Teach Writing, Part 1 - Setting up a Writing Workshop

Teaching writing...the former arch-nemesis in my classroom. Whether due to not having strong training in writing during my own education, not having a strong resource previously in our district curriculum, or a combination of the two, writing was the area that I used to be the least comfortable teaching. Yet somehow, Writing Workshop has become one of my favorite parts of the day. In the last few years my perspective on teaching writing has done a complete one-eighty. I love seeing the spark in my students' eyes as their enthusiasm grows with each new step and success. I love to witness their creativity. I love the time I spend building relationships with my students and nurturing individual growth during conferencing. Yet, even though I feel I've hit my stride as a teacher of writing, I constantly visit with teachers who are facing the same challenges I once faced and have pushed through. Where do I start? How do I set up a writing workshop? How do I keep track of my students and their writing? How do I fit writing in and use it to support the rest of my teaching? And in the case of my district...How do I read Lucy Calkins and get all of those 15+ pages from the manual into a lesson?!

Before I begin to address these questions, let me take a minute to share what has changed my perspective. A few years ago the district I was teaching in adopted a writing program created by a man from California by the name of Steve Dunn. Steve came to our district several times a year to train us on how to use his program and modeled several lessons. It was through his influence that I first became confident in how to structure my writing workshop time. His program provided students with a clear process, tools to organize their thinking, and strategies that could be applied to writing across subjects. Two years later I was offered a position in my home district where they had just made the decision to adopt Lucy Calkins' Unit of Writing. Lucy's approach to teaching writing is VERY different than Steve's. Lucy is the heart of writing. Steve is the process of writing. Abstract. Concrete. Passion. Product. East Coast. West Coast. I've actually joked many times that if we could somehow marry the two we'd have the perfect program. Kidding aside, I wish everyone could experience both programs since influences from both have significantly impacted my approach to teaching writing. 

Whether you are a new or experienced educator, teaching writing can be overwhelming and frustrating. Where do you start? Routines. Just as we need clear routines for classroom management we need clear instructional routines during writing workshop. Creating a predictable structure to whatever time we can carve out of our day to teach writing not only makes it easier to plan our daily lessons, but it also helps students to be more successful writers. When they know what to expect they are automatically more relaxed and focused on their learning. Whatever length of time you have, you should plan to include a mini-lesson, student writing time, and sharing. My Writing Workshop block is 40 minutes. I take the first 10-20 (depending on what I need to teach that day) for my mini-lesson, the next 20-30 minutes for students to write, and the last 5 or so for students to share. Sounds simple, right? Wrong! Learning to limit yourself to 5-10 minutes? HARD! Teachers don't know when to shut up and get out of the way!!! (or maybe that's just me, sometimes...) It's also super easy to lose track of time and cut out the share portion. DON'T DO IT. It's during this time that enthusiasm for writing grows, students learn from one another, and the opportunity to tie work back to the mini lesson really cements our work each day.

Day 1 - You MUST introduce what Writing Workshop is...don't assume your students are mind readers and already know what's coming. I compared WW to Santa's Workshop, only we aren't building toys...we're building stories! The anchor chart pictured here was ready to go with the headings on the left only. As I explained each chunk of time I added it to the chart. Our "anchor lesson" will always come first, and, just like the anchor on a boat keeps it from drifting away, our lesson will anchor our thinking for that day. I explain that they will get to spend time writing every every every day. Finally, our WW time will end with the opportunity to share. This might be a few students sharing out to the class, partners, or small groups, and it isn't required. 

On Day 1 I also quickly previewed the writing process "big picture." It's so important that students realize writing doesn't flow out of our pencil published and finalized. Students need to be ready to experiment and play with their stories until they feel just right (hence the two-sided arrow between drafting and revising). They need to know that getting their stories "just right" will take some time, and that the expectation is to look for ways to improve their writing and make changes.

