Teaching writing using a workshop model made my instruction so much more meaningful! You can read about my typical day of writing by clicking HERE. Getting the writing workshop started at the beginning of the school year can be so daunting! It doesn't have to be! Let me help you to get started! I have
105 creative writing exercises to get you writing again. Try these short, 10-minute creative writing exercises to beat writer's block.
Teacher Truth- I used to despise teaching Writer's Workshop. I understood the structure of the workshop model and the focus of each grading period, however, I didn't really know WHAT to teach each day during my mini-lessons. Fast forward a couple of years, and I had an amazing opportunity to visit an amazing teacher's classroom and observe her in action and I fell in love with her writing instruction! And then the next year, my amazing team and I decided to each tackle one subject and share our plans. I chose writing (even though it still wasn't my favorite) so I could spend more time learning about teaching writing and *hopefully* fall in love. It worked! Now that I LOVE writing, I wanted to share what I currently do to launch Writer's Workshop! I've taken pieces from what I love from different resources to make what works for me and my students. This post is a little peek into my mini-lessons, anchor charts, and mentor texts that I love! I posted them in the order that I usually teach each lesson, however you can change them around to make it work for you and your group of writers! For each lesson I shared an example of an anchor chart! In my classroom, I always prepped the anchor charts with the title and an image first, but added the content WITH my students during the mini-lesson! The books that I have posted are linked to my Amazon affiliate store. If you purchase them through the link, I will receive a small commission! This might just be one of the most important lessons to launch Writer's Workshop because it explains exactly what it is and what students can expect from their teacher and their own expectations. This is always the very first lesson that I teach when beginning Writer's Workshop and I love using the pie chart as a great visual! I begin this mini lesson using the book Arthur Writes a Story to get my little writers thinking about writing! After we complete the large anchor chart together, my students completed their own mini-anchor chart to glue in their writer's notebooks! I love using these mini-anchor charts because my students can reference them at anytime, even if the large anchor chart is not visible in our classroom anymore! After this lesson, I continue to follow this model for our writing instruction each and everyday! The independent writing time is always the most important and longest part of our writing time! For the next mini-lesson, we discuss WHAT writers actually write! Some groups do a great job at brainstorming different types of writing, while others need a little push! This would be a great mini-lesson to bring out different types of writing to show your little writers! Think cookbooks, Christmas cards, printed e-mails, grocery lists, newspapers, magazines, etc. You can put all these items in a basket to have your writers explore independently, or pull them out while you are making your list as a class! After creating a list as a class, students can either create their own list OR they can simply glue in a similar list into their writer's notebooks or folders! This is another important mini-lesson! It really allows your little writers to think about WHY writers write and why they should write! I love using the book Author A True Story by Helen Lester because it is a story from an author's point of view and allows writers to hear why an actual author chose to write! In my experience, sometimes writers have a difficult time determining WHY they write and might need some guidance to brainstorm ideas for the anchor chart! This particular mini-lesson sets up your expectations for HOW students behave during Writer's Workshop. Using the book Ralph Tells a Story, you can show students what not to do during writing time. This really allows them to brainstorm ideas of what they should be doing during writing! I always teach this lesson right after the {What Good Writers Do} lesson because it always focuses on writing behaviors. For this particular lesson, I reference back to Ralph Tells a Story to help my writers determine what writing should look like, sound like, and feel like in our classroom! For this mini-lesson, I always ask my writers what our classroom would look like, sound like, and feel like if one of our administrators walked into our classroom during writing time. Depending on your class and group of writers, you could complete this in one lesson or split it up into three different lessons! This particular mini-lesson discusses the tools that writers need in order to write. I'm going to be honest, if I'm struggling with time this is probably the first lesson that I would cut out because you could also discuss it in the What Good Writers Do mini-lesson. But, this is a good lesson to go over all the tools that your students can use in your classroom and your expectations for using them. Writing journals or folders? Pencils, erasers, pens for editing? Extra graphic organizers, writing pages? Writing prompts? Word wall or personal dictionaries? There are TONS of writing tools for the writers in your classroom! It's really important to talk about your expectations and even discuss with your writers how they should set up their writing journal or folder! It's common for little writers to not able to keep their belongings organized, so this is a great lesson to really focus on that! Using the book The Day the Crayons Quit is a fun book to use for this lesson because you talk about what would happen if you didn't have access to certain writing tools! "Mrs. Dills, I'm done!" If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that statement, I would probably own my own island! I don't know what it is, but at the beginnin writers always think they are completely finished as soon as they finish with one writing piece! This anchor chart stays up in my classroom for a very long time and I reference it A