Writer’s Workshop makes writing fun and easy. Small mini lessons break down writing assignments into simple steps, allowing students to focus on and improve every aspect of their writing. Direct instruction, modeling, and hands-on practice ensure that students will build strong writing skills at their own pace.
Writer’s Workshop is a student-centered framework for teaching writing based on the idea that students learn to write best when they write frequently, for extended periods of time, on topics of their own choosing. To develop skills as a writer, students need three things: ownership of their own writing, guidance from an experienced writer, and support from a community of peers. Writer’s Workshop meets these needs and provides instruction to accomplish the most important objective: giving kids time to write. The workshop setting supports children in taking their writing seriously and viewing themselves as writers.
The three main components of Writer’s Workshop are as follows:
1. Mini-lesson
This is the teacher-directed portion of Writer’s Workshop. Mini-lessons are assessment-based (formal and informal), explicit instruction. They are brief and focused on a single, defined topic that all writers can implement regardless of skill level. Mini-lessons are a time to gather the whole class to explore a skill or author’s craft, model a technique, or reinforce a strategy by sharing quality children’s literature known as mentor texts.
2. Writing
The majority of Writer’s Workshop is devoted to simply giving students time to write. During this time, the teacher is conferencing with individual students. The main priority of conferencing is to listen, not to talk. The teacher prompts students to share their progress and writing pieces. The teacher celebrates and supports the student and their individual needs. This is also an opportunity for the teacher to recognize weaknesses and plan mini lessons to address them. Once students understand what a conference looks and feels like, they can begin using peer conferencing to help one another.
3. Sharing
Sharing can be the most valuable part of Writer’s Workshop, other than the writing time itself. When students grow comfortable seeing themselves as part of a writing community, they are willing to take more risks and dive deeper into the process. In addition, kids often get their best ideas and are most influenced by one another.
Writer’s Workshop gives students so much time to write, their writing skills improve leaps and bounds. Being part of such a dynamic writing community will instill in students a lifelong love for writing.
