Writer's Workshop

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Within the workshop model, whole group instruction is followed up with explicit small group and/or individualized instruction that is differentiated according to student needs.

Three basic components are present in the Writer's Workshop:

• Connect: Teachers convey the reason for the lesson, catch children’s attention, and rally their engagement. They reference artifacts from previous learning (anchor chart, text, or visual). The teaching point names a skill and a strategy it takes to complete that skill. An example could be, “Today I’m going to teach you that when readers/writers _____, they often find it helps to ____. One way to do this is by ______.”
• Teach: Though short, this is the MOST important part of the lesson. The teacher explicitly uses one of four methods to teach the skill and strategy students should be able to use in reading/writing once the mini-lesson is over, through:
  • demonstration
  • guided practice
  • explicitly telling and showing an example
  • inquiry
• Active engagement: Students have an opportunity to practice the skill and strategy with guidance from the teacher. This often involves students talking with a partner or stopping and jotting.
• Link: Teachers connect the teaching from the mini­-lesson to the work students are asked to do independently, encouraging them to apply the skill and strategy to their life as readers and writers.