I hope this post has given you some structural pieces to apply to your teaching and management of writing workshop. Is this the only correct way? Absolutely not. Will this be how I teach writing forever? Maybe, but maybe not. Education is fluid and changes in response to our students. I believe strongly in making instructional decisions based on my students, not on what I've always done or what I'm most comfortable with. If I find new and better research on best practices then I won't hesitate to adjust. Part 2 of my Teach Writing Series will focus on how to be INTENTIONAL with that short chunk of time reserved for writing mini-lessons...

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Notice & Note Signposts in Jake and Lily

Before you read this post please understand that I firmly believe reading, modeling reading, teaching reading...so pretty much everything related to teaching reading...should always be authentic. Please use this post as a recommendation for a fabulous book to use with students and a professional resource to support your teaching (especially of the signposts in Notice and Note)!!!

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli has quickly become one of my FAVORITE interactive read alouds. The characters are relatable to students, the writing is witty and clever, each chapter alternates being told from the point of view of Jake or Lily, and it shows such a realistic story of sibling relationships, friendships, and learning to understand others better as you begin to grow up. Jake and Lily is AWESOME for teaching so many things...character development, standards on point of view, and Notice & Note Signposts. Here are just a few of the signposts present along with a brief description of the text at those points. I should warn you that I am adamant about not "spoiling" the ending of books (which drives my students crazy when they try to squeeze info out of me), so this post will include signposts only part way though. My purpose is also to expose you to the potential this text has to create powerful teaching and learning, not give you all the right answers. It's up to you to use this as a springboard to go deeper with each signpost! :)

Again & Again

Right off the bat we get the opportunity to learn about Jake & Lily's past, just how connected they are, and what a unique relationship they have. We read story after story of how they are unable to play hide and seek, wander far apart on the beach but maintain a sense of being together, of a bruise appearing on Jake from where Bump (the neighborhood bully) hit Lily's arm and Jake knowing Lily was in trouble and rushing to her side... (to name a few...) Most significant of these stories is their waking in the middle of the night every year on their birthday at the train station, after the same dream, to the smell of pickles.

Contrasts & Contradictions

Shortly after reading about Jake and Lily's past, Jake starts realizing and pointing out that he and Lily are very different in many ways, despite being twins and having a history of similarity. Up to this point the book has clearly focused exclusively on Jake and Lily alikeness through sharing a room, having a special connection they call their "goombla," and receiving yearly identical presents from their Poppy (the name they've given to their grandfather). So Jake's sudden shift to pointing out differences becomes a distinctive contrast.

Again & Again

As Jake continues to point out all the ways they're different, Lily begins to point out or create situations to "prove" their alikeness. We continually hear Lily's response of, "We're the same." to Jake's, "We're different." This shift in Again & Again from showing how they are the same to showing how they are different foreshadows the conflict in the story.

Words of the Wiser

As Jake and Lily begin to grow apart Poppy begins to give Lily advice about how to "fix" their relationship and regain their "goombla." Poppy's first advice is explaining to Lily that Jake is just going through a phase & to cool it. (p. 29)

Memory Moment / Aha Moment / Words of the Wiser

In the chapter titled "Jake" on p. 65-72, Poppy brings Jake and Lily to a park outside town. While they lay under the stars he tells them of an experience he had 10 years ago in the Atacama Desert. (Memory Moment - look for foreshadowing of Jake & Lily's internal conflicts later on of feeling alone.) At this point in Poppy's life he was "searching for himself" after the death of his wife. One night he drove out the desert and just started walking, walking, walking, walking, until he finally looked up (literally and figuratively) for the first time and realized that he was still part of the earth and connected to everyone and everything here. He realized that even though he felt unbelievably lonely and alone, that he wasn't truly alone and that there's a difference between being alone and being lonely. (Poppy's Aha Moment - he uses this to share wisdom and advice, which also ties in Words of the Wiser) The author uses Poppy to explain to Jake and Lily that there are times in life when you feel lonely, alone, abandoned, etc, but that he's learned to recognize that you aren't really alone and need to find connections to other things that hold meaning in your life.

Words of the Wiser

As the story progresses Lily feels more and more alone as Jake develops other friendships. Poppy tries several times to advise Lily on finding "Just Lily," as he calls her. Getting mad, finding a best friend, finding a life, finding a hobby...all suggestions to help her feel less abandoned and more independent. He continues to give Lily different advice throughout the story, many ineffective, and my favorite involving a coconut.

