The Writer’s Workshop “Children want to write. They want to write the first day they attend school. This is no accident. Before they went to school, they marked up walls, pavements, and newspapers with crayons, chalk, pens or pencils…anything that makes a mark. The child’s marks say ‘I am’.” Graves, 1983

Writer’s Workshop for Gr. 1 & 2 Heather Provenzano Literacy Coach Malden Public Schools

Agenda Common Core & Writing in Gr. 1 & 2 Launching the Writer’s Workshop Purpose & Objectives Preparation Tips & Tricks Modeling & Practice Personal Narrative Unit 6 Traits of Good Writing

Connecting to Common Core “To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students need to learn to use writing as a way of offering and supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and imagined experiences and events. They learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular task and purpose. They develop the capacity to build knowledge on a subject through research projects and to respond analytically to literary and informational sources. To meet these goals, students must devote significant time and effort to writing, producing numerous pieces over short and extended time frames throughout the year.” Note on range and content of student writing from Common Core p. 23

Connecting to Common Core Found on p. 23

Common Core Standards

Common Core Standards

Launching the Writer’s Workshop Unit 1

Launching the Writer’s Workshop The purpose of the Launch Unit is to establish routines for the writer’s workshop that you and your students will continue to use in all writing units. These routines are extremely important as they will enable students to successfully engage in independent writing time and will enable you to successfully conference during this time.

Launch Objectives Students will write independently for a sustained time. Students will write independently while you conference individually with students. Students will use word walls and approximations to spell unknown words. Students will understand and follow established writing routines. Students will be able to generate ideas for writing their own stories.

Getting Ready to Launch Here is list of supplies that will be helpful for the writer’s workshop: 2 Pocket Writing Folder for each student Chart paper (with or without lines) Writing Paper (with different number of lines) Staplers Pens (black or blue and red) Poster or chart paper for anchor chart

Tips and Tricks Create a large teacher folder to keep all of your writing in. Remember that you will use these stories over and over again throughout the unit. Have your story prepared before the lesson (on a sticky note/notebook) but write the story in front of the students. Use shared experiences for your stories. Tell a little bit about yourself in your stories. Keep the mentor books you have used close by. Always have your anchor chart displayed. Remember the mantra: “I do, we do, you do.” Teach your students the mantra: “When you’re done, you’ve just begun!”

Tips and Tricks Invest in the plastic two pocket folders with brads in the middle. They’ll last all year. Assign writing partners and/or groups. Use groups of 3 when needed. Set clear routines for your writer’s workshop. Set up toolboxes with pens, staplers, and extra staples. Have a spot for extra writing paper that students can get themselves. Assign a student(s) to pull out & distribute materials for writing.

Components of a Minilesson Connection Yesterday we worked on…. Today I want to teach you that writers often do such-and-such. Teaching (I do!) Watch and notice how I…. Let me show you how I…. Active Engagement (We do!) Turn and talk about…. So, let’s try…. Link And so I’m hoping today and every day you’ll…. Thumbs up if today you will….

Minilessons in Launch The daily minilesson will set the expectation for your writer’s workshop that day. An integral piece in the minilesson is teacher modeling. You will be writing almost as much as the students! Great children’s literature will also be a huge piece of your writer’s workshop. Take the time to read aloud during your workshop or at another time of day so that students have strong models of what great writing is! Remember to keep lessons “mini”. Use a timer to keep you within the 5-8 minute time limit.

Outline of Launch Minilessons

Let’s Try It! Minilesson 1: Gathering Topics Writing: You write a list! Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on our writing. Share: Turn & Talk about your ideas list. Add to your list if possible.

Writer’s Workshop Anchor Chart During writing workshop, we write all the time. Date every paper. Save everything. Don’t thrown anything away. Place all papers in the folders neatly. Write on one side of the paper. Cross out. Do not erase. Have your area clean and materials ready. When you talk, use soft voices. Number your pages. Stretch out the word spell the best you can, and move on.

Let’s Try It! Minilesson 6: Starting a New Story Mini-lesson: Model how to start a new story Writing: You will write a new story based on a topic from your list. Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on your writing Share: Share your story with your partner.

Let’s Try It! Minilesson 10: Continuing a Story Mini-lesson: Model how to add to a story. Writing: You will write and add to a story, adding pages and stapling. Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on your writing Share: Share your story with your table.

