The Structure of Writers Workshop
Mini Lesson: 10-15 Minutes
The mini-lesson is where I can make a suggestion to the whole class...raise
a concern, explore an issue, model a technique, reinforce a strategy. First
my students are engaged in their own important work. Then I ask
myself, "What is the one thing I can suggest or demonstrate that might help
most?" A mini-lesson generally lasts 5-10 minutes. I try to choose a
teaching point that I feel would benefit many members of the class.
Examples of Mini-Lessons
Content Focus Conventions Focus
Getting an idea
-making lists
-things you love
-writing from emotion
-experiences
-moments in time
Adding detail
Adds responses/telling the inside story
Choice of words/ descriptive language
Replacing tired words
Great beginnings
Wow endings
One moment in time
Observations
"I wonder" writings
Something ordinary
Staying on focus
Working with a seed idea
Developing a plan for writing
Finding your voice
Genre studies:
-poetry
-informational reports
-letters
-autobiographies
-biographies
-picture books
-persuasive
-How-to books
Use appropriate spacing
Spelling phonetically
Spell "High Frequency" words correctly
Spell using analogies
Capitalize I, names
Capitalize beginnings of sentences
Ending punctuation marks
Quotation marks
Commas
Use of "and"
Using appropriate grammar
Using paragraphs
Recognizing and correcting run-on sentences
Independent Writing/Collecting Entries
After the mini lesson, students work in their Writer's Notebook to collect
entries that may later become published pieces of writing. The total
writing time lasts for about 35-40 minutes, but during that time some
students may be involved in conferences with the teacher or with their peers.
Students choose entries in their notebooks to take into "draft form." It is
these carefully selected pieces of writing that will be taken through the
process of editing and revising so that they can be published and shared
with others. All entries in the Writer's Notebook do not become published
prices of writing. All published writing is added to each student's Writing
Portfolio, and some pieces will even be put into student created books.
We will have three Publishing Parties this year and parents will be invited!
Conferring
While students are involved in independent writing, I use this time to
confer with my writers. I take notes during conferences to document
students' progress and to plan future mini-lessons. During this time I may:
Listen to students read their entries aloud
Help students decide what they want to say
Provide feedback
Re-teach skills taught during mini lessons
Teach necessary new skills
Reinforce a writer's strengths
Give writers new ways of thinking
Sharing
At the end of writing workshop everyday, students are brought back together
for a 5-10 minute group share and reflection. When students sign up to
share or are asked to share, they take a seat in our coveted "Author's
Chair." Sometimes a writer might come to the author's chair to ask for help
or receive feedback from his or her classmates ("I like my story, but I
can't think of a good title."). The author might also want to share part of
an entry of which he or she is especially proud.
During many group shares, each student gets a turn to share a small part of
an entry, especially if I have asked students to try a particular new skill
during the day's mini-lesson.