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Writer’s Workshop. The name conjures up thoughts of classrooms, mini-lessons, writers, and sharing.
A few years ago, we hosted a Writer’s Workshop in our home. The eclectic group of student writers formed a writer’s bond and we enjoyed hearing stories from week to week. We had to give it up when our oldest got sick. Sometimes you have to step back from things or change things up.
I decided it would be fantastic to start one again just for our family.
Writing for an audience.
Encouraging one another.
But, it’s always fun to have people to play with, right? So, I thought it would be fun to try leading folks through a workshop experience.
Do you want to join us for a Writer’s Workshop?
Workshop Lesson Format
You are free to work at your own pace. Each workshop lesson will contain the following:
- Writing Quest– a short, fun activity to do as individuals and sometimes as a group. If the activity lends itself to sharing, include some share time for the quest.
- Workshop Prompt– a writing prompt given during the workshop for students to write during the workshop time. Set a time limit and when time is up, students share their writing.
- Share Time– a time for students to read their writing from home. This can be anything they are working on or an assignment from a previous workshop.
- Take Home Prompt– In the past, my students have asked for assignments to take home. They love having something to work on between the workshops and you’ll find that as students begin to share, they will have a fan following. Often other students will request more from a student writer and it’s fun to see a writer’s voice take shape while writing for an audience. Homework is a big piece of that fun.
Benefits of a Weekly Writer’s Workshop?
The weekly workshop is open to anyone. No one is too young or old to join in. It’s amazing to watch older kids give younger kids feedback and vice versa. Make sure parents sign on. The lessons are for you to facilitate with your kids!
- Opportunities to Share Writing– Participants begin to see the value in writing for an audience and it’s a low risk environment.
- Write for an Audience– Once students are asked for more of their writing, it becomes real to write for an audience and writing takes on more than just being a school assignment.
- Perfect a Writer’s Voice– Writing for an audience, hones a writer’s voice. Amazing things happen when writing falls into that groove!
- Get Feedback from Peers– not just adults! This is an important one because a student’s peers often have a different perspective on their writing and I’ve seen a lot of student writers grow during a workshop.
- Listen to Writing– Students get to hear what their peers are writing and remember that no one really sees the writing. They simply get to listen and respond. It’s a powerful thing to hear someone who hasn’t mastered written language read their own work. The meaning of their words, which can lost in poor grammar, shines through and builds confidence.
- Offer Feedback– As listeners, our students get to look for golden lines and things they enjoy about the writing. And they can offer specific ideas for improvement as well.
What to Expect in Our Weekly Writers Workshop
If you sign up to join us, what can you expect?
- Six weeks of Writer’s Workshop– I will provide six workshop lessons in the format mentioned above.
- Workshop Emails– You will get an email each week introducing the new workshop lesson and a passworded link to that week’s workshop lesson.
- Work at Your Own Pace– You can follow along as I deliver the lessons or work on your own time table.
- Landing Page Access– If you join after the workshop has started, you’ll get access to any new lessons and a link to the landing page to see the ones already posted.
- Writer’s Workshop Facebook Group Invitation– this group is not required, but it may enhance the workshop experience for your family. You’ll get more details about the group after you sign up, but in general it’s a chance to interact with other families participating in the workshop.
Sign up for the Weekly Workshop
The first step is to sign up for the workshop by filling out the sign up form below as the parent. Then:
- You’ll get a confirmation email
- Once you confirm, you’ll be directed to the Writer’s Workshop page- which will require the password you’re given in the confirmation email.
- On the workshop page you’ll find out what happens next and how to get ready.
Fill out the form and wait for your confirmation email!
The workshop is free.
Learn how a workshop works without organizing it on your own.
Work at your own pace.
Enjoy a workshop environment in your family.
Or invite friends.
Write for an audience.
Establish a strong writer’s voice.
Join us for our Weekly Writer’s Workshop!
Other Writing Posts at Blog, She Wrote
We’ve enjoyed many writer’s workshops over the years and since our oldest is a writer, we’ve poured into writing in a lot of ways.
- How to Host a Summer Writer’s Workshop– This is a great way to keep the writing relaxed over the summer and the perfect time to test run a workshop in your community.
- Coaching Writers with a Writer’s Workshop– a detailed post on how we got our workshop started with other kids in our homeschool group
- Using Writing Conferences to Coach Writers– How we use frequent meet ups with our writers to coach the writing process.
- Resources for Coaching Writing– a list of our favorite books and websites for working with writers
- The Ultimate Guide to Coaching Writers in Your Homeschool– a post that pulls together some posts and resources on writing with your students