Tough Question

As Lily deals with feeling abandoned, Jake wrestles with his newfound group of friends and a few bullying actions on the part of Bump. At the end of the chapter called "Jake" on p. 235, Jake finds himself contemplating, "Why do you even care what a goober thinks about you?"

And that's where I'm going to leave you to discover the remainder of the book on your own...happy reading!!!

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Regions of the United States

One day in social studies as we were studying the Southwest Region, Texas specifically, my students started talking about the phrases, "Everything's bigger in Texas" and "Go big or go home." Now that we have moved from breaking down information about the regions to breaking down information about North Dakota they've begun commenting that the same is true of me and our classroom this year...LOL! I'm sure you're thinking...why on earth would they say that?! Well, because for the past several weeks half of the white board in my classroom has been plastered with butcher paper as we've filled in this...

My original plan was to create a humongous anchor chart to gather key information about each region as we worked our way through our text. I also wanted my students to develop a thorough understanding of economy, geography, government, history, and people so that they could identify elements of each of those in each region (and have a solid understanding of these concepts). Students were immediately drawn to my monster of a table and couldn't wait to begin writing all over it.

Before we began the first region I explained that as we read about different places in our country we not only want to get a "big picture" view of everything that's here, but we also want to uncover what "makes a region a region." Why is Texas part of the Southwest and not the Southeast? What sets the states in the Northeast region apart and bonds them together?

We began reading through each chapter, breaking down information region by region. As we read each segment we carefully analyzed what the key information was, which of our five areas it related to, and how best to record it. We discussed how to summarize, analyze topics or main ideas, identify supporting or key details, elaborate as needed, create graphic sketches (a term I used frequently in my classroom...a quick sketch that is super meaningful and specific, yet not time-consuming to draw and doesn't include irrelevant or extra detail), etc. I did much of the recording on the board (the plan was to release the pen to students beginning in the Midwest, but after completing this region they pointed out that our time was used more efficiently if I was stationed at the board), and they each had a smaller version for each of the regions (which we created on large construction paper).

Here's what we ended up with...

Unexpected learning outcomes??? Absolutely!!! Love it when that happens!!! As we read bite-sized sections of each chapter and I gradually released ownership of the discussion to students, I was seriously impressed with their ability to efficiently determine and sort purpose and details. Not only that, but they figured out quite quickly the relationship between economy and geography and how the economy of our country is diverse and dependent on the geography.

Now that we've worked our way across the regions students are completing their final project / assessment. To tie in our essay writing from writing workshop, students are creating a content based essay on the region of their choice. Love going cross-curricular!!!

This unit turned out to be a very efficient way to cover a lot of information while also being super engaging. Will I continue using this strategy in the future? Absolutely! I'm already creating note-taking templates for my next year's students (these will be a freebie in my TPT store soon!) and planning to pull in technology to design virtual tours of regions or specific locations. I'm seeing QR codes in my future...

Updated...the following freebies are now available (in two sizes) in my TPT store for your students' note taking ease!

Regions of the US Note Taking, Large Format

Regions of the US Note Taking, Letter Size

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Page Turners --- FAQ

What is Page Turners?

Page Turners is the name of the reading club I've created for my students. Read this post ("Page Turners KICKOFF" to learn about my experiences and the professional reading I completed during the development of this group.

What reading requirements are there for students?  

Over the course of the year, each student is challenged (not required) to read 40 books, log the books they've read by genre, and be prepared to discuss their reading during Page Turners meetings. Students are expected to choose "good fit" books that fall within a variety of genres (i.e.: choose two realistic fiction books, one mystery, one historical fiction, two informational, etc.). While I advocate STRONGLY for student choice, I also encourage students to read across genres. When they ask why, I use the example of introducing my son to a variety of new foods when he was little. If you don't try something new once (or twice...or in the case of carrots, sixteen times... :) ), you may not discover just how much you (surprise, surprise) love it! I dedicate time regularly to book talking titles and constantly make book recommendations to my students. If you are a sincere, passionate reader, it's almost impossible for your students not to become "wild readers" as well!!!