LOT! This book is a great story to read for this mini-lesson because they are SUPER short stories and allows you to discuss how writers could add lots of details to complete their story!. Then, you could discuss what else writers could do when they think they are done! Because of course, they've really just begun! In my first and second grade classroom, it was very common for my writers to freeze when they couldn't spell a word correctly- especially at the beginning of the year! Some would ask how to spell the word and some would just sit there and not write anything else! This mini-lesson really focuses on stretching out their words the best that they can instead of focusing on spelling the word perfectly. For this mini-lesson, I don't read a mentor text but instead I really focus on modeling how to stretch out words by listening for each sound and then writing them down. I go over each step with the students and then model writing my own story using this strategy. There are times that my writers still have a difficult time stretching out words for their writing, so during this lesson I also give them a personal dictionary. I didn't have a word wall in my classroom, but instead each of my students received a personal dictionary to keep in their desks. I like printing this 2 pages to a sheet and allowing them to keep it in a pocket in the back of their writing journals or folder! And FINALLY, it's time to really dig into story writing! I absolutely LOVE hearing from my little story tellers and I really look forward to teaching them HOW to write a story! This can definitely be broken into multiple days if you want to focus on modeling each step! However, it can easily be taught in one lesson! A Squiggly Story is such a fun little book about a little boy that is learning how to express himself, just like your writers as they learn how to write a story! This is another important anchor chart that I refer back to a lot during my writing instruction. A lot of times writers want to skip right to the writing part, but it's important for them to realize that there is a process! This is a great introductory lesson to the writing process for your little learners! I model this a lot in my classroom! This lesson really focuses on allowing students to come up with their own ideas for writing. I teach this after the {How to Write a Story} lesson because then I can really focus in on the first point, which is thinking of an idea! I like to reference the book Ralph Tells a Story again because the character in that book really struggled with thinking of an idea to write. The character in The Best Story has a similar problem, but she figures out that she should write from her heart! After reading the book, we talk about what is in our heart. Then, we talk about maps and their purpose. It would be really great to show students a picture of an actual map during this lesson! Then, I begin creating my own heart map and have students create their heart maps to keep in their writing journals to use throughout the year! Oh my goodness! I always, always, always have writers that get stuck or frozen and just don't know what to do! Stuck is the cutest book about a little boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree and he is determined to get it out! For this mini-lesson, I really like having my students brainstorm ideas for what they can do when they get stuck during writing time! So the anchor chart will look different each year because it really depends on the ideas that the group comes up with! Then, during independent writing time my students get to practice using those ideas if they get stuck! This might be one of my FAVORITE writing mini-lessons, which is crazy because not a lot of writing actually takes place! This mini-lesson shows the importance of illustrations and having them match your words! All of these book options are great because they have very little or no words at all, and students have to look at each illustration to tell the story. For this particular mini-lesson, I did not create an actual anchor chart with the students. Instead, I drew a simple picture and had students tell me what was happening in MY story! Then, my writers had to do the same thing! I had their return to their desks and they drew a detailed illustration. Afterwards, in pairs, students had to look at each other's illustrations and try to explain what was happening just from their drawings. This really helped them see the importance of their illustrations! To introduce the Writing Process, I like reading the book Rocket Writes a Story and discussing each part with my writers. Of course, this is truly just an introduction and students will not go through the entire writing process in one lesson! However, it is good that they have an understanding of each component and are aware of the process as they begin their writing units! I allow my writers to glue this mini-anchor chart into their writing notebooks so they always have a visual reminder of the writing process even if it is not currently displayed in our classroom! After students have an understanding of the writing process, we spend more time on how writers can fix or "fancy" their writing using the book Fancy Nancy! Although we go over editing and revising in a mini-lesson, this is definitely not the last time that my writers are introduced to this concept. I model editing and revising throughout the entire year and they have A LOT of practice working independently, with writing partners, and during writing conferences! For these lesson ideas in one easy FREE document, click here or the images below! For the mini-anchor charts click here or the picture below! For the personal dictionary click here or the picture below! For the FREE writing notebook cover and dividers, get the password to my Resource Library here! Or click on the image below to get the password emailed to you! Send it my way! Powered By ConvertKit For all of the subject covers click here or the image below! For the books click here or the image below for my Amazon Affiliate storefront! How do YOU launch Writer's Workshop in your classroom!? I hope this post gave you some ideas for your classroom! If you want to save these ideas for later, make sure to pin the image below!
