Writing Workshop: Creating a Launch Pad for Beginning Writers

by Dr. Pamela J. Farris

Writing workshop gives elementary students the structure and support they need as beginning writers.

Ghouls, goblins and ghosts lurk about.
Halloween night is here.
Now my story begins.

The words above fly across the page as Mary Kate, a second grader, scribbles rapidly in her journal. Clearly she knows how to write a compelling lead that will draw readers in, making them want to read on. And she has a good idea of her story line, complete with the problem and the solution.

But not every child is like Mary Kate. Most need structure and support in their writing from their teachers. As Dr. Maria Walther (2008) states, “We’re not teaching reading, we’re guiding readers. We’re not teaching writing, we’re guiding writers.” Writing Workshop provides a format for the teacher to use to introduce and refine writing skills and the opportunity for students to grasp and develop those skills in their own writing.

Structure of Writing Workshop

A Writing Workshop for the primary classroom is about 30-45 minutes every day. The structure remains the same for all grade levels (Farris, 2006).

   • Read-aloud. The teacher reads aloud a picture book, poem, portion of a book, newspaper article, etc., from a carefully selected piece of text that ties in with the writing lesson for that day or week. If a poem is shared, the teacher may put it on an overhead or write it out on chart paper so the students can read along during a second reading. A picture book may be made accessible by putting it in a reading center for students to view later in the day or week.
   • Mini lesson. This is the precise writing strategy or skill that the teacher wants the students to develop or enhance. A mini lesson may be as short as three minutes or as long as fifteen. The mini lesson contains five steps:

   1. introduction of the writing strategy or skill;
   2. modeling by the teacher of the strategy or skill;
   3. guided practice of the strategy or skill, with the teacher moving around the room to check on each student’s progress;
   4. class review of the strategy or skill; and
   5. independent writing by students in applying the strategy or skill in their own writing.

   • Independent writing and conferencing. After the mini lesson is presented, students begin independent writing. The teacher hovers about the class conducting “honeybee conferencing,” stopping to converse a few seconds with individual students regarding their writing progress. This can be a time to question students as to what has just been presented in the lesson. Sometimes further explanation or reminders are passed along. This period is brief, just a couple of minutes before the teacher sits down and conducts more in-depth conferencing with small groups or one-to-one.

Small-Group Conferencing. When a few students have difficulty grasping a new concept or applying it, a quick review is helpful. Again the teacher should model the writing skill or strategy. Showing the strategy or skill in printed text such as a picture book can be helpful. This can also be an opportunity for writers to share their work or to work with ELLs.

One-to-One Conferencing. One-to-one conferences are more structured. A paper on a clipboard with the student’s name, the date, a line for the writing topic, and a space to note comments about writing skills is an efficient way to record student progress. Making a quick checklist in advance based on the mini lessons for the week or grading period can be helpful.

Conferences should be brief—a three-minute egg timer that the student turns over at the beginning of the conference is helpful—and constructive. Use the student’s first name along with a positive comment to open the conference. Asking the student to share her work, rather than taking the paper from her, honors her as a writer rather than making her feel that she’s obligated to do something for the teacher. If we are to create writers we must respect them and their work.

Quickly go over the piece of writing and reinforce the mini lesson. If it was on using descriptive words, praise those found in the student’s work. Have the student read aloud a section that contains—or should have contained—descriptive words. Let the child brainstorm a section that needs some work. Write down on the clipboard what the student is doing well and what area needs improvement. Do the same on a sticky note for the student. Limit “needs improvement” to one or two specific items; more than two will result in overwhelming the student and little or no improvement.

End the conference on a positive note. After all, it is through our nudging and nurturing that good writers develop.

Group Meetings. These occur at least once a week, but not daily.The purpose varies. A particular aspect of writing may be discussed. Students may share their work as part of an Author’s Chair experience. Those hesitant to read their work aloud may opt to share a portion of a book that demonstrates the writing strategy or skill taught in the mini lesson. Books may be provided by the teacher for this purpose but selected by the individual student.

Initiating a Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop requires students to take responsibility and work independently. Oftentimes our students flounder in these two areas if we don’t provide ample classroom structure. Start out with simple writing skills that can be accomplished in a short period of time. This allows for success and a positive feeling about writing to be established early in the school year.

Be consistent. Students like structure—it provides them with security. Have the writing workshop every day at the same time. Every teacher in the school should use the same writing terms. Thus confusion is lessened and more productive writing occurs.

Model. MODEL. MODEL!!! Students need to see their teacher as a writer. They need to hear words woven together by outstanding children’s authors. Daily read-alouds from quality literature are essential. Both picture story books and informational picture books should be shared with young writers. Through listening to rich descriptive language, they too, can write descriptive passages.

Keep in mind it is always easier to begin writing at any level with informational writing. This enables the writer to share previously known information with others, giving the writer confidence from the beginning. Children possess a natural curiosity and they love to share their own knowledge with others.

A Kindergarten Writing Workshop

Kindergartners can engage in Writer’s Workshop by October. By that time the classroom structure and rules have been assimilated. The students know many letters of the alphabet and many of their sounds. Patterned language books and poetry provide a good model for kindergartners.

Margaret Wise Brown’s poem, “I Like Bugs” can serve a dual purpose as a writing framework as well as a poem to accompany a science unit on insects. The poem should be read aloud and written on a chart so that students view it throughout the week. After it is read aloud for a couple of days, it is time to move on to letting students write why they like bugs.

I Like Bugs

I like bugs.
Black bugs,
Green bugs,
Mean bugs,
Any kind of bug.

A bug on a rug,
A bug in the grass,
A bug on the sidewalk,
A bug in a glass,
I like bugs.

