Writer

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Writers Workshop

• Metzler Elementary
• Third Grade
• Mrs. Westgard

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What is Writers Workshop?

• Writer's Workshop is a teaching technique that
  invites students to write.
• Writers Workshop makes writing a meaningful part
  of the classroom.
• Writers Workshop is based on educational
  research.
• Writers Workshop is a Best Practice for teaching
  literacy.

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Why use Writers Workshop?

• Writers Workshop lets students write about
  subjects that interest them.
• Writers Workshop helps students learn the traits
  of quality writing.
• Writers Workshop allows students to experiment
  with different types of writings.
• Writers Workshop differentiates, or
  personalizes, instruction in order to accommodate
  the learning needs of all students.

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What are the Components?

• There are four components in Writers Workshop.
• The components are
• Mini-Lesson (5-10 minutes)
• Status of the Class (2-3 minutes)
• Writing Conferencing (20-40 minutes)
• Sharing (5-10 minutes)

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What are Mini-Lessons?

• Mini-lessons are quick lessons about some aspect
  of writing.
• Mini-lessons are fast discussions about some part
  of language.
• The teacher engages students by exploring quality
  writing, by demonstrating a writers secret, or
  by modeling/reinforcing some language
  convention.

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What is Status of the Class?

• Status of the Class provides information about
  how students works are progressing.
• It is a fast response from students indicating
  if they are Prewriting, Drafting, Conferencing,
  Revising, Editing, Illustrating, or Publishing.

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What is Writing?

• Writing is the act of actually placing thoughts
  on paper.
• Students write on regular notebook paper.
• Students skip lines to allow for revising and
  editing.

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What is Conferencing?

• Conferencing has two parts.
• In part one, the teacher listens and talks to the
  student about a writing.
• In part two, the teacher makes a teaching
  decision based on this conversation. The teacher
  shows the student one item that helps not only
  this writing, but many other writings.

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What is Sharing?

• Sharing is students reading their writings.
• Sharing is done in the Authors Chair.
• Students play TAG during Sharing.
• T ell one compliment.
• Ask one question.
• Give one suggestion.

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When is Writers Workshop?

• Writers Workshop is a daily activity.
• Mrs. Westgards homeroom will enjoy Writers
  Workshop each morning.
• Mrs. Riekes class will enjoy Writers Workshop
  every afternoon.

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What Skills Are Addressed?

• Writing Process
• Qualities of Outstanding Writing
• Strategies Used by Writers (Writers Secrets)
• Six Traits of Writing
• Conventions of Language

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Is Writers Workshop Graded?

• Writers Workshop is graded using
• teachers daily notes
• teachers records from conferences
• students participation rubrics
• students' writings
• students self-assessments

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Is Writers Workshop Helpful?

• Writers Workshop helps foster the joy of
  writing within students.
• Writer's Workshop helps build students' fluency
  in writing.
• Writers Workshop helps students practice the
  conventions of language.
• Writers Workshop helps develop life-long
  writers.
• .

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More Information

• The Art of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins
• Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson
• Writing Like Writers Guiding Elementary Children
  Through a Writer's Workshop by Kay Johnson
• Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 by Irene
  Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell