WRITERS+WORKSHOP



Week 2 9/8-9/11 Optional: TC states that you can talk to your class about when writing has been successful for them and when it has been hard. Share your own times when writing has come easy and when it has been difficult for you. Take a look at your lives as a writer. (You could start with this on Tuesday instead and ideas on Wed.) Look at September before doing the rest.-how does this go along? __Tuesday__ - Create "A Writer's Notebook" Chart with three sections. Writer's get ideas: About Various Topics: And collect a variety of entries:
 * Teaching point: ** Writer's get ideas of what to write about from books. (Earlier in the day she reads, What You Know First by Patricia Polacco and I Use A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams.) Use a story that the kids can connect to..My Very Own Room by Amanda Irma Perez (don't know if this is in our library) or one of Flectcher's story. If there is a back page where the author shares a bit about their own family, share it. (Going forward we will use parts of books already read during read-a-loud although Fletcher's should be short enough to read during the workshop.)
 * Explain: ** Flip to the Writer's Notebook chart and explain that writers often get ideas of what to write about from their own reading lives. That's what they'll be doing today. Say "Now we'll enjoy this story (if it is one that hasn't been read yet) and when I am finished reading, we will talk about stories of our own lives that this story has unlocked."
 * Thin **** king and Talking before writing: ** When finished reading, ask students just to think about sharing what this book reminded them of in their own lives. Give wait time, share and model your own story. Next, have them turn and share with the person next to them. Then, call on a few to share with the group. Once stories are rolling, briefly model getting an idea from listening to another student. Add to your chart, "from listening to others" under Writer's get ideas.
 * Usin **** g the Notebook, the Jot Page ** Say "We have started getting so many memories, if we don't write them down we may lose them." Write "Jots" in the Variety Entries section of your chart. Model finding a page in the back of your notebook and write the word Jot on top. Have them do the same. Then model your own jot/jots explaining it is not one word or a complete sentence but just enough to capture a memory, thought or idea. Now have students do the same.
 * Writing Long After all students have at least two jots, model the process of choosing one to write about. Mention how important all these memories are to you, so its hard to choose, but one seems to be tugging at you more than the others right now. Be clear that you will most likely write about all your entries at one time or another. You can add to and refer to this list at any time. **
 * Now model how to make notebook entries - the author here has them right on the right side (leaving the left side blank), date and title at top skipping lines. Let them go back to their seats and write long. (Link this work to what they will be doing at closure. Tell them at the end that you will be gathering to share either the process of how they chose which jot to write long about or their product. **
 * Mid workshop teaching point: "I notice some writers have finished writing long off of their jot. When this happens to you and there is still time left in writer's workshop, then you have some choices. You can reread what you've just written. Rereading helps a writer remember more details and you can add to this entry. Or rereading may trigger new important memories that you can add to your jot page. Or, you can go back to your jot page and choose a new jot and start a new entry on a new page. " **
 * Closure: Call them to the carpet to share with one another and then call on some to share with the group. As you hear the various topics, add these to the "Writer's Notebook" list so they can see within our classroom community they have so much in common. Point out the similarities and use the word "meaningful" a lot. **
 * Writing Homework: B ** ring in a special photo or object that has special meaning to them. Something that triggers a meaningful memory or story. Something they will bring tomorrow to share, talk about and write about. ** - **


 * __Wednesday__ - Books to read today My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco and When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant **
 * Teaching Point: Writers get ideas of what to write about from objects. **
 * Connect: "Writers, we are gathering ideas to write about in our notebooks, ideas that are meaningful to us. You are getting good at quickly capturing your ideas on your jot pages. Yesterday, our memories and ideas were unlocked by a book we read and by thinking and talking and listening to each other. Today we will look at another way that writers get meaningful ideas. **
 * Teach: Writers, yesterday we read, A Chair for My Mother. I am sure when she sits in that chair that she thinks about the story she told us in that book. Yesterday we also read PM's, What You Know First. She could not bring the prairie with her when she moved, but she still has the bag of prairie dirt with her. She used that object to remember and to tell her story. Yesterday I asked you to bring a special object or photo with you today for writing inspiration." **


 * Model: Showing your own photo/object and how you are reminded of so many stories that you need to jot them down. Spend a minute in silence jotting them down. **


 * Practice: Now it is their turn to think, turn and talk and write. Think about what you want to say, turn and talk about it to your neighbor and then jot down ideas. A few will then share out loud to the group before we write long. **


 * Link and Excuse to Write: "For our independent writing time, your first job is to choose one jot that is tugging at you and then our second job is to write long." Today, at closure, we will be sharing some of your writing, the meaningful memories that your object or photos unlocked. **


 * Mid Workshop Teaching: Spelling (Basically if they get caught on a word they should try their best or circle it to go back to it later so they don't loose their thoughts and flow of thinking and writing. (TC also mentioned this.) **


 * Closure: Sharing Meanigful writing with partners and then a few for the whole group. **
 * Start the Writing Habits Chart with two sections: What Good Writer's Do and Why Writer's Do That? **
 * Add "capture ideas in books" So ideas aren't lost/forgotten **
 * "reread" to remember more and to keep going **
 * "reread" to trigger new meaningful ideas **
 * "write about meaningful topics" to better understand ourselves and to share and connect with other people **


 * Homework: Try-it: Choose a jot and write long Share in the morning with a partner when they come in. **


