Teaching writing is an art unto itself. Many teachers have found the most effective model for writing instruction is to create a workshop setting. This way, students can work at their own appropriate pace and the teacher can have time to conference with students individually, or in small groups to give the young writers the attention and instruction they need.
Follow these steps to turn your classroom into a high functioning writing workshop:
Start with a mini-lesson
To start the workshop, address the entire class with a daily mini-lesson focused on a part of the writing process. Since the main objective of the unit is the writing, these small doses of instruction can go a long way. Students will compile a valuable resource of notes to review as they make progress on their assignments.
Here are some prime examples of mini-lessons to teach at the beginning of your writer’s workshops:
- Opening With a Hook
- Transition Sentences
- Crafting Perfect Thesis Statements
- Adding Details
- Closing With a Punch
- Word Choice
- Comma Usage
- Parts of Speech
Student Ownership
Since your classroom will be full of varied learners and writers at different stages of their educational journeys, it’s important to give them a sense of ownership of their work. The best way to do this is to let them choose the topic they will be writing. This will help create immediate engagement with the assignment and free the student to work on the aspects of writing they need the most.
Provide Models
Once your students understand the assignment, it’s imperative that you provide them with model and anchor essays. Show them what students have written before to give them a sense of what is expected and what can be done.
Make sure to breakdown the components of the models and show what makes them successful examples of writings.
In-Class Writing Time
Once you are through the day’s mini-lesson and your students know about what they are writing, it’s time to set them on their way. Students can plan their writing day based on their needs. Give them a solid amount of time (30 minutes) to make daily progress. Allow them to spend the time they need prewriting, organizing, drafting, or editing.
Utilize this time to conference with individual students and give them the close attention they, and their writing, deserve. When students are signed up for conferences, teachers can monitor working students and even hold mini group lessons for students in need of extra assistance.
Share Out Loud
During the last few minutes of the workshop class, allow time for students to share what they wrote. Since time is limited, have students choose a few sentences they are most proud of from the day’s work and have them read aloud. This kind of instant validation will keep students motivated and excited for the next workshop session.
Publish Finished Work
Finally, once students have completed a cycle in the workshop, be sure to publish their final work. This can be done by printing out the essays and hanging them in the classroom, or done so digitally, on a class blog. Knowing their work is on display in school or online will give the students a true sense of accomplishment.
What are some components of your writing workshops? We’d love to hear what you’ve done to help your students reach their writing goals.