages: in order with page numbers, with optional illustrations. · Back Cover: usually a piece of colored construction paper with Author's page and self portrait or student photo on the inside. (This information can be completed after the book is written and revised.)

 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Write and Confer** Writing & Conferring is ideally a 20 - 40 minute session. Third Grade students should be able to use the full 40 minutes if they have been carefully introduced to the Writer's Workshop framework and they have a clear understanding of the expectations. For the Third Grade student, "what to write about" remains a great concern. Brainstorming sessions can eliminate some of this anxiety. Peer conferencing is useful to the teacher; and often a discussion with another student can be enough to break through 'writer's block.' This is a good time to introduce the use of 'lead' sentences for beginning paragraphs. This strategy can help a writer structure the plot of the story. A good peer conference may inspire students to include additional details in their writing, and brainstorming sessions may provide many topics for the student's future use. The Third Grade student can write on regular note paper and skip lines for revision and editing notes. First drafts are very important, and initial corrections of standard spelling and punctuation may be overlooked at this time in order to allow students to focus on fluency of story telling and to build confidence in their topic choice. At the teacher conference a teacher reviews the writing with the student. Editing is not the focus of this conference, expanding ideas and trying to find a 'voice' for the student writer is. This is why Third Grade is an ideal time for an increase in computer use for writing. All the corrections are done quickly, and the emphasis is on fluency of ideas, logical story ordering, and the connection of thoughts from page to page and how this relates to the plot development. Revision is a necessary skill for writers. Students who expect to revise their work will develop the habit of expanding ideas and proofreading. In the Final Draft teachers should expect correct use of basic grammar, spelling and punctuation with guidance. Teachers may use the editing process to individually encourage students to revise further, attempt more challenging writing, and to guide students to develop alternative plots and details of the story. Teachers may keep a list of words that are being misspelled and use those as weekly spelling words. Dictionaries are appropriate references and thesauruses may be introduced. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">It remains important not to let mechanics compete with content in the First Draft. Experience and editing will help the student strive for publishable quality material in the Final Draft. Students love to have their writing "published" on the computer, and teachers can require student text be correctly spelled and punctuated before it can be considered suitable for publication. In the Third Grade classroom publishing can expand to become a class web page, individual books, newsletters, or a class anthology. In some classrooms students can order copies of other classmates' books. Publishing is a great motivating tool for all students, but teachers should stress the importance of first drafts and revisions. This is where the true growth of writing ability takes place and a student's appreciation for good writing and life long skills are developed.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Sharing: Author's Chair** Sharing and Author's Chair usually take 10 minutes and can be done either by having the students read to the class a 'published book," by children sharing their work in pairs, or by allowing students to read published works to themselves. If peer editing is to be part of your classroom structure, careful introduction to a process such as TAG will be required. TAG stands for - tell one thing you liked about the story, ask one question, and give one suggestion. In Third Grade students may want to share a 'Work in Progress' or 'Revision' to get many different opinions for inspiration. Peer Sharing or allowing students to read classmates works individually and write TAG comments may be preferred by Third Grade Students over the Author's chair used in K-2. Student Assessment is done by keeping a portfolio of revisions and copies of completed work. For an alternative to Writer's Workshop, try ** [|Morning Message.] ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Third Grade is also a great time to introduce regular book report writing, book reports will allow students to write and use their grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills with out having to 'create.' Everyone can appreciate simply feeling good about completing a task that is comfortable. Small class writing assignments will fill this need for the Third Grade student. Larger activities like Writer's Workshop are designed to help them develop skill and strategies that they will use in their future writing projects.
 * Alternatives to Writer's Workshop**