Writer's Workshop

I teach third grade right now {LOVE} but this exact launch has worked with grades 2nd through 5th. Possibly even first, but you won't hear me talking about things I am not sure of. I can think of some modifications I'd do, for pre- or emergent writers at the first grade level, so I'm pretty sure I could work it. I have pre- and emergent writers (especially of English) in my third grade classroom, so I know it works, but 6 year olds have very different motor and cognitive skills than 8 year olds, so blah blah blah...anyway I think it works. HA!

Even though our district was very lucky several years ago to have trainers from The Teacher College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University come do summer institutes with us for training on how to use Lucy Calkin's Writer's Workshop (see sidebar for some of my fave resources!), I am not entirely sure on the depth of implementation in our district. I think some teachers are nailing it, some (me included) are working hard at it, some are dabbling with it, and some are not interested at all. There's definitely a mindset issue....is writing a formula that is taught, or a craft that is developed? I suspect there are many teachers that have a foot on either side of that line. Or maybe it's a blurry, underdeveloped line in the first place. I know that I'm most comfortable using a combination of modeled, interactive/shared, and workshop writing with my students. I think each element has a place in a Writer's Workshop classroom; for me, it's more about process than curriculum. Whose story is it? If the kids can answer that question with "MINE!", I'm not too picky about where that story came from on the spectrum of a writing curriculum.

I know this: the more they write, the more I have to work with for making my lessons count.

My students have both a composition book and a two-pocket folder for Writer's Workshop. But, our district also has a policy of "15 days to settle classes". Which means, for example, that I have started a school year as a 3rd/4th combo with 41 students, and on the 15th day I've been reconfigured into a 2nd/3rd combo with 33 students. My school is particularly chaotic, but it's clearly a problem with the culture of the district. On this, we can't possibly disagree. ;)

So, my school started last Thursday, with 38 third and fourth graders on my list. "Only" 36 of them have showed up, so far, and I only have 3 fourth graders. So, anyone can see the logical choice is to keep my 33 third graders (surely, a full class by any standard) and move the three fourth graders to a proper fourth grade class. But, remember, they have 15 days to make that decision, and I promise, they won't make it an hour earlier.

So, I've had to make adjustments to the way I do my beginning of the year activities in every area, not just writing. For example, they won't get their writing composition books or two-pocket folders until I know for sure that they will be on my permanent class list.  (Look, I'm sorry, but I buy them with my own money, and when I have to buy 40 of them, for multiple subjects, it adds up. So, no, you don't get to take it to a new classroom.) We do our early lessons on generating story ideas and process, then we have a BIG DEAL celebration on the 16th day, in which we have our very first publishing AND we get to "move in" to our materials. Everything we do that first few weeks is done on half pages, which we get to glue into the first pages of our notebook. Then we're really cooking with oil!

From Amazon

Our very first lesson (second day of school), I read The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli. It's about a little girl who enters the story contest at her local library. On the advice of family members, she tries writing crazy, funny, adventurous, romantic, stories...all of which leave her feeling that there is something missing. Finally, her mama (bless the mamas) encourages her to write a story from her heart. So she writes the story about things she knows...her family, her friends, her favorite foods, the time she watched fireworks, or the time she built a snowman. The kids adore the story, and they (finally) really "get" what it means to tell a "heart" story. Getting them to write a "Small Moment", instead of a Pokemon battle scene, suddenly became much easier.

I then pass out a heart graphic, on a half sheet of paper, and we populate the sections with People, Places, Things/Objects, and Pets. Each of these has the potential to become a story from our heart! I pretty much make myself responsible for these until they get glued into their notebooks, so I start my own folder where they live so we can use them for other lessons until the 15 Days of Doom have passed.

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