1. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 1
Teaching Point: Writers recognize the important things that guide our decisions.
Values
Definition: a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
Synonyms: principles, ethics, moral code, morals, standards, code of behavior
"Society's values are passed on to us as children"

2. Values
There are some things in life that are very important to us. These are the things that lead us through life; guiding our decisions and helping us to become the best people we can be. Those things that we feel are so important to us as humans are what we call our values.
You may find some of these values are important to you now, and some of these may not be important to you until later in your life. We all consider these values differently, and that is what makes us unique.

3. honesty
integrity
compassion
love

4. confidence
skill
sincerity
reliability

5. patience
responsibility
loyalty
hard work
realism

6. cooperation
enthusiasm
self-control
leadership
success

7. respect
knowledge
creativity
freedom
hope

8. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 2
Teaching Point: Writers observe the world with extra care and alertness; they think deeply about their observations and record them in writing.
Active Engagement: Top Ten Lessons I Learned From Charlie Brown and 39 Things I Have Learned in My Life
Materials: Journal and writing utensil
Before class starts, use signs to label one side of the room AGREE and the other side DISAGREE. If possible move furniture.
1. Have students stand in the middle of the room, telling them to take their journal and a writing utensil.
2. Explain that you are going to read a statement (from the Top 10 Lessons I Learned from Charlie Brown). They should think before responding. Depending on their stance they should move to the side of the room labeled AGREE or DISAGREE. Read the first statement.
3. Once students have chosen a side, give them 5 minutes to write about why they agree or disagree with the statement.
4. Students should share their reasons with those that have also chosen that side. Allow 5 min for this.
5. Allow volunteers from each side to report some of the reasons students chose that particular side.
6. Have students move to the middle of the room and repeat with other statements.

9. It’s okay to be afraid.

10. Persistence wins out.

11. It’s what you think of yourself that counts.

12. Whatever you give eventually comes back to you.

13. Sometimes you need to listen.

14. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.

15. Big dreams lead to big things.

16. Action creates reality.

17. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 3
Teaching Point: Writers are able to identify with and relate to the life experiences of others.
Active Engagement: Today we will be responding to multiple statements, some we discussed yesterday and some we did not. Write whatever comes to mind; don’t worry if it’s “good” or not.
Use the following prompts with each Life Lesson:
a.It’s okay to be afraid. What are some of your fears? Which one, if any, is holding you back? b.Persistence wins out. Tell about a time that you refused to give up. c.It’s what you think of yourself that matters most. What do you think about yourself at this very moment? d.Sometimes you need to talk. Who do you turn to when you need to talk? Do you have a special place that you like to go? e.Sometimes everyone needs to listen. What makes you a good listener? f.Do what you love to do. What do you love to do? g.It’s important to have friends that care. Who are the friends that you know care about you? h.Big dreams lead to big things. What are your two biggest dreams? i.Action creates reality. Tell about a time that you took action and it paid off. j.Laugh every day. What three things make you laugh?

18. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 3
Independent Practice: “Things I have Learned about Life” -- read each lesson silently and choose two statements that you either agree with or understand.
Answer the following questions for each statement you chose:
Can you give an example of how this statement relates to your life or that of someone you know?
When have you experienced this?
Is this statement easy or hard to do? Why?

19. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 4
Teaching Point: Writers interact with their own ideas to expand their thinking.
“I Believe” Credo Statement Examples
Over the past few days, you have written at length about different ideas, values and experiences from your life. Today, I want you to look through those entries and annotate any areas that stand out to you.
Pay close attention to words or phrases that evoke emotion or that you feel personally connected to. You can use these to ideas begin writing your statement.
Read Aloud: “Dancing All the Dances as Long as I Can”

20. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 4
Teaching Point: Writers talk back to our own ideas.
Independent Practice:
In your journal or on a piece of loose leaf you will write (non stop) for 5 minutes listing topics that could start with the phrase: “I hate it when”.
Turn and talk with a partner discussing your list “I hate it when…” Try to think of at least three reasons why you “hate it when”. While talking, use prompts to push your thinking.
Now choose one of your “I hate it when…” topics to write about in your writer’s notebook. Use prompts from the chart to push your thinking. When you get stuck, choose another prompt and continue writing.
Turn and talk to a partner about these realizations. For example, I was writing about how I hate when my parents make me babysit my younger brother. He always takes my things or gets in the way of what I want to do. This makes me realize it is hard to have patience. Did you find a deeper meaning? Did you find a way to expand your Credo?
**Midway through stop writers and ask them to re-read their entries. Have students identify what this dislike reveals about their beliefs.

21. Writer’s Workshop I Believe – Day 5
Teaching Point: Writers reread, revise, and share their work with a peer.
As you reread your statement, ask yourself the following questions:
Why is this important to me?
How does it connect to who I am or to important issues in my life?
What does this show about me? About life? What does this make me realize?
What do I want readers to know about this?
Your final statement should be formatted on a Google Slide and include the following:
Correct grammar/spelling
Quote/Credo - larger than the rest of the text (or bolded); easily picked out in slide.
Explanation as to why/how it relates to self or life or both
Image or background that relates to Credo
Show examples