Writing Workshop
A writing workshop is made up of a minilesson, independent and partner writing time/conferring and/or small group instruction, mid-workshop teaching, and a share. It is imperative that teachers live the writing work first (within their own writing folders/notebooks/Google Docs), that they will be asking their students to take on during shared drawing/writing or interactive writing and writing workshop. This allows teachers to decide how to adapt lessons and model most effectively to match the needs of their learners by knowing what went well and was more challenging for them as adult learners.
Minilesson
listening in during the connection phase of a minilesson - students have their own writing folders with them for active engagement
Minilessons usually run around 10 minutes. Teachers begin by connecting to prior work, the current unit of study or students’ work, and then clearly stating the teaching point for that day (1 minute). Next, teachers demonstrate the teaching point through a step-by-step process, revisiting immersion work done previously through read aloud and shared reading (as mentor texts) and/or shared drawing/writing or interactive writing (3-5 minutes). Students have an opportunity to practice the process and strategy after the demonstration (while still in the meeting area) during active engagement by trying it on in one of their pieces, planning for their writing work aloud, or in a section of a familiar demonstration text (5-6 minutes). Teachers end the minilesson by linking the strategy, as an addition to students’ writing repertoire (1 minute). Minilessons are often organized from concrete to abstract content within a unit of study and are adapted based on teachers’ assessment of student needs.
Student Writing Folders/Notebooks
student writing folders (K-2)
Students collect many drafts each day on 3-5 page stapled booklets kept in their writing folders (grades K-2) or collect and develop ideas/entries in writing notebooks (grades 3 and beyond). Primary students decide each day whether they are “still working” or “done for now” with their writing and proceed after minilessons either continuing with “still working” drafts or by beginning a new piece. Intermediate students move to drafting on loose leaf paper or within Google Docs once they shift from the developing ideas phase of the writing process.
students’ writers’ notebooks (grades 3 and beyond)
map of the heart - a technique for generating writing topics that matter most to the writer (within a writer’s notebook)
Student Writing Time with Conferring and/or Small Group Instruction
During independent writing (30-45 minutes depending on grade level), the work time can be divided between private time when students write independently, and partner time, when students reread and talk with their writing partners around the minilesson teaching point. Based on students’ needs, teachers work to balance one-on-one conferring with small group instruction while students are writing independently. Teachers may pause for mid-workshop teaching to refocus students, highlight conferring work, or teach another skill that builds upon the minilesson teaching point.
conferring with a first-grade writer
student working on publishing writing by creating a cover page
collecting research and developing ideas in a writer’s notebook
confirming and revising prior knowledge through the research process
Teaching Share
After independent writing time, students return to the meeting area for the teaching share. Teachers select one or two students to share how they incorporated the minilesson strategy into their writing that day (5 minutes). Teachers may also use the share time to introduce upcoming writing minilessons or work that unfolded during an individual student conference with the whole group.
getting ready to share student writing using a document camera at the end of a writing workshop
students return to the meeting area for a student-led share at the end of the workshop