MANAGING WRITER’S WORKSHOP Dawn Johnson Mitchell SWP Partnership Coordinator Furman University Teacher Mentor and Supervisor

Essential Components of Writing Workshop Nancy Atwell’s 1998 book, In the Middle describes the importance of ownership, time, and response in her model of writing workshop. Ownership, Time, and Response are widely accepted essential components of an authentic writing process.

Ownership, Time, and Response “These three ingredients, ownership, time, and response are essential components of all writing workshops, allowing students to function as real writers while they concurrently develop their proficiency with written language.” Jo-Anne Kerr - Writing Workshop and Real-World Learning: A Deweyian Perspective.

What Does Writer’s Workshop Look Like? There is no set program or formula for implementing writer’s workshop. It will look different in different classrooms, but student ownership, daily sustained time for writing, and response to student writing will be valued. Writer’s Workshop typically consists of four main parts: mini-lesson, status of the class, write and confer, and share.

Four Parts of Writing Workshop 1. Mini-Lesson: A short (5-10 minute) writing lesson. This lesson may focus on a craft technique or an aspect of the writing process. 2. Status of the Class: 2-3 minute procedure for establishing the status of writing in the classroom. Basically, you are finding out where everyone is in their writing.

Four Parts of Writing Workshop 3. Write and Confer: Time to write and to conference with others about what is being written. Conferencing provides students with specific feedback on their writing. It provides the teacher with an opportunity to differentiate instruction and with assessment data that will guide planning and instruction. 4. Share: This an opportunity for writers to share what they are working on and what they are learning; both product and process.

Ideas For Mini-Lessons Plan mini-lessons to many different types of writing so they can apply to students no matter what stage of the process they are in. Keep lessons short and focused, but share more than one example of the concept so students see a number of possibilities for students to experiment with. One way to approach mini-lessons with your students is in the form of a Writer’s Toolbox approach to writing notebooks. Mini-lessons can come from texts and authors and your own experience as a writer. Your writing is such a valuable model because you know their needs best and you are a “real” writer.

Ideas For Mini-Lessons Consider different types of lessons you can do to address the different stages and approaches to the processes of writing (pre- writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, etc.). Consider different genres and units of study that would be interesting for both you and your students. Plan for variety and don’t forget about the wealth of nonfiction possibilities out there. Build your mini-lessons from real world mentor texts that model best what your students are trying to write. *Commentary unit example from Katie Wood Ray’s Units of Study. Keep sticky notes in your favorite texts/titles and catalog the lessons they hold

Ideas For Status of the Class This step is crucial in giving students ownership over their writing and in letting you know where everyone is in their writing process. Status of the Class should only take a few minutes to complete to maximize their writing time. For older students, you can use your board space to have students write their name in a box on the board to let you know what phase they are in (Drafting, Revision, Conferencing, Editing, Publishing, etc.) Variations of this include: Laminated posters with each step of the writing process with clothespins with students names written on them that they can move from poster to poster. Cookie sheets for each phase of the writing process with student names on magnet name tags or popsicle sticks with magnets for them to move.

Ideas For Status of the Class Individual flip charts for students to keep at their desk to designate where they are in the writing process Visual aids in the form of metaphors for the writing process such as a hamburger, a building, a snowman that show each step of the writing process that students can write on or move a magnet to where they are in the process. For younger students, it’s very important to have procedures in place for status of the class and for conferring. For emergent readers in primary grades, having a picture cue beside the procedure or writing process helps them to know what to do. When students are able to do things on their own, they are building independence that motivates their writing and also fosters a positive self- esteem.

Ideas For Writing and Conferencing Routine procedures are very helpful in establishing and managing writing and conferencing. Modeling and consistency are key to making this work. Use a separate area of the room for talking: a table for teacher/student conferencing and one for peer conferencing. Talking can only take place if you are at those tables. You may devote the first few minutes to your own writing and then begin calling students to the table. Goal setting at the beginning of writing time has proven helpful to help students assume responsibility for their time management and in assessing their participation. A three column form with what I am going to work on today / what I accomplished / and what I will do tomorrow is an easy way to implement this strategy.

Ideas For Writing and Conferencing You may use the status of the class to determine who to conference with each day and/or you can also have a separate sign up sheet or white board available for students who are in other phases of the writing process to request a conference. To manage time for this phase of writing workshop, you may find it helpful to use a timer. Playing soothing music quietly in the room is another way to manage noise if you are allowing students to confer with one another.

Ideas For Writing and Conferencing Conferencing records are a helpful tool for informal assessment and to use in reflective planning. *See Tasha’s examples of conferencing templates. Strategies for conducting student conferencing is another separate workshop, but remember to honor student ownership. One way to do this is to ask questions first and honor their responses and their efforts. You can find out a lot about their intentions and what they are doing in the piece through asking specific questions. One way to begin student conferencing is to have students determine what they want to work on. They can reflect on their piece and write down their specific concerns or questions before they come to conference. Remember to focus only on one or two specific aspects/areas of the writing and don’t forget about pointing out some positives.