Connecting to the Core Turn and Talk: How does the launch unit address the common core at your grade level? What aspects, if any, of the common core are not addressed in this unit?

Personal Narrative Unit 2

Personal Narrative The Personal Narrative Unit is designed to develop students’ understanding of the genre of personal narrative. The purpose of the unit is for students to write a personal narrative and to apply the traits of good writing to their narratives.

Personal Narrative Objectives Students will write about an interesting experience in their life. Students will write the story using I or me. Students will write a story that flows from beginning to middle to end. Students will use details to make their story more vivid.

Preparing for Personal Narrative Continue using supplies from the Launch Unit: 2 Pocket Writing Folder for each student Chart paper (with or without lines) Writing Paper (with different number of lines) Staplers Pens (black or blue and red) Poster or chart paper for anchor chart

Tips and Tricks Begin the unit with an immersion lesson. Read aloud a personal narrative. Give pairs of students a personal narrative to look & read through. Repeat any procedural lessons from Launch that your students need. Always have your anchor charts displayed. Keep up the anchor chart from Launch. Make a new one for Personal Narrative. Remind students: “When you’re done, you’ve just begun!” The 6 Traits are imbedded within the unit. Be sure to name the traits as you teach them so that students learn the jargon.

More Tips and Tricks Use a variety of mentor texts in this unit. Use sentence flaps to revise writing and/or to add detail to a page. Read Fancy Nancy to teach about “fancying up”.

Genre Study Here’s what the immersion lesson or genre study lesson might look like: Read aloud A Chair for My Mother Discuss characteristics of the story that make it a personal narrative Create an anchor chart “Personal Narrative Characteristics”

Characteristics of a Personal Narrative Anchor Chart It is about an interesting experience in the storyteller’s lie. Tells the story using I or me. Flows from the beginning to the middle to the end. Provides details to make the event vivid.

Minilessons in Personal Narrative The minilesson will model for students what you would like them to try in their writing that day. End your minilesson with a one sentence charge, i.e. “Today, writers, try adding a sentence about your feelings to your story.” As in launch, your modeling is essential to student success. Choose stories to share and write that you will want to keep writing about. Continue reading great children’s literature in the writer’s workshop. See the list of mentor texts for suggestions. Keep those minilessons “mini”!

Minilessons in Personal Narrative

The 6 Traits of Good Writing The traits are key qualities that define strong writing. These are imbedded in the writer’s workshop: Ideas: the main message Organization: the internal structure of the piece Voice: the personal tone and flavor of the author's message Word Choice: the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning Sentence Fluency: the rhythm and flow of the language Conventions: the mechanical correctness

Find the Trait! Does this unit address all six traits of good writing? Take a look at your teacher’s manual. Highlight the terms in each lesson title that identify a trait.

Let’s Try It! Mini lesson 2: Discovering a Small Moment: Continuing the Trait of Ideas Writing: Write a list of small moments you might write about. Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on your writing Share: Turn & Talk about your list of small moments. Add or delete if needed.

Let’s Try It! Mini lesson 3: Beginning, Middle End: Introducing the Trait of Organization Writing: Write about one of your small moments from lesson 2. Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on your writing Share: Ask one student to share his/her small moment story, showing a beginning, middle, and end.

Ways to Get Ideas for Writing Anchor Chart Think of a memory. Think of a small moment and zoom in. Sketch a story when you need an idea. Talk out a story with a partner. I can tell how I felt. I can tell what I thought. I can way what happens next.

Memory Sparkers Anchor Chart I’ll never forget the time I… I was so nervous when… I remember the first time I…

Fancying Up Your Writing Anchor Chart I reread and ask myself: Does this make sense? How can I fix it? What can I add? Does it look right? I reread and look for capitols and end marks.

1st Grade Conventions According to Common Core

2nd Grade Conventions According to Common Core

Let’s Try It! Mini lesson 17: Fancying up your writing: Revising Writing: Choose a piece to publish. Reread. Ask yourself 3 questions. Make changes to writing. Conferencing: I will give one compliment and one suggestion on your writing Share: With a partner, share the story you will publish.

Connecting to the Core Turn and Talk: How does the personal narrative unit address the common core at your grade level? What aspects, if any, of the common core are not addressed in this unit?

Additional Resources Here are a few additional resources for minilessons and tips for teaching writing: Literacymalden.wikispaces.com www.writingfix.com www.unitsofstudy.com/home.asp