My class and I are highlighted in this video, which was masterfully made by Alex Emmanuele. We were studying the Bill of Rights and decided to combine our study with a guerrilla art project! So fun and impactful for all!
The main point of the writing workshop is that the students are working on pieces that are chosen by the students themselves and for, I would argue, an authentic audience, not just the teacher.
And so- the students will almost always be working on different writing pieces. An easy way to track this is to create a Google document that all students can access. Create a table within this document and have the students update their current projects and their specific goals for each conference. This allows for quick reference for the teacher and encourages accountability for the students themselves. The Google document is easily and quickly updated and so remains current. If technology is unavailable, this could easily be done using sticky notes and a poster board.
So, what does a teacher do while students are writing?
First, a mini-lesson is just what it sounds like- "mini" -as in small, short, and compact. It is the most traditional portion of a writing workshop because it is teacher-led. This lesson is explicit instruction.
When does the mini-lesson occur, and how long should it last?
The mini-lesson should begin your writing workshop and should last between five and fifteen minutes.
How focused should the mini-lesson be?
The lesson should be singularly focused on a specific grammatical or writing technique or challenge. For example, a teacher may introduce the correct use of a semicolon between two independent clauses in one lesson and on another day demonstrate the power and use of personification within a piece of writing in another.
How are mini-lessons best chosen?
The key is authenticity. Try to stay close to lessons that the students will be able to use immediately within their own writing. For example, if students are writing persuasive articles, mini-lessons might focus on types of persuasive techniques, transitional phrases, or powerful conclusions. If students are writing fiction, mini-lessons might be centered around characterization, vivid imagery, or narrative techniques.
What happens after the lesson?
Often students will have a writer's notebook that they will use during writer's workshop to record their ideas and notes during mini-lessons. After a mini-lesson, a teacher might ask the students to quickly practice the technique in their notebooks before moving on to the writing portion of the workshop.
"A word after a word after a word is power."
The writing workshop approaches the student as a serious writer, and the teacher as a fellow writer and writing coach. It gives students the space and time to write, to shape their craft by frequent and sustained writing and conferring, and to crumple up their real or metaphorical papers and begin again and again, which is what real writers do.
Most writing workshops are divided into the following basic structure:
1. Mini-lesson: a short, focused lesson on a specific skill that is needed by your students. (5-15 minutes)
2. Short check-in: students briefly share what they will be working on during the workshop (goal establishment). (5 minutes)
3. Writing workshop: actual writing time with some one-on-one conferencing with teacher/coach or peer (45-60 minutes)
4. Share-out: students briefly share their progress, wins, and challenges. (5-10 minutes)
Finally, I have found this to be so true: Model writing by writing yourself. I show students my own writing and have them watch me practice the craft. They see me search for words. They watch my furrowed brow as I struggle to get rid of clutter and repetition. They listen as I read and reread my work aloud. I show them that writing is not a magical process; it is work; it is art; it is ultimately a craft that sometimes requires almost herculean effort. And- amidst all the vulnerability that my sharing entails, I earn the students' trust, and I believe it motivates them and helps them feel less frustrated to know that I, too, struggle, just like they do.
“If you had to choose one thing teachers should do when teaching writing, what would it be?” (para. 15). Graves replied, 'Write yourself. Invite children to do something you’re already doing. If you’re not doing it, Hey, the kids say, I can’t wait to grow up and not have to write, like you…. You can’t ask someone to sing a duet with you until you know the tune yourself.' " Donald Graves