1. The Writing Workshop and The Writing Process
Why THIS Works!
The Writing Workshop and The Writing Process
Presented by Aimee Buckner

2. The Writing Workshop The Mini-Lesson - Teach
Writing – Independent, Guided, Shared
Share – Summarize / Respond

3. Brian Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning Meets The Writing Workshop Format
The Mini-Lesson
Short
Focused
Builds on prior learning
Extends new learning
Immersion
Surround students with reading and writing
Tell stories and talk about writing
Notice different kinds of writing
Make wall charts
Collect words, sentences, etc.
Demonstration
MODEL with literature
MODEL with student work
MODEL with own writing

4. Brian Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning Meets The Writing Workshop Format
Time to write independently
Guided, shared writing as appropriate
Conferring
Small groups
Engagement
The students are actually writing and making decisions about their writing.
Students are more invested when they choose their own topics.
Expectations
Students are expected to write every day.
Students expect teachers to provide that time.
Understanding the assessment rubric(s) helps students work towards high expectations.

5. Brian Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning Meets The Writing Workshop Format
Time to write independently
Guided, shared writing as appropriate
Conferring
Small groups
Responsibility
Students are responsible for their topics and for making decisions about their writing.
Students continue to notice and share examples of good writing.
Students respect other writers and the learning atmosphere.
Employment
Students write for a variety of purposes.
Students see the affect their writing can have on others.
Students find ways to write for authentic purposes.

6. Brian Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning Meets The Writing Workshop Format
Share
Teacher and students summarize mini-lesson at the end of writing time.
Students share examples of their writing that connect to mini-lesson.
Teacher talks with class to set up the next day’s lesson
Approximation
Students share their approximations in writing either in a conference or with the class.
Love their errors!
Response
During conferences, teacher responds to student attempts at writing and helps take them one step further.
Other students may respond to writing that is shared in a peer conference, a small group, or during a whole class share time.
Writing is scored on the GCPS writing rubrics according to the standards set for each grade level.

7. Notebook Considerations: Things to Think About
Does it need to be portable?
Does it provide a standard size page?
Is it a size that will be easy for you to collect and read?
Where will students put class notes?
How will they personalize the notebook?
Is it important to take out pages?

8. Assertions About Writing
Every student is a writer and has ideas she or he wants to communicate.
Every student writes at his/her ability level.
Writers are more interested in writing when they select their own topics.
Writer’s are inspired by models, especially those created by peers.
Teachers who share their writing with students provide powerful coaching.

9. Assertions continued
Writers discover their voice when they read their writing aloud to their peers.
Student writers should publish frequently for audiences beyond the teacher.
Writing is a recursive process.
Writers consider audience, purpose, and topic when they compose.
Volume + Variety = Fluency

10. The Writer’s Notebook and The Writing Process

11. Student Expectations Write daily Self-select topics
Try strategies from mini-lesson
Fold over private entries
Respect your notebook and others
Practice what you know about GUMS

12. Students Can Expect Teachers to…
Provide time
Demonstrate strategies to find topics
Teach mini-lessons
Respect personal entries
Keep a notebook on a regular basis
Teach the rules for GUMS

14. Launching Strategies History of a Name History as a Writer
Best and Worst Writing Moments
What Makes a Good Writer?
Favorite Writers
Goals for Writing

15. Responding to the World
Ideas …
List and Star
Responding to the World
Memories
Insert some samples to click to and copy this slide after each sample. Do the same for word choice…
Write From a Word
Lift a Line
Observations

17. From Notebook to Project
Students keep notebook entries and notes related to the genre being studied.
Students do NOT keep drafts for projects in their notebook.
Students DO look for patterns in their writing or choose a favorite entry to inspire a project.

18. Revision and Editing: What’s the Difference?
Editing (in school) is…
* Correcting spelling.
Correcting punctuation.
Correcting word usage to make sentences ‘sound’ right.
Correcting capitalization
Revisions can…
Change content.
Replace weak verbs with strong ones.
Replace adjectives with specific nouns.
Change sequence.
Rearrange organization.
Create new sentences and structures.
Create mood and tension.
Develop ideas.

19. Revision Strategies
Specific activities that address one quality of writing in one place at one time.
Require students to identify a part of their writing to improve.
Require students to rewrite more than once within their notebook.
Require students to choose best revision for draft.

20. Some Revision Strategies
Word Play
Try 10
Rule of Three
Creating Tension
3x3
Seeing Into the Story

22. Leah’s Pony

23. Editing Tips for the Teacher
Teaching grammar concepts is not the same as editing.
Remember when you teach ‘grammar AKS’ you’re developing schema for editing.
The best editing practice is with student writing. Use samples to model editing practices.
Keep a specific chart listing things kids have mastered.
Hold students accountable – three strikes and they’re OUT.
Love their errors and use them to guide your teaching.

