Writer's Workshop

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I’d like to tell you a little bit about writer’s workshop. Each day the workshop will last about thirty-five minutes. During the first 5-10 minutes, there will be a mini-lesson that will usually be direct teacher instruction. The focus will be a technique or strategy that good writers use. After the mini-lesson, students will have the opportunity to practice the day’s strategy and will then have independent writing time.

While the students are writing, I will meet with individuals or small groups to confer with them about their writing and to encourage their growth as writers. Sometimes in the middle of the independent writing time we will pause for a "mid-workshop share." This will be a time for me to refocus the group or highlight the extraordinary efforts of an individual writer in the class. At the end of the workshop, about 5 minutes will be spent giving the students an opportunity to share their writing with the class or with a writing partner.

Students will write, revise, edit, and publish stories throughout the school year. They will also begin to assess their writing and learn to implement the characteristics of quality writing into their own work. Most of our writing will be kept at school and will be sent home at the end of the year.

We are excited to share with you our focus units for the upcoming school year. During each unit, students will be asked to do a certain kind of writing, but they will choose their own topics. By giving the students choices in their writing, it makes the writing more meaningful and engaging. At the close of each unit, we will have a classroom writing celebration to commend the students’ efforts. In the coming days, please keep an eye out for a letter explaining our first unit of study.

You can be encouraging your child in his/her writing efforts at school by having discussions about these topics at home. The more the children orally talk about their ideas, the easier it is for them to write about them at school.

Thank you for all of your continued support. I look forward to reading and sharing your child’s great writing!

Sincerely,

Ms. Rini

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