Gentle readers, when we were last together, I shared some ideas for assessing the spirit of workshop with an emphasis on assessing both process and product without looking for perfection. Instead, in writing workshop, we look for growth. When we consider assessment separate from grading (something too personal, too school-by-school to really make broad recommendations […]
I’ve never spoken to a group of teachers about writing workshop where someone didn’t pose the question, “Wait — but how do you grade this?” Here’s what I always say: I can share how I think about assessing students’ writing, but I can’t tell you how to “grade” it. First of all, as it’s well […]
Last time, I encouraged you to have LOUD, boisterous writing workshops full of writerly talk between writers and between writers and teachers. Our confident writers benefit from identifying sounding boards in the classroom; our insecure writers can often do more in their speech than they can through their written language, so intentional classroom talk time […]
At first glance, it might seem like we are “just hanging out”: I am wildly waving my arms in the corner of the classroom, talking to a student about his latest, greatest idea. Meanwhile, Charles and Bowen are in the hall talk-writing. (Talk-Writing (n.) — the condition of chatting and writing at the same time.) […]
In my series this fall, I have been looking at ways that any teacher in any classroom in any school can wade into writing workshop or take their existing workshop to the next level. Most recently, I wrote about teaching writing skills in the workshop — something that can be very hard for teachers to wrap their […]
In my continuing series this fall, I am examining the fundamental elements of writing workshop and providing ways for teachers to get started and ways for seasoned workshop teachers to take their practice to the next level. In the first two installments, I wrote about choice (here and here) and making time for writing (here […]
In this series, we’ve been going back to the basics of writing workshop — those fundamental pillars that distinguish workshop teaching from other teaching. The things that make the biggest difference when you want to grow — and move — writers. Giving frequent chunks of time to the practice of writing is hard for all of […]
If choice is the easiest element of writing workshop to implement, time might actually be the hardest. Because we never, ever have enough of it, do we? And if you don’t currently dedicate class time to writing — and a lot of it — this is going to be hard. But don’t worry. We’ll take […]
Two weeks ago, I wrote about one of the very most foundational elements of any writing workshop: student choice. I gave you some ways to wade in; I gave you some ways to try something new with choice if you’re already a veteran. And then I asked you for lingering questions and concerns, a record […]
I’ve found over the years that “writing workshop” means a lot of things to a lot of people. So, what does it mean to have a writing workshop functioning in your classroom? How do you even take the first step? This semester, my regular every-other-Monday “beat” will focus on the fundamental building blocks of writing […]