Ideas For Sharing Remember, sharing doesn’t always have to be students reading their entire piece orally. Students can share finished pieces, but can also share a part of what they are working on (a great line, a wondrous word, a new craft). A timer may be helpful for managing this phase of writing workshop. For older students, you can have students provide feedback to author share in writing. There are lots of ways to do this. You can do three stars and a wish, TAG (tell one thing you liked, ask one question, give one suggestion), color coded sticky note system (pink for praise, green for suggestions, etc.), desk graffiti (students write down on a blank piece of paper and jot down their suggestions graffiti style), or on a template with that has four blank boxes for feedback ( me plus three) before they can publish.

Ideas For Sharing For younger grades, you can have a dot system that designates which students share during each day (green dots for Monday, red for Tuesday, etc.) It doesn’t matter if students are not completely finished. The students sharing for the day can share what they are working on, where they are in the process, and what decisions they made. All of these are helpful models for other students. Fishbowling is another great strategy for share time. During conferencing and writing time, the teacher chooses a student that she feels would be a good model for the rest of the class to conduct a question and answer session with. *Discuss Gail’s “fishbowl” example.

How Do I Manage It? Planning ahead and putting procedures in place to guide active learning are essential in implementing any teaching practice. Your goal is to provide students with tools to be successful with what you value (ownership, time, response). Don’t be afraid to let them have ownership. Their ownership gives them time and motivation to write, and you time to provide them with response.

Characteristics of a Well-Managed Classroom: Tips from Love and Logic 1. Students are deeply involved in their work. 2. Students know what is expected of them and are successful. 3. There is relatively little waste of time, confusion, or disruption. 4. The climate of the classroom is work-oriented, but relaxed and pleasant.

Use the “Signal” Approach S=Specify one behavior to work on I=Individually meet with the student G=Give the student a description of the desired behavior change N=Note that you want to use a signal to avoid embarrassment A=Always practice the signal first L=Let the signal be your first strategy to cue desired behavior

Guide Children to Solve Their Own Problems Empathy: (Ex: How sad… I bet that hurts…) Send the power message: (What do you think you are going to do?) Offer choices: (Would you like to hear what other kids have tried?) Have the child state the plan and consequences: (Ask: How do you think that will work?) Give permission for the child to either solve the problem or not. If they choose not to, tell them you will solve it for them (however, emphasize it was their choice not to) “I am able to stand on my own two feet, paddle my own canoe & solve my own problem with guidance from caring adults in my life.” *Childhood misbehavior is treated as an opportunity for gaining wisdom by the child and the adult hands it back to the child in loving ways.

Neutralizing Student Arguments Role Play Activity Student: “This class is so boring!” Teacher: “Love you too much to argue.” Student: “You never call on me!” Teacher: “I call on students who are sitting quietly with their hand raised.” Student: “This is stupid! Why do I have to do it?” Teacher: “What a bummer.” Student: “I would rather be at P.E. than in here!” Teacher: “How sad.” Student: “I don’t like her!” Teacher: “It must be awful to feel that way.” *Please see your “Turn your Word into Gold” handout

Using Delayed Consequences Most of us have great difficulty thinking of one while we are teaching! We “own” the problem rather than handing it back to the child. We are forced to react while we and child are upset. We often end up making threats we can’t back up. We generally fail to deliver a strong dose of empathy before providing the consequence. “Oh no. This is sad. I’m going to do something about this! But not right now. Later. Try not to worry about it.”

Why Empathy Works! 1. The child is not distracted by the adult’s anger. 2. The child must “own” his or her pain rather then blaming it on the adult. 3. The adult-child relationship is maintained so that the child is much less likely to seek revenge. 4. The child learns through modeling to use empathy with others.

Developing a Positive Relationship with Student Choose the most angry, difficult child and use “ I noticed that______” statements. “I noticed that you walked away from Sam instead of getting in a fight.” “I noticed that you walked away from Sam instead of getting in a fight.” “I noticed that you like to play basketball on the playground.” “I noticed you were very kind and respectful when the principal asked you to get back in line.” Remember: Notice and describe instead of praise. A smile on our part says it all.

Summary 1. Teachers set firm limits in loving ways without anger, lecture, or threats. 2. When a child causes a problem the adult hands it back in loving ways. 3. Use the “Signal” approach to work on individual behaviors 4. Guide children to solve their own problems (give them choices) 5. Use neutralizing statements (“Bummer!”) 6. Use delayed consequences (“That’s awful! I’ll get to that later.”) 7. Practice and model empathy 8. Strengthen relationships with students through using “I noticed_____” statements OTHER IDEAS:

References 1. The Love & Logic Institute 2. Brian Law, School Counselor Valdosta High School President American School Counseling Association 3. Teacher Talk: Classroom Management Styles The Kazdin Method

Great Resources for Starting or Refreshing Writing Workshop Katie Wood Ray’s The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They’re All Hard Parts) and Study Driven *We’ve used all of Ray’s books in SWP and they are all helpful. Nancie Atwell’s In The Middle Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study and The Art of Teaching Writing Ralph Fletcher’s Craft Lessons (blue and green one), How Writers Work, and Writing Workshop

Let Authentic Writing Processes Drive Your Student Product As you are starting writing workshop in your classrooms for the first time or the fiftieth, remember no matter what strategies and ideas you implement to honor the essentials of student ownership, time, and response. Let authentic writing processes drive your student product.