 * __Thursday__ **** : **** Digging Deeper for Meaning (Books to read today How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and Welcome to the Green House both by Jane Yolen **
 * Connect: "Writers we have spent the last two days gathering ideas to write about in our notebooks. We've been jotting our ideas and writing long about the ones that were tugging at us. Today, instead of gathering more new ideas, let's look deeply, more closely at one piece of writing that we have already." **


 * Teach: **** It takes time and thought for writers to develop their ideas. All that time and thought is well worth it to the writer and to the reader. Refer to the books you read and the importance and meaning to the author. And that some probably didn't discover why the story had so much meaning to him/her until he/she thought long and hard about it. **


 * Model: **** I am going to model what I would like you to do. First I am going to reread my long writes and then I am going to listen for my hear to tell me which one I want to think more deeply about. Choose one and model drawing a web to show how you are digging for deeper meaning. (Can show you the web in the book.) We may want to think of another strategy or they may have others in mind. She mentions later that asking questions to the student to prompt them helps...or having partners ask each other questions about it. **


 * Practice: Have the students try it at the circle. Reread long writes. What is tugging at them? Then have them draw a web or use a strategy that works for them to dig deeper into meaning. (They will draw it on the left hand page next to their long write on the right hand side.) Turn and talk and share with a partner. **


 * Link and excuse to write: Add more to the entry you are focusing on. Or if you need to, keep digging. At closure you will be sharing why the writing you are working on today is meaningful to you. **


 * Midworkshop Teach: I see some of you are struggling. Think of digging deeper for meaning in a different way. "When you are walking in a new place, down a new street, or forest path, you don't know what will be around the corner or around the bend. Yet you keep going because you are curious and you want to know. Finding deeper meaning is a journey. It many not come quickly, but if you stick with it and keep going, keep thinking, and continue your web, it will come." **


 * Closure: Partner share and whole group share. **
 * Add Reread and think deeply to the Writing Habits chart. To deeper understandings **


 * Homework: Continue to dig for meaning **


 * __Friday:__ The Heart Map (Books for today Least Things and Wild Things by Jane Yolen) Add to Writing Has Meaning Chart and let kids jot **
 * Connect: "Writers, we did some deep thinking yesterday, digging into meaning of what we write so we can express that meaning for oursleves and our readers. that's what we write so we can express that meaning for ourselves and our readers. That's what writer's do. Today we will continue to think about what is meaningful to us, what is in our hearts." **


 * Teach: "Writer's write about what is important to them, what they care about. One strategy for thinking about what is importatn to you is to draw yourself a heart map." **


 * Explain: Talk about what a heart map is (do either of you have Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard?) and show yours modeling thoughts, etc. **


 * Practice: Take some time and think quietly about what you will have on your hear map. Is there one very important thing that you will want to put in the middle? Next give them the option to decide whether they will draw their own heart maps or use a photocopied one. (Will need to do that.) **


 * Link and excuse to write: " At closure, we'll take time to share our drawings and what is meaningful in our lives. Some of you may finish before closure, if you do, write jots and/or an entry off your heart map, or you can continue working on what you were writing yesterday." **


 * Closure: Share heartmaps. Reinforce that creating heartmaps is a strategy. Making a drawing can help writers find heartfelt topics to write about. Allow for lots of talking and sharing. **


 * Homework: Try-It **
 * Let your Heart Map guide you to a memory to write about. (Also, the try it is a suggestion but not mandatory. They can do any other kind of writing as long as they are writing in their notebook. (I might have them follow the try it until they are getting good, and then give them the option to do something different.) **
 * M : ) **


 * Michele, I really like the language in this and the ideas/flow/texts are great. I also love the way it organizes the WNB though I won't have them skip lines or only write on one side. I do, however, like the ideas in the back and TC said that too. I've never done that, but it's much better. Also the same is the thinking on jotting quickly then writing long, choosing what to write long about - significant memories... **


 * There are some small differences which may totally be insignificant What stood out from TC was that we build on previously used strategies, so on day 1, we chart a list of strategies they've used and then practice one of those (that actually could be your day one because they recommend writing about a person and the book which we may read will likely unlock a memory about a person.) The following day, the TC stuff says to model 3 new strategies in one day - beg. mid-workshop and end. They, too, talk about significant memories and though they don't suggest using an object, it certainly could be (unless it was on the previously used strategies list, I guess). On day 4 (I think) we go to improving storytelling by making movies to tell stories followed by zooming in on day 5. I think on Day 6, they draft in one day or maybe it's day 7, but it's soon. **


 * And, this is the part that is always fuzzy for me, but might be a little different... I think the TC approach is that we introduce a strategy, but they don't have to use it... if they are writing, they are writing. So, we can show them a heart map (and I do have the Georgia Heard book), but they don't have to use it, etc... I think whatever we decide is fine -- just a different philosophy. Last year when my son had to draw a heart map (he's a good writer), he was very put out... totally ruined it for him... Then again, maybe it helped him and he didn't realize it. I presented it as an option last year and that worked fine - don't think there's a right or wrong... SOOOO... it kind of depends on how the kids come in... they did do WW last year and I've read through the prompts and they are definately better than what I started with last year. This naturally impacts the lessons we teach. On the other hand, slowing down and breaking it down this way may save a lot of time later, so we don't have to revisit. Does this help or hurt? S **


 * NonFiction Writing (Nov. /Dec.)**