Writing Process for Upper Elementary Grade Writers Grades 6-8 Launching the Writing Workshop

Introductions Sharing: Personal Narrative Model & demonstrating Partner introductions & sharing Writing Writing: How are you feeling about your experience so far? Launching the Writing Workshop Grades 3-5

Writing Choice: 1. Write about a time when writing was successful or empowering to you…. OR 2. Write about a time when writing was frustrating or did not feel good to you. Be prepared to share your experience with a partner.

I. Starting the Writing Workshop Connection Begins minilesson – how it will fit into their lives as writers Celebrate the wonderful memories that fill the classroom, but remind students that the goals is not only to remember but also to think. Teaching Point: tell students what you’ll be teaching them Teaching Next – something they’ll use often as they write Demonstrate a strategy we use to write with greater accuracy, fluency and comprehension. Use an example of one child’s work in order to show the steps a writer can take in order to generate and shape expository sections of a text. Launching the Writing Workshop Grades 3-5

I. Starting the Writing Workshop cont’d Active Engagement Then give all students a quick opportunity to try what we’ve taught… Set students up to examine one student’s draft, looking for the structure in it Review the steps this student took to structure her writing and timeline her thoughts, steps that you also hope other writers might take Link To bring closure, we usually link the minilesson to what the class learned on a previous day… Jot a note in the margin and keep going. Remember the writing process involves drafting, then researching, analyzing and deciding, then making and revising plans.

Writing What are the big things you think about? Record three. Pick a small moment. Choose one to write about. Which aspect of a small moment had most high emotion or conflicting emotion? Make a connection to the personal narrative. Make a ‘movie’ and act it out – play and make meaning. What are the emotions from your small moment? Record them. What are the conflicting emotions? Record them. Expand on one of these emotions.

Share: Mid-workshop (mid-interrupt strategy) to add a new piece from the group Complement a place of success to build on positive in conference

Discussion & Sharing Who is the reading for – audience? Mini-lesson attributes & set up Personal narrative Small moment

References Predictable ProblemPossible Solution Writer’s feel stuck or have no ideasCHART that lists generating strategies – posting & directing students to them Talking conference – get the writer talking ‘edging the to a story, interrupt them – ‘your ready to go’ Writers not writing with enough volume (stamina)Put a dot or # in the margin (clear short term goal) Goal setting Teacher dependencyCHART – teach task Partnership protocol - teacher can choose partner Rush with hands up – clear from teacher – expect get started on own, teacher not attend to hand right away Talking not writingPractice, practice, practice, more clear & productive, maintain tone/ silence signals Writer with multiple ideas – how to pick a seed ideaCHART – pin point Use anchor texts for teachersRead alouds CHARTS Sharing time, protect time, child want to share

II. Generating More Writing pg 15 Minilesson Connection Teaching Active Engagement Link Launching the Writing Workshop Grades 3-5

3. The Writing Process for Upper- Elementary-Grade Writers Teaching 8-, 9-, & 10 year-olds the Writing Process Read pages 12 & 13 to yourself JIGSAW – Chapter 3: Each member reads two sections to share with whole group Pacing & Materials Rehearsal for Writing Drafting Revision Editing Cycling through the Entire Process A Guide to the Writing Workshop Grades 3-5

Linking Reading and Writing Writers can start a story by describing the setting. We can name the time and place, but we can take this further as in… Lois Lowry’s - Crow Call

Linking Reading to Writing Writers use gestures, postures, and facial expressions to show the emotions that our characters are experiencing.