ENG notes for Writing Workshop

Response 1:
1. They were all skiers themselves
2. They believe in doing as opposed to talking about doing
3. The expected plenty of failure
4. The built on strengths
Time: give students a minimum of 3 hours a week 3 times a week to practice even if it is just journal writing, but allow students set their own pace- work on what they value because in short it is THEIR time. There are plenty of opportunities to direct students. For example if you ask them to find all of the adjectives they put in their paper.
Writing Time: is the time for students to work on projects they have set for themselves
Share Time: take about their piece, ask them to read it, give them feed back…
Space: physical locations I like to write, on my stomach…
A meeting place: SAFE area for everyone to be comfortable sharing work
A place for materials and Tools: create a writing center for simply tools to be stored with various pens, pencils, and paper
Carefully arranged desks or tables: especially for a one-to-one conference (you do not want to look like a bank official)
Short-term Goals: make them realistic and quickly obtainable (establish safe zone for class readings)
1. Write in a variety of genres: narrative, descriptive, persuasive
2. Deepening the connection between reading and writing
3. Learning the writing process; prewriting, drafts…
4. Mastering the conventions of print
Fostering a love for writing time: choice leads to voice, give them ownership over their writing. Allow for jugular thoughts and ideas to come out onto the paper. This can happen by reading various works, books, watching a moving movie, listening to a music video, ask the students to bring in what they feel is important to share before they start writing (allow ipods)
Establishing a Safe Environment
1. Specific praise
2. Let primary children draw
3. Read aloud “from-the-heart” pieces
4. Make writing notebooks- a specific book for these thoughts to come out
5. Write with students (enjoy this time yourself by setting an example)
Creating Workable Classroom Management: make sure that you can take the work load. Set and reset expectations until you feel comfortable, because that will help the students to feel comfortable
A finished book: due dates should not be finalized, but should be ambiguous. Students will turn in their work at the end of the day, but that work will be turned back to them with suggestions and then they can terminate it or continue to write
Unfinished writing folder: a list of topics to write about, ideas students like… simply brainstorm sentences
Finished writing folder: when the work is finished praise the accomplishment and savor the satisfaction. Make a list of the students who have shared their work and allow the students to write their name on a day that they want to share their writing with the class