How are students held accountable for their reading?

Each student has their own Page Turners handbook, which they use all year long to record titles of the books they've read, keep track of books they want to read, and generate a list of absolute favorites to recommend to friends. Each time students complete another book, they log its title on their "Required Reads" page under the appropriate genre. This also helps me quickly assess a student's reading interests or take note of genres to promote.

What are Page Turners meetings?

Each month we hold a Page Turners Club meeting, usually on a Friday afternoon. This time is spent reading, talking about reading, and enjoying activities and snacks. Each meeting has a pre-selected genre(s) or theme to focus our reading in days before and our discussion during. I open these meetings up to parents, our librarian, the principal, our guidance counselor, other specialists, etc who would like to support student discussion groups.

We begin our meetings by constructing reading forts (an idea I nabbed from a colleague), settling in, and spending some quality extended time reading. Management tip: Be sure to set clear expectation for the time allowed for building (5-10 minutes max), what and how they can be constructed (my students bring in blankets and pillows, must have sight lines out of their fort, and may moderately rearrange desks and chairs in the classroom to create structure), and how many students can be in each (each fort can house up to three). Depending on how much time our schedule allows that day, we have read anywhere between 30-60 minutes. And YES, through this reading club my students have become voracious readers, so having stamina and enthusiasm to read for this length of time has not presented a concern. :)

Next, we quickly deconstruct our forts and regroup our classroom before gathering on the rug for a Book Share. Each month we have a guest reader who shares a favorite book. Our principal has read Dr. Seuss's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a grandmother shared a picture book from her home country of Ireland about how Santa Clause carries on in Irish culture, a mom read from Laura Ingall's The Long Winter and shared photographs of Laura and that actual winter, and another classroom mom read from the first chapter of Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers (which she introduced to me as a "boy" version of Laura Ingalls). It's SO IMPORTANT for students to have other adults in their lives (not just you) who are also readers, and listening to other adults read has been nothing short of magical each time.

After discussing this book, students break into groups of 3-4 to discuss the books they've chosen and read over the last few weeks. Each month I have posted discussion questions that students can use to guide their conversations. Here is a picture of a few of the charts I've used...

At this point in our meeting I quickly reassign my volunteers to either man the refreshment table (treats provided by yours truly or one of the volunteers), assist with our craft / project, or engage with students as they assemble into groups with various board games. This time has been a fabulous way to build relationships and classroom community, especially for those students who may not spend a lot of time playing games at home with their family, need to work on not being a sore loser or cocky winner, or practice initiating conversation with those they may not otherwise.

How do I begin planning my first meeting?

I'm so glad you asked!!! I have a planning guide all ready to go as a (click here) FREEBIE in my TPT store!!! At the beginning of each year I select approximately one meeting date per month, print off enough planning pages to have one copy per meeting, email the list of dates to the parents in my classroom and several specialists in my building, and plug in any immediate responses for volunteers.

A few weeks prior to each meeting I pull out my planning guide to finalize specifics...

• What standards and genres are we currently targeting in reading? (This determines our genre & discussion guide.)
• Assign a genre or two for students to focus on and share this with the media specialist. (Our library team then focuses on book talking this genre and guiding students to corresponding "good fit" books.)
• Who will be there? Do I need to send a reminder email asking for last minute volunteers?
• What craft or activity should we do?

One week ahead...

• Check in with students to see if they have been tracking their reading progress and will be ready to participate in the meeting.
• Email volunteers to confirm attendance and inquire about treats.
• Prepare discussion guide.

Embarking on this journey with my class has been unbelievably rewarding as I watch their love of reading grow, eavesdrop on conversations between students as they rave about one of their books, and witness the astounding growth they are achieving as readers in fluency, higher-level comprehension, and vocabulary development. Not a day goes by without someone relating something from a book they've read to a lesson we're working through.

I sincerely hope you will consider beginning your own reading club with your students!!!

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