These are my favorite, and most effective, ways of teaching writing to elementary students. You may decide that teaching writing is
Launching writing workshop or even just setting up your writing block can feel overwhelming, but with the help of these anchor charts, you’ll feel confident and prepared to set your students up for writing success this year. These writing workshop anchor charts and posters are perfect for back to school and will help your students remember all the important writing habits and behaviors they should practice this year. This set of anchor charts will be your teacher bestie when it comes to launching writing workshop and setting up your writing block. These posters describe and explain key writing habits and behaviors you want your students to embrace. From building the writing process, to collecting ideas, to independent writing to peer review, these anchor charts will help you teach all these key back-to-school writing lessons. With the help of these posters, students will understand exactly what they need to do to become successful writers in your class this year. And let’s be honest… back to school can be a stressful and busy season for teachers. Having this set of ready-to-print anchor charts will take the guesswork out of your first few weeks of writing lessons. You’ll be able to print out the anchor chart you need for your lesson each day and will be set for the first three weeks of school! HERE’S WHAT YOU GET: In this resource, you’ll get 20 anchor charts to help you launch writing workshop. The posters are formatted in the following ways: Half-page anchor charts - perfect for students journals Full page anchor charts - works great for whole group lessons Digital version - created using Google Slides FIll-in version - available for both the half-page and full-page versions and are great if you want your students to take notes during the lesson LOVED BY BOTH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Your students will love having access to these anchor charts during the year. They won’t feel the pressure to remember all the different parts of the writing workshop because they know they can look back in their journals anytime they need a reminder. You’ll love these anchor charts because they have easy-to-read font and are written with clear and concise language. Your students will understand the objective of each lesson with these anchor charts. So many upper elementary teachers love these anchor charts because they aren’t cluttered with excess clipart or fonts that are too “cutesy”. And, you have options. You can choose to print them in half pages for students to glue in their journals… or you can share them with your students in Google Classroom… or you can give students the fill-in version so they can take notes during your lessons. You can pick the version that will work for you and your students. Prep is quick and easy... Just print the anchor chart option you want to use before your writing lesson and you’re ready to go. ANCHOR CHART TITLES INCLUDE: All About Writer's Workshop Collecting Ideas Conferring Habits of a Strong Writer Independent Writing Looks Like/Sounds Like Peer Review Revise vs. Edit Sharing Our Writing Show Not Tell Story Telling Strong Listeners Student and Teacher Roles During Writing Workshop Think I'm Done, Now What? Using Mentor Texts What do Writers Writer? Why Writers Write Writer's Notebook Writing For Your Audience Writing Process HOW TO USE THESE CHARTS IN YOUR CLASSROOM: Use them at the start of the school year to help launch Writing Workshop. Use them throughout the year to review key writing habits and behaviors. Use as a model for your whole group lessons. Give students a copy to glue in their journals. Send home a copy to parents to keep them informed. Include a copy with your lesson plans to show your administrators what you’re teaching. Put posters on a ring or in a binder as a reference for small groups or workstations. TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “My students loved using these as a resource during our writers workshop. They helped students stay focused on the lesson.” - Sarah H. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This was a very helpful resource in distance learning, but I also think it is going to be equally as helpful in-person. These are helpful to have on hand digitally and can easily be printed out. Thank you for a wonderful, helpful way to make learning more accessible in these trying times. :)” - Jaclyn Parolin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Writers' Workshop is a great method of laying out your writing, and these posters really supported a clear structure to the system. Thank you!” - Jeanine F. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “These writing workshop anchor charts provided so much visual support to my 2nd graders! I was so thankful to have purchased such a resource that I have and will refer to throughout the year!” - Haley W. _______________________________________ ⭐️ BUNDLE & SAVE FOR A DISCOUNT⭐️ Purchase the Reading & Writing Workshop Bundle to get this set of posters plus 30 Reading Workshop Anchor Charts to help you launch both reading and writing workshops. I THINK YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: → Writing Tools and Resource Bundle → Show Not Tell Mini Charts → 20 Writing Graphic Organizers ________________________________ Copyright © The Stellar Teacher Co. LLC www.stellarteacher.com Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.
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Writing happens all day in my classroom. Students respond to text during reading. They write about their math strategies using math journals. Students write informational paragraphs in social studies and science. Even though our pencils are dulled from all of this writing - we still have a dedicated time for writing instruction. If you really want students
Are you ready to start using a writing workshop in your class? Here are some tips to getting started, organizing lessons, and managing a workshop effectively.
Here is my personal definition of a writing chart: any information displayed in your classroom to support students in their endeavors as writers. Charts can be small, medium or big. They can be handwritten or typed. They can be written on whiteboards or paper. I believe charts can even be digital an
Writing doesn’t have to be hard. Whenever I talk to fellow teachers about what they HATE teaching… it always seems to be writing. Why is that? I theorize that it’s because writing is very personal. There’s no cut and dry methods that work for ALL students. It is also time consuming to teach AND especially […]
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Do you do writing workshop with your students? My program has evolved over the last 23 years, and now it runs smoothly – although I can’t help but add new ideas each year! Long before I expect students to write stories, we spend a lot of time discussing stories. For example, every time we read […]
Since today's post is all about secrets, I thought I'd start with one of my own: I didn't always enjoy teaching writing. It's true, while I had high hopes of being an amazing writing teacher when I first started my career, I found that despite my teaching attempts, my students were producing pretty lame writing pieces, and it wasn't their fault. Early on, even though I was following the writing process just as it had been prescribed to me, my students were failing. Teaching writing was no fun....until, I discovered the 3 secrets of fantastic writing instruction. Once I figured out the 3 critical ways to turn my reluctant writers into enthusiastic authors, my entire outlook on writing changed. These days I love teaching writing, my students produce amazing writing pieces and it's all thanks to these 3 secrets... Secret #1 - Mentor Texts The first secret to fantastic writing instruction is reading! That's right, great readers become great writers. That's why I love exposing students to mentor texts BEFORE they begin writing. When teaching a unit on Memoir Writing, I love to gather a huge collection of memoir children's books. Then, during the first days of the unit students read a bunch of different books and answer guided questions about memoirs. Next, they work with a small group to determine unifying characteristics of the memoirs that they read. Finally, we discuss the genre as a class and students' develop a huge list of critical characteristics of memoirs. Their exploration into mentor texts provides an extremely strong basis for their own writing. If you're teaching a Memoir Writing Unit you might consider exposing students to the children's books by Tomie dePaola. Sometimes, I write my own version of the mentor text. I actually progress through the entire writing unit myself, first, and then create a writing piece that includes everything I want students to include in their own piece. At the start of the unit, I have students review the sample that I wrote and chart examples of critical elements of the genre on a graphic organizer. I include the mentor text right in students' writing packets so that they can reference it during the unit. Here's an example mentor text that I wrote for a Descriptive Writing Unit. I like to couple writing units with my reading units. So, after we study Native American myths, I have students write their own myth. Once students have compared and contrasted multiple variations of fables, they write their own fable. Another way to expose students to mentor texts is to read aloud samples throughout the entire writing unit. I like to start each of the lessons during the Memoir Writing Unit with a short memoir from the book Guys Write for Guys Read. It's filled with