I. Research
According to Fletcher and Portalupi, students use writing in a variety of ways: to communicate, question, persuade, synthesize, teach (1). Fletcher states, “…a writing work shop creates an environment where students can acquire these skills along with the fluency, confidence, and desire to see themselves as writers” (1). A writer’s work shop consists of the following components: minilessons, conferences, strategies lessons, and teaching shares according to Bender (xvii). Fletcher and Portalupi (11-13), as well as Peha (3), break their writing work shop into three components: minilessons, writing time, and share time with individual or small group conferencing. All components are needed to make a successful writer’s work shop.
Minilessons are very short, usually anywhere between five to fifteen minutes long, and are focused and direct with the topics being chosen for each minilesson based on the needs of the whole class (Bender 5; Fletcher 10; Peha 3). Fletcher explains that the topics of a teacher’s minilesson should fall into one of four categories (10). These include: procedural, writer’s process, qualities of good writing, and editing skills (Fletcher 10-11). Once the minilesson is over, student’s should be given time to write independently and the teacher must be aware that not all students will go back and use the strategy that was taught in the minilesson that day because not every student will be at the same place in the overall writing process (Bender 6; Fletcher 12).
Writing time should have the most time devoted to it in the work shop (Fletcher 12). Peha suggests twenty to forty-five minutes for student writing time (3). During this time, students are working independently on writing projects; as well as...
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...rtner and sharing instead of sharing with the whole class as we will run out of time some days when we all lost track of time because we get caught up in our writing.
Bender, J.M. (2007). The resourceful writing teacher. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Peha, S. Welcome to writer’s workshop. Retrieved October 8, 2010, from http:// www.ttms.org/ PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf .
Works Cited
Bender, J.M. (2007). The resourceful writing teacher. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Peha, S. Welcome to writer’s workshop. Retrieved October 8, 2010, from http:// www.ttms.org/ PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf .
"Unit 2: Reading & Writing About Short Fiction." ENGL200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 49-219. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
Updlike, John. "A&P." Literature. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 12th Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education (US), 2012. 17-21. Print
Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.
Butler, Octavia. “Speech Sounds.” Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susun X Day, and Robert Funk. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2008. 408-417. Print.
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Literature and the Writing Process. Eds. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. 4th Ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 999-1008.
“On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft” is not written in the traditional textbook format. The structure of this book works as an educational tool is because it offers a personal look at how writing has affected one successful novelist's life. Each section of the book contains something important about the craft of writing. The book also includes a great deal of about the personal impact writing has had on Stephen King's life.
Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 5th ed. of the book. Boston: Heinle, 2004.
and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2010.
Roberts, Edgar V., and Robert Zweig. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, Compact Edition. N.p.: Pearson Education2012, 2012. Print.
Pike, David L., and Ana Acosta. "Chapter 10 "The Story Of An Hour"" Literature: A World of Writing. New York: Longman, 2009. 442-44. Print.
Meyer, Michael, ed. Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
and Other Greats : Lessons from the All-star Writer's Workshop. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Print.
and writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 32-37
The writing class session I observed is a packaged program in which the students have been participating in for 5 months. They all know the routine of the reading and writing workshop and understand “the Daily 5.” The student’s movements are purposeful and there is little time wasted in transitions. The books used by students become more complicated as the students ability strengthens. At the end of the workshop, Mrs. Rammond praised those students who used their time efficiently during “the Daily 5.” She spoke directly to the students who wrote in their journals and asked them to share their entries. The students learned some new trivia about insects, practiced writing and then had some time for art.