Writers' Workshop
We are currently doing a unit on Poetry. The children are creating a
collection of published poems. They have learned how to write Acrostic
poems,ABC poems, Limericks,Bio poems, and Diamante poems.
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 sentence
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. Not all entries in the Writer's Notebook will become published pieces
of writing. All published writing is added to each student's Writing
Portfolio, and some pieces will even be put into student created books.
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.