funny stories that showcase the genre and craft of writing. When students have a true understanding of the genre they will be writing, they have a solid foundation for the unit. Oh, and don't forget to save student exemplars. They make the very best samples. My students LOVE when I share poems written by former students before they write their own poems. It shows them that if others can do it, so can they! Secret #2 - Planning Rather than hop right into drafting a writing piece, I love to give students a ton of ways to brainstorm topic ideas and plan their writing. With a solid topic and plan, the actual writing is SO much easier for students...and we all know that when it's less of a struggle, it's way more enjoyable. I like to spend a class period or two devoted to giving students an opportunity to determine a topic and begin to plan out their first draft. It's important to me that students spend time flushing out ideas for what to write about. I want them to have a strong topic before they begin writing anything. To generate topic ideas I like to have students... --- Make word webs or lists --- Meet with peers and chat about potential topics --- Sketch scenes from their past --- Chart and graph significant life events --- Conduct mini-research projects --- Interview family members There are so many fun ways to get students thinking about writing topics. I also love providing students with writing journals filled with engaging prompts that they can complete before starting their own writing piece. The prompts are designed to get students thinking and to jog their memories. Then, when it's time to think of significant life events, they can review their journals and find a ton of ideas. This works particularly well for Narrative Writing and Memoir Writing. After students have a topic idea, I have them PLAN even more. We spend at least a class period gathering and collecting more details about their topic ideas. Often students complete graphic organizers about the sequence of events, plot, setting, and theme. In the Persuasive Writing Unit, students complete "because statements" and plan out propaganda techniques and figurative language before starting the rough draft. I've found that planning is one of the most critical elements to fantastic writing instruction. When students have a strong topic, a solid plan, and a list of ideas, the rough draft spills out of them. There's no more, "I don't know what to write." Instead, there's a whole lot of, "This is so fun!" Secret #3 - Mini-Lessons Don't you just love a mini-lesson? I do! They're the perfect way to teach students critical skills without taking too much time...and they're the final secret to fantastic writing instruction. I fill my writing units with mini-lessons for students during the REVISING stage of writing. I've found that the real writing happens when students start RE-writing and revising. However, often students don't want to rewrite their work. Many are happen to claim their first draft as perfection. That's why I force their hand, so to speak, with revision mini-lessons. Each mini-lesson addresses a particular writing skill anything from transitions to voice to word choice. During the mini-lesson they learn about the skill and then practice it with their own writing. Finally, they're required to go back to their first drafts and insert their new and improved writing. Mini-lessons are the key to getting students to take their writing to the next level. If you pack your writing instruction with revising mini-lessons it won't take long for the culture of your classroom to change. Revising has become one of my students' favorite phases of the writing process. In fact, when students share their improvements they often try to outdo each other. We celebrate a culture of improving. Mini-lessons make revising manageable and the impact on students' writing is astounding. There you have it, 3 secrets of fantastic writing instruction. However, I think there's one more secret. The ultimate secret is this: MAKE WRITING FUN. The very best way to do that is to set students up for success. Provide them with a solid understanding of the genre with mentor texts. Help them select the very best topic and create plans for their writing. Guide them through improving their work. The end result will not only be amazing writing pieces, but a classroom full of students who are genuinely proud of their work. Thanks for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. As you can tell, teaching writing is my jam. If you'd like some turn-key writing units for your classroom, you can find a wide selection HERE. Here's just a few of my favorite units: Narrative Writing Unit, Myth Writing Unit, Persuasive Writing Unit, Memoir Writing Unit, Speeches Writing Unit, Expository Writing Unit, Biography Writing Unit, Descriptive Writing Unit
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