1. Implementing a Writer’s Workshop
Margaret Adams
Malden Public Schools

2. Agenda What is a writer’s workshop? Mini-Lessons Conferencing Share
Types of mini-lessons
Parts of a mini-lesson
Observe a mini-lesson
Sources of mini-lessons
Writing a mini-lesson
Conferencing
Share

3. Procedural Turn and Talk
Sit knee to knee.
Quickly choose who will go first.
Partner 1 talks.
Partner 2 talks.
Speaker speaks loudly and clearly.
Listener listens with a calm body.
Everyone takes responsibility for their own listening.
Find a partner.
Follow the procedures as stated above.
Introduce yourself and share your experiences with Writer’s Workshop.
Turn and talk (3 minutes).

4. Writer’s Workshop With a partner discuss…
How did you teach writing least year?
What were some of your successes?
What were some of your challenges?

5. Mini-lesson (5-10 minutes) Independent Writing (20-30 minutes)
Writing Process
Writer’s Workshop
Mini-lesson (5-10 minutes)
Independent Writing (20-30 minutes)
Conferencing (during independent writing)
Sharing (5-10 minutes)
Total Writing Workshop Time (30 minutes)
Rehearse
Draft
Revise
Edit
Publish

6. Students’ Lives are Starting Points
“The easiest way to help children love writing is to invite them to write about subjects they care about. When children have the opportunity and responsibility to choose their own subjects, they are not only much more apt to be invested in their writing, they are also much more apt to be knowledgeable about their topics. In addition, they can learn what it means to rediscover subjects through the process of writing about them.”
The program is based on the writing workshop model which has students- like authors – find topics from their own lives. Students have choice and ownership over their topics.

7. Conditions Predictable schedule Risk-free environment Tools available
Area to meet as a group
Author’s chair
Approximations are encouraged
Writers take responsibility for their writing
Non-supportive conditions = overemphasis on skills, excessive # of assigned topics.
Author’s chair often the teacher’s chair
Conditions for ELL students: visuals, opportunities to write in own language if needed

8. The Writing Space Meeting Area Work areas Writing Center Displays
Essential elements to build a writing community: 1. place for children to talk, listen, write / a gathering place in front of an easel 2. book display of books that relate to the writing you are doing – mentor tests, how-to, etc. (tiered bookcase that shows the front of most books, labeled plastic tubs, or baskets; displays should be rotated over the course of the year) 3. wall surfaces for word banks, word walls, and charts

9. Other Organization Issues
Writing folders or notebooks
Where to put completed drafts

10. Parts of a Mini-lesson Connection Teaching (I do!)
Active Engagement (We do!)
Link

11. What is a mini-lesson?
Short focused lesson focused on a specific principle or procedure
Teach students something important about writing and demonstrate an aspect of the writing process; however, mini-lessons are not all “telling.”
Effective mini-lessons are interactive, with students contributing ideas and examples.

12. The Architecture of Effective Mini-lessons
 Connection 
Teaching 
Demonstration
Explicitly telling & showing an example
Guided practice of inquiry 
Active Engagement 
Link
Plan to teach one thing clearly.
Prepare the materials needed for teacher and students.
Manage the time of the lesson.

13. Connection (1 min.) Activate prior knowledge and previous teaching
Motivate and prepare student for engagement
Put your teaching point into the context of the students’ work
State explicitly your teaching point

14. Teaching (4-5 minutes) State explicitly your teaching point
Direct, explicit instruction through one of several methods
Think aloud
Use a piece of children’s literature
Use student writing
-Guided practice
Exaggerated Writing (what it looks like not to use a certain skill or strategy)

15. Active Engagement (3-4 minutes)
Students apply the strategy with support
Turn and talk
Writing Try-It (Use a prompt)
Adds accountability
Students know that in every mini-lesson they will be asked to try what is being taught.

