Writer's Workshop
What is Writer's Workshop?
Like Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop is an instructional structure that we utilize in our K-4 classrooms. The structure of Writer's Workshop is the same every day and at every grade level (See image below). The workshop begins with a whole-class mini-lesson on one specific skill and strategy. Teachers model or demonstrate the strategy, students have an opportunity to quickly try it out and then students go off to write independently and with partners for the majority of the workshop. Writer's Workshop is a structure that naturally allows for differentiation and meeting students' individual needs. While students are reading independently, teachers confer with students one-on-one and/or meet with small groups of students. The work that is done during these conferences and small groups is tailored to the specific needs of each student.
The K-2 Writing Process
The writing process in Grades K-2 looks a bit different than in Grades 3 and above, due to the emergent writing skills of our youngest learners. At Orchard Hill, students engage in the writing process by thinking of an idea, "touching and telling" to plan across pages in a writing booklet, sketching and labeling their pictures across all pages, writing across all pages, revising and editing, and finally publishing and celebrating their work. This process remains the same across all genres of writing and supports our work toward student autonomy and independence.
The Writing Process at Grades 3 and above
At Grades 3 and above, the writing process follows a more traditional format that even adult writers utilize. Students collect ideas in their writing notebooks, such as story ideas during a narrative unit or topic ideas during an information unit. Students then select an idea (or two!) to continue to develop. Finally, students utilize lined paper or Chrome books to draft their writing piece, followed by revising, editing and finally, publishing and celebrating their work.