Round bugs,
Shiny bugs,
Fat bugs,
Buggy bugs,
Big bugs,
Ladybugs,
I like bugs!
By Margaret Wise Brown

A writing sheet is provided with the top half empty and the text on the bottom half reading
“I like ____________
I like bugs.”
The student then fills in the blank and draws a picture of the bug. Expect to see “BT” for butterfly, “G” for grasshopper, “L” for ladybug, and “F” for fly. Temporary spelling is encouraged at this level as it enhances the acquisition of consonant sounds. “R” or “RD” could represent the word “red.” The next read-along could be Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, again being read over and over until the students have it memorized and then moving to their own writing with the structure provided by the writing sheet.

Books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (1968) have a riveting rhythm and rhyme that five-year-olds can’t resist. A read-aloud gets them into the right mood. Rereading the book so they can read along is essential. Next provide students with a sheet of paper with the words “Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a _______.” Again let them write and illustrate their animals.

Another good title is Book! Book! Book! (Bruss, 2001), the adorable story of the animals in the barnyard who get lonely when the children go back to school. A perfect read-aloud, it leads children to make the various animal sounds (horse, cow, goat, etc.) as they visit the local library. But the librarian can’t understand any of the animals until the chicken arrives and clucks her request—“Book! Book! Book!” Kindergartners can write about their favorite animal in the book. Reread the book a few days later and let the students write and illustrate their favorite zoo animal that would want a book. Again, these books often accompany topics being covered in the kindergarten curriculum such as farming or zoo animals.

A First-Grade Writing Workshop

Many six-year-olds have a writing vocabulary upon entering first grade. While somewhat limited, it is a base from which to build. Word walls of words with commonly used chunks (rimes) can be accompanied by charts with theme words (insects, legs, eyes, wings, grasshopper, lenses, etc.). Physical education can share words for the young writer: run, jump, hop, skip, throw, catch, etc. Social studies teaches family words: mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother, etc., and community words: fire station, post office, grocery store, library, etc. Reading and read-alouds expand the writing vocabulary. Class books encourage both reading and writing.

At this level, the writing workshop is best integrated throughout the curriculum. For instance, autumn usually brings a study of apples accompanied by a field trip to a local orchard. The sharing of Steven Kellogg’s Johnny Appleseed, particularly since his September 26th birthday coincides with the
apple-harvesting season, can provide a great read-aloud. “Fruity Facts” by Rebecca Dotlich then can be used as a read-aloud to generate writing details about apples.

Fruity Fruits

Apples are tasty, and healthy and crisp.
Apples leave puddles of juice on my lips.
Apples are round, apples are red,
Or yellow, or green, or golden instead.
Apples are cider, apples are pie,
Apples are picked then packaged to buy.
Apples are sweet, apples are tart—
Delicious whole, or sliced apart.
Apples are crunchy, and apples are firm—
And sometimes home to a traveling worm!
By Rebecca Dotlich

First graders love to write, often producing writing pieces in quick succession. They are like endless little production lines, desiring to share all of their worldly knowledge with readers.

At this egocentric stage they often believe the teacher has to read and respond to their every word. Thus, this is a good opportunity to instill some classroom rules. For instance, the teacher reads your writing only AFTER you revise and edit it for punctuation and spelling.

Structuring Writing for First and Second Graders

Having a writing sheet for students to use can aid writing instruction. The student can check his/her own progress by putting a check mark on the items at the bottom of the page as they are completed. During the one-to-one conference, the teacher discusses the child’s writing progress based on those aspects. For instance, Word Wall means that the student relied upon the word wall to attempt to spell a word in his writing (see Figure 1).

Summary

Writing Workshop can be used to create a writing community that will, in turn, cause young writers to blossom. The key is to create and maintain the structure along with providing good writing models, lots of books for reading and perusing, and ample opportunities to write.

Educational consultant and author Pamela J. Farris is Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita of Northern Illinois University and a former elementary teacher. She publishes under the name of P. J. Farris and can be reached at pamelafarris@comcast.net.

References

Farris, P. J. (2006). Language Arts: Process, Product, and Assessment (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland.
Walther, M. (June 21, 2008). A treasure trove of reading and writing ideas. 35th Annual Northern Illinois Reading Conference, Sugar Grove, IL.

Children’s Books

Carle, E. (1981). The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York: Philomel.
Martin, B. (1968). Brown Bear, Brown Bear (E. Carle, Illus.). New York: Holt.

Read-alouds for Mini Lessons for Grades One and Two

Having quality books that are appropriate for mini lessons is important. Here are a few that you may want to have in your personal library or check out of your public library:

Friend, C. (2007). The Perfect Nest. (J. Manders, Illus.). Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. (description and ideas for writing)
Sierra, J. (2004). Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf. (O. Seibold, Illus.) New York: Knopf. (ideas for writing)
Kloske, G. (2005). Once Upon a Time . . . The End. New York: Atheneum. (ideas)
Banks, K. (2006). Max’s Words. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (writing vocabulary)
Ryan, P. M. (2001). Hello, Ocean (M. Astrella, Illus.). Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. (descriptive writing)
Frost, H. (2008). Monarch and Milkweed (L. Gore, Illus.). New York: Atheneum. (informational writing; description)
O’Conner, J. (2008). Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly (R. P. Glasser, Illus.). New York: HarperCollins. (descriptive writing—goes well with Monarch and Milkweed)
Anderson, L. H. (2002). Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving. (M. Faulkner, Illus.). New York: Simon & Schuster. (Introduction to writing biography)
Brown, M. (2007). My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (R. Colon, Illus.). Flagstaff, AZ: Rising Moon. (Introduction to writing biography, ELLs)

Source: Today's Catholic Teacher, January/February 2009

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