16. Link (1 min.)
Restate the teaching point, integrating it into student’s ongoing work
Contextualize the teaching point within the larger picture of what students will be doing
Transfer the teaching point to independent work

17. Share
Reinforce and /or clarify the teaching point from the mini-lesson that began the workshop
Opportunity to highlight student application of strategy taught
Builds community
Use turn and talk

18. Sample Mini-lessons
While watching this mini-lesson, try to identify the component parts
Connection
Teaching (I do!)
Active Engagement (We do!)
Link

19. Language of a Connection
Writers, can I have your eyes and attention?
Looking back: Yesterday we worked on…Earlier this year…You remember how Michael….
Looking forward: “Today I want to teach you that (writers/fiction writers/essayists) often do such-and-such. Specifically, we do this by (a specific strategy).”
Why specific language & phrasing?

20. Language of Teaching Pay attention to….
Afterward, I’m going to ask you to….
Watch and notice how I….
Let me show you how I….

21. Language of Active Engagement
So, let’s try…
Partner one, write in the air….
Partner two
Turn and talk about….
Closure of Active Engagement: “I heard you (repeat the teaching point here). Listen to how (refer to one or two children who did the work well, providing yet more examples of good practice.”

22. Language of a Link And so I’m hoping today and every day you’ll….
Thumbs up if today you will….

23. Management or Procedural Strategy Skill Craft
Mini-lesson Types
Management or Procedural
Strategy
Skill
Craft
Management – help students learn the routines & procedures of writing workshop. Strategy/Skill – help students learn how to use the conventional rules for written language accurately & effectively. Craft – show students how writers work, their techniques, style & genre.

24. Procedural Mini-Lessons
How to use the supplies? Where to find supplies?
With a partner name several more possible procedural mini-lessons.

25. Strategy Mini-Lessons
How to revise for meaning
How to add details
How to narrow a topic
How to eliminate unnecessary information
How to edit for spelling errors and self-correct
How to reread
How to organize your paper

26. Skills Mini-Lessons How to use closing punctuation
How to use commas in a series
How to use pronouns correctly
How to use quotation marks

27. Craft Mini-Lessons How to create a good lead
How to use figurative language
How to “show not tell”
How to create setting
How to use strong nouns and verbs 

28. Anchor Charts
Anchor charts are tools for students to use during writers' workshop and aid children in remembering procedures and expectations. 
Charts should be made with the children and added to throughout the year. 
Teachers may remove when no longer needed.
Anchor charts need to be posted in the classroom where they are easily accessible to students.

31. Sources of Mini-lessons
Writing expectations for grade level
Reading Street
Other Materials

32. Writing Conferences

33. What is a conference? Discuss with a partner near you:
Why do we conference with writers? 
What happens in a writing conference?

34. Writing Conferences
“The point of a conference is to help students become better writers, not to fix up their drafts and make them better pieces.” Carl Anderson, How’s it Going?

35. Architecture of a Conference
Research
Decide
Teach

36. Research Key questions: What is the writer doing?
What does she or he intend to do next? 
Teacher – student questions:
What are you working on as a writer?
What are you trying to do as you write?

37. Decide Key questions: What do you compliment? What do you teach?
Teacher-student language:
I love the way you… (Name what the child has done in a way that makes it transferable to other projects.)

38. Teach
Explicitly name something you believe will help this writer today and in the future.
Can I give you one tip that I think will help you not only with this piece but with future pieces?
Can I teach you one thing that I think will really, really help you a lot?
One thing that I do when I want to ...
Provide more detailed help if needed.
Name what the student has done and you hope he will do during future writing. (LINK)

39. Conferencing with Students
While watching this writing conference, note what the teacher and student are doing in each of the component parts.

40. Choreographing Conferences
Where should we conference?
What tools do we need?
What do students need to have with them?
At what point in the writing process should we confer with students?
Who will initiate conferences?
How much time should we devote to each conference?
Carl Anderson , 2000

41. What to Teach in a Writing Conference?
Mini-lesson topics 
Quantity of writing + expectations for writing 
Writing process
Strategies to help move students forward

42. Sharing & Celebrating

43. Sharing & Celebrating

44. Sharing & Celebrating

45. Sharing & Celebrating