Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop is a part of the Daily Five that I will be using in my future classroom. Choice is vital during writing workshop. Students are more motivated when they are given choice. Students are able to sit any place they would like as long as they are able to work quietly and not disturb others who are working. Students get inspiration from their writing from their daily experiences. Sharing is also another important aspect of writing workshop. Students need time to share their thinking and their writing. The students who are listening offer advice on how to strengthen the authors writing or offer encouragement to them. Writing workshop is done more and more in early childhood classrooms.

Here is an example of my lesson plan for my unit of study on alphabet books. During this unit, students learn how to write their own alphabet books while studying authors and alphabet books. They use these books as their mentor texts as they begin to create drafts and revise their pages. The students then learn about the mechanics involved with book binding, writing for their audience and how to clearly express their thoughts on paper. Please click the hyperlink below to look at my lesson plans for this mini unit.

Alphabet Book Mini Lesson 1 and 2

Heart Maps with Technology Integration:

Heart maps are another way to help students gain ideas about what they’d like to write about. Students can either create an animoto about what interests them or create a poster about the most important things in their lives. This will help keep students inspired and on task when writing.  Students can refer back to their animoto or their poster as often as they’d like when they experience “writers block.”