To
create a Writers’ Workshop with students, the way I set up my classroom
matters. There needs to be a place where
I can gather all my students together for whole group lessons so that I can
model my writing with and for students and so that they can “share the pen” and
voice their internal work as writers, too.
Likewise, I need to take care that there are places where students can
engage in meaningful independent literacy practice and build the room to
reflect my students’ learning styles as well as my need and desire to meet with
students in one-on-one conferences. And,
because small group learning is vital for all students, I am thoughtful in
creating spaces in my classroom I can meet with students in small groups.
Developing
a list of architectural considerations in building a supportive Writers’
Workshop classroom, here are some of the key features in my blueprints:
v
Writing Tool Box/Writing and Drawing Center
o
“Writing In Progress” file folders to
warehouse students’ current and most recent writing pieces; I would often place
these along with students’ independent reading boxes/baskets right by the front
door of our classroom so that they can engage in their first dose of
independent literacy practice the minute they walk in the door in the morning.
o
Writing Portfolios to archive some of their writing
pieces throughout the school year (e.g. crate with hanging folders; stacking
trays; etc.).
o
A
variety of paper (unlined, lined, primary, large size, small sized, etc.);
construction paper for draft book covers and drawing options; markers and extra
pencils (of different sizes to reflect the special developmental considerations
of growing writers); and resources such as a stapler and “jaws” (staple
remover) etc. Try to have resources
readily available to encourage students to be independent in selecting and
problem solving the materials they will need for their writing.
o
An
author of the month is also highlighted including numerous books by the author,
biographical information, and students’ book reviews of the author’s work.
v
Independent Reading Boxes/Baskets
v
Classroom Library/Book Nook
o
Including
student-authored pieces (from previous years/classes to begin with; over time,
add to library with current students’ writing).
v
Whole Group/Large Group Gathering
Area
v
Independent Practice Places
v
Small Group Learning Zone
v
Listening Center
v
Teacher’s Desk
v
Conference Corners (for peer conferences)
v
The Walls Talk! Anchor Charts and
Thematic Taxonomies or Word Walls
v
Classroom Library/Book Nook
o
Every
classroom should have 500+ books. Aim
for a 50%-50% mix of fiction and nonfiction texts including poetry texts (which
can be fiction and nonfiction, of course).
o
30-40%
(primary/infant grades) and 25-30% (intermediate/junior grades) of classroom libraries
should represent leveled texts (i.e. by Reading Continuum stages) to engage
students in independent reading with “just right” texts – texts which a child
can understand on his/her own including knowing
95-97% of the vocabulary words/concepts.
o
It
is incredibly helpful to have a team or school book room of leveled books and
thematic text sets for content area learning and literacy units of study so
that all teachers can easily and quickly draw from these collections.
o
Of
course, having an excellent school library is a must!
o
From
all of these considerations, I had my students develop an independent reading
well (basket, box, cubby pocket, etc.) of 5 – 15 texts to read from for a two
week period of time. I monitored my
students’ reading to ensure that they read multiple genres while honoring their
choice of their reading texts. Some of
the key factors in helping students develop compelling reading wells include
guiding them to short and spirited texts, connecting with favorite authors, and
encouraging students to record “What to
read…/Too good to miss…” lists (on index cards they consistently carry in
their back pockets or in address books).
v
Whole Group/Large Group Gathering
Area
o
Comfortable
seating to connect with one another and stay focused during our whole group
lessons and discussion
o
Resources
such as chart, easel, and markers (These are absolute must have tools
for all classrooms for modeling and thinking aloud and to develop anchor
charts!); interactive Smart Boards (if possible) and/or a document camera; and
an author’s chair to engage in modeling and think alouds.
v
Independent Practice Places
o
Before
school starts, I save some of the
organization and decorating of the classroom so that the kids and I can
create our setting together. Some of our
first conversations center on “What do
you need to do your best work? What
helps you engage in writing, stay focused, and feel energized?” By discussing this with one another, together
we think about how to create their best independent
practice studios (as well as
other considerations). This is part of
the metacognition I will focus on throughout the year in helping students know
why and how they think as writers, readers, and learners. This does not mean that all students need to
sit at or even have a desk. If my
classroom is small, I may consider having round tables, taking the legs off
tables, removing chairs (to save room and offer students seating with
cushions), and/or having a variety of places for students to engage in their
independent writing and reading which match their learning styles. For example, I am reclining writer and
reader. If I know this is true for my
students (and after a few procedural focus lessons about knowing ourselves as
writers, staying engaged and absorbed in writing by finding the “best” place to
do our own individual work, etc.), I make sure that our classroom give students
opportunities to stretch out as they write and read.
o
I
need to arrange the furniture in my
classroom so that I can easy move around and through my classroom as students
write independently. I travel in an
unpredictable fashion to confer with students individually or in pairs or
triads to support their engagement. Conferring,
a key interaction between the kids and me, shapes decisions about where
students place themselves for independent practice.
o
Access
to what we know our favorite writers
need is a huge part of making students’ independent practice places work
for them (and us!). Some writers need to
read to prime their pump for writing. Thus,
it is important that students have access to mentor texts – books which inspire
them, texts which you have shared in demonstrations and modeling, literature
which echoes the skill you are focusing on with students. Additionally, access to technology is a
chief goal. Whenever possible, I want to
have as many computers in my classroom as possible. My first lap top computer completely changed
my life as a writer and I want this opportunity for my students, too. Students need to have access to tools which
make writing more fluid or more connected to their ways of learning and
thinking outside of school.
v
Small Group Learning Zone
o
My
small group meeting areas are most often a small
table and 4-6 chairs for writing
clubs and clinics, book clubs, guided reading/small group instruction, etc.
