The Daily Happenings of Writer's Workshop
- 5-10 minutes: Students enter the room quietly, take out their writer's notebooks and spend a short time free-writing. During this time, music is playing softly in the background (their favorite is B is for Bob--a "kid-friendly" Bob Marley album).
- 10-15 minutes: Students gather on the rug for a whole group mini lesson. During this time I will read a mentor text, model or review a skill or strategy, or create an anchor chart for the students to refer to before sending them off to practice the skill/strategy we have just covered.
- 20-30 minutes: Students will spend time writing independently while I circulate checking to ensure they are utilizing what was covered in the mini lesson; they will do this through the lense of the genre we are studying. This is also the time when I confer with three students individually.
- 5-10 minutes: Students return to the rug to share their successes or struggles. On days when we are short on time, students share with a learning partner
Routines and Procedures:
Students are expected to:
"Writers write every day."
- enter the room quietly and begin writing in their writer's notebooks
- transition to the rug silently when they hear the chimes
- work independently on their writing, practicing the skill taught during the mini lesson
- use volume level one (whisper voices) when peer reviewing, or asking a classmate a question
- come to conference prepared with something to share
- transition to the rug silently and sit next to their learning partner or on the perimeter of the rug for share and "wrap-up"
"Writers write every day."
ELL/ESOL Adaptations & Modifications:
Generating Ideas/ Planning: Students will be expected to draw "quick sketches" to represent their planning, progressing to labeling the pictures they sketch as word acquisition increases.
Drafting: The Students will meet with individually with our support teacher Tuesdays and Thursdays to aid in the creation of their draft. The length of time will vary depending on how many ELL/ ESOL students are in the class. Each student will also have access to our language instruction app DuoLingo and Google Translate on our classroom ipads (we have seven of them).
Revising and Editing: At the beginning of the year, ELL/ ESOL students will not be expected to complete this part of the writing process. As the year progresses, they will be assigned a "writing buddy" so they may edit the piece together. To revise, the students will have their own version of our "interesting word wall" that includes pictures.
Publishing: Students will be expected to publish their completed work, and encouraged to share it will the class. They may, read the entire work in their native language at first if it increases their confidence. Prior to this type of sharing, we will have had a class discussion about supporting our classmates in learning our language, and encouraging them to participate. When their work is displayed, it will not be corrected.
Drafting: The Students will meet with individually with our support teacher Tuesdays and Thursdays to aid in the creation of their draft. The length of time will vary depending on how many ELL/ ESOL students are in the class. Each student will also have access to our language instruction app DuoLingo and Google Translate on our classroom ipads (we have seven of them).
Revising and Editing: At the beginning of the year, ELL/ ESOL students will not be expected to complete this part of the writing process. As the year progresses, they will be assigned a "writing buddy" so they may edit the piece together. To revise, the students will have their own version of our "interesting word wall" that includes pictures.
Publishing: Students will be expected to publish their completed work, and encouraged to share it will the class. They may, read the entire work in their native language at first if it increases their confidence. Prior to this type of sharing, we will have had a class discussion about supporting our classmates in learning our language, and encouraging them to participate. When their work is displayed, it will not be corrected.
2nd Grade Standards Covered:
Cluster 1: Text Types and Purposes
LAFS.2.W.1.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
LAFS.2.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning | Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
LAFS.2.W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Cluster 2: Production and Distribution of Writing
LAFS.2.W.2.5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
LAFS.2.W.2.6: With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Cluster 3: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
LAFS.2.W.3.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
LAFS.2.W.3.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
LAFS.2.W.1.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
LAFS.2.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning | Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
LAFS.2.W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Cluster 2: Production and Distribution of Writing
LAFS.2.W.2.5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
LAFS.2.W.2.6: With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Cluster 3: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
LAFS.2.W.3.7: Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
LAFS.2.W.3.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.