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The writing workshop is a block of instructional time in which students practice the writing process (Dorfman & Shubitz, 2019). Writing workshops can be used with young children and with adolescent students. This article provides a brief overview of instructional methods involved in the implementation of a writing workshop.
Conducting a Writing Workshop
Increased time to write with a focus on the strategies of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing are linked to increased writing quality (Graham & Harris, 2016). Unfortunately, students tend to demonstrate a decrease in enthusiasm for writing from early childhood to middle school and high school, due to less time to write and less engaging writing opportunities (Graham & Perin, 2007) so it is imperative to engage students in workshops that are personally and culturally meaningful. We recommend that it should be evident that multicultural literature is being read, enjoyed and analyzed across the curriculum. Writing workshops provide opportunities for lively inquiry and discussion about texts with diverse characters, settings, and cultures (Alexander, 2018).
Conversations
Harry
Independent Reading
my math. I think he is the best teacher ever!
I required students to have their scripts approved by me before taping so they could read from them. However, so many of my students were “naturals” in front of the camera and did not even need to read from the script, speaking with expression and confidence in their ability to discuss a piece of literature.
This project was completed once at the beginning of the year as a class, so students become familiar with the process. We then had sign-ups for each week of the remainder of the year. Every Friday one or two students get to share their vlog with the class. Although this idea was implemented in a third grade classroom, it would work anywhere from second grade through high school. “Attitudes toward reading have been closely linked to reading achievement” (Merga & Roni, 2018, p. 214), and after completing this project I can confidently say my students’ attitudes towards reading have shifted in a much more positive direction, leading them towards achievement.
References
Rasinski, T.V. & Padak, N. (2011). Who wants to be a (reading) millionaire? The Reading Teacher, 64(7), 553-555.
Merga, M. K. & Roni, S. M. (2018). Empowering parents to encourage children to read beyond the early years. The Reading Teacher, 72(2), 213-221.
Madeline Saville is a Missouri State University graduate who teaches second grade in Beaufort, South Carolina. She is also currently working on earning her Masters in Literacy from Missouri State University.
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