24. Grammar and the Notebook?
Include visual reminders:
Subject + Predicate = Sentence
Noun + Verb = Simple Sentence
Use graphic organizers and glue them in the notebook for a reference.
Keep lists in the notebook and on a chart.
Keep kids involved.
Show samples from literature.

25. An Island Grows
Deep, deep
Beneath the sea…
Stone breaks.
Water quakes.
Magma glows.
Volcano blows.
Lava flows and flows and flows.
An island grows.

26. Connect grammar to literature in the notebook.
What do you notice?
Volcano blows.

27. I SPY a two word sentence
Search for other two word sentences from books or student notebooks. Keep a class chart or a running list.
Identify two word sentences within longer sentences.
Example: The little girl reached for her doll.

28. Multi-Genre Assignment: Explain a process in a poem using two word sentences.
Think of a process you can explain.
Map out what happens first, second, third, etc.
Create a two word sentence to explain each step. Focus on the noun and verb.
Try to rhyme in an a,a,b,b pattern. Although, it’s not necessary.
Use this assignment for explaining math topics, events in history, or grammar concepts.

29. Sentence Grows
Subjects greet.
Verbs meet.
Ideas show.
Sentences grow.

30. Sound
Molecules sit.
Vibrations hit.
Waves scatter.
Ears gather.
Nerves pitch.
Brain switches.
Message clear.
People hear.

31. This is the tree, when the world was still young, that pushed up through the earth as a small, tender shoot.
This is the tree, now old as a volcano, standing alone on the African plain.
This is the tree with the thousand year roots that spread out to store water in a bottle-shaped trunk.
This is the tree where ground squirrel watches over young, small as mushrooms, asleep in the roots.
This is the tree with far-reaching branches and cool shady places for impala to dance in.
This is the tree where buffalo chooses to sit sleepily chewing in the heat of the day

32. Multi-Genre Assignment: Create a poster with a poem describing a place or event. Include a picture and interesting facts about your topic.
Using the model, This is the Tree, write a poem using a repeating line.
Using prepositional phrases, weave interesting facts into your poem about your topic.
Include a picture of your topic. It may be imported, scanned, or hand drawn.
Include additional information about your topic in an interesting way.

33. This Is The Moon
This is the moon bright with the Sun’s light that shows up against the dark, night sky.
This is the moon, whose phases tell me, where it is roaming as it orbits our planet.
This is the moon, Earth’s closest neighbor, where a man’s footprints have stayed for over forty years.
This is the moon, that is tangled in Earth’s gravity, and dances with the waves.
This is Earth’s moon.
Interesting Facts
When the moon is getting BIGGER, it is WAXING.
When the moon is getting smaller, it is waning.
The moon goes through its phases about every 28 days.
A blue moon is when a full moon appears twice in the same month.

34. What goes IN a reader’s notebook?
Literature Letters
Guided Reading Notes/Lessons
Prompts
Responses to Literature
Comprehension Strategies
?????

35. How do we get kids to respond this way?
Direct Instruction
Model, model, model
Prompting
Small Group Work
Trial and Error

36. How do we get kids to respond this way…
independently?
automatically?
meaningfully?

37. What I know is true about writing…
Strategies work
Thinking develops over time
Students need to own their work

38. What’s True For Me About Reading (Garrett, age 9)
Non-fiction is my favorite style of book because what I learn is not fake…it’s true! I like to read about penguins because they are very interesting. I like it when the dad penguin has to keep the egg warm when the mom penguin has to get food for the baby. It is a hard life for them to keep the baby alive and not freeze to death.
I like to read in my head and not out loud. It is easier to read in my head than out loud. I would rather read to myself than to hear someone read to me.
My second favorite style of reading is fantasy, because it is very adventurous and because Harry Potter is in that group. My third favorite style is historical fiction.

39. From Notebook to Notebook
Write from a word
Lifting a line
Questions: Reader to Reader
Connections: Within the Book

40. Write From A Word
CAMP
How does your experience of ‘camp’ compare to that of ‘camp’ in the book? How has this surprised you as a reader?

41. Write From A Word: THEME
What does it mean?
Phrases we use with the word.
Thinking Through Ideas
Connect to the Story

42. Connections: Within the Book
Specific Characters
Connection to Main Character
Events in the Book

43. Lifting a Line: Rereading
Noticing (what was missed the first read)
Inferring
Vocabulary
New Understanding

44. Write often enough to write well!
Six Word Summary:
Write often enough to write well!

45. Rereading brings out the ‘inside’ story.
Six Word Summary:
Rereading brings out the ‘inside’ story.