Sometimes, I also set aside a comfy
place on a carpeted corner of our classroom for small group learning. [Of course, this is a matter of personal
style.]
o
I
organize my small group station(s) so that I can easily access resources such as chart paper (on an
easel) and markers, white boards and dry erase markers, mentor texts,
manipulatives for spelling instruction and word sorting, etc. during small
group fellowships with students.
v
Listening Center
o
Students
can listen to audio books (Great
support for students of all ages/grades).
§
It
is critical for students to have multiple opportunities to hear and read the
genres, styles, and traits we are studying with them.
§
Audio
books are also a valuable way to build students’ background knowledge for
content area themes, inquiry units, etc.
v
My Desk
o
My
Teacher Notebook, a three-hole punch, paper cutter, and clipboard “at the
ready.”
o
I
very rarely meet with students at my desk.
Rather, I go to them for our conferences.
v
Conference Corners (for peer conferences)
o
Sometimes,
I include a small poster to remind students what to focus on during their
conferences. Additionally, I have often
placed a tape recorder in our conference corner(s) so that students can record
their peer conferences. I listen to
these later and sometimes with students, too, in modeling effective
partnerships.
v
The Walls Talk!
o
Anchor
Charts which articulate our current focus/unit of study; most often generated
WITH students’ thoughts and voices
o
Thematic
Taxonomies or Word Walls (It is very important that students have a personal
copy of our class generated taxonomy profiling key terms during a study.)
o Everything on the walls of our
classroom reflects text/visuals which support students’ learning and expand
their confidence and motivation.
Preparation for Launching
Readers’ and
Writers’
Workshop Units of Study
|
·
Organize classroom environment to support collaborations,
conferring, whole group/community learning, independent reading and writing,
student choice of writing supplies, etc. (e.g., group desks in small clusters;
leave room to make one-on-one conferring possible; offer a variety of settings
and resources for independently writing – computers, lap boards for writing
while sitting on the floor, quiet corners when writers need to concentrate in
deep ways, etc.).
·
Analyze student data from your beginning of the year
formative assessments and student portfolios with this question in mind: Based on the CCSS-based assessments/our
standards-based assessments and my well of formative assessments, what are my
students’ strengths? In what areas do they need more instruction and
support?
·
Study your school/district curriculum
unit(s)/the profiled unit lessons
to consider which lessons will benefit all
your students, some of your
students, or one of your students (From
my own unit of study examples, many ideas are offered here to support your
decisions in focusing and differentiating your instruction. To receive an example, contact me at LBopenbook@aol.com ).
·
For reading studies: Gather
texts which help to highlight the Thinking Strategy/skills vividly for your modeling, collaborative practice with
students, and for students’ independent
reading. Having texts “at the ready” will greatly support
making responsive teaching decisions (decisions which respond to your students’
strengths, needs, and passions). You
have been given (or will soon be given) numerous menus of texts which I found
edifying for students’ studies of each and all the Thinking Strategies.
·
For writing studies: Gather exemplars and mentor texts for your students to illustrate proficient writing and
illustrate the big ideas for this unit/each lesson. In this resource and in others I will provide
you throughout this year, you will gain numerous text suggestions.
o
Make baskets of mentor texts for students’ close study of
unit “Big Ideas/Understandings” – a writer’s life, topic generation, small
moments, etc.
o
Post exemplars along with writing
rubrics/scoring guides.
o
Include student-authored pieces and child-authors as mentors and exemplars whenever possible.
o
Include familiar texts to revisit as mentors so that
students can easily see the focus craft/genre/concept for this unit of
study.
o
Select texts for read alouds to marinate students in unit
concepts and skills (which may need to begin days or weeks before the beginning
of this unit of study).
·
Gather
together and plan for sharing your own
writing (Authentic pieces such as cards, e-mails, and professional texts
count!) and your own reading. Stealing texts right from your nightstand
table and desk are perfect ways to create literacy modeling which has integrity
and authenticity.
·
Determine daily writing and reading materials
and organize these for student independence (individual book wells/boxes; writing center so that students can select the
supplies needed at any given time; where and how to store writing folders;
etc.).
·
Make
a writing folder for each students’
“writing in progress” pieces.
·
Develop
a way and save a space to archive
student writing over time in portfolios.
·
Support Resources and
Supplemental Materials
- In addition to the resources profiled above, it can be very helpful (or
absolutely essential) to have the following materials available for growing
writers:
o Correction tape for
interactive writing
o Chart paper
o Chart markers
o Date stamp with stamp
pad
o Staple remover
(magnetic staple remover)
o Stapler
o Milk crates (to put
hanging files for student work or archive student work over time)
o Trays in which to put
different types of “bare” books (make books that are both portrait and
landscape, lined and unlined)
o Illustrating tubs
filled with colored pencils and markers
o Unit of Study folders
for the teacher to insert lesson plans and ideas for the particular unit
An apprenticeship approach to
literacy requires that we spend time observing changes that indicate children
are moving in appropriate directions…Children’s writing development is shaped
by experiencing different types of writing activities in assisted situations,
which are then follow by independent practice.
Linda Dorn, Cathy
French, & Tammy Jones (1998),
Apprenticeship in Literacy: Transitions
Across Reading and Writing
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