W.Workshop in a Nutshell (Day 1)

When I was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis (Option 1 - younger grades)
All the Places to Love by Patricia Maclachlan (Option 2 - older grades)


Basic Outline:
• I gather students at the rug and introduce the writing block. I tell them that for the rest of the year they will spend time writing each day – it will become our favorite part of the day. Just like the authors of all of the books on our bookshelves, THEY will become authors!
• I then share a favorite book to launch the mini-lesson. My favorites are: “When I Was Little” by Jamie Lee Curtis (I talk about how they are growing up and already have a lot of memories and fun experiences they can write about) OR “All the Places to Love” by Patricia Maclachlan (we talk about things we love; people, places, hobbies, activities, etc .)
• On a piece of chart paper I draw a web and model writing my name in the center. I explain that I am going to brainstorm things that I could write about. In one circle I write/draw about family and friends. In another I write/draw about my favorite places and in another my favorite hobbies. In yet another, I write/draw about items that are important to me (my running shoes, a stuffed bear, my scrapbooks) and in another I draw a bandaid and write about “boo boo’s” I’ve had (stitches, broken bones, etc). In the final circle I draw/write about the culture of living in my family. For example; if you were in my family you’d have to be a basketball fanatic (GO JAZZ!), and love watching Nascar. You’d also have to like scones because we make them every Sunday.
• When I use All the Places to Love, I do a heart map instead of a web. It is a photocopy of a big heart and the students record important things inside it – people they love, places they love, sports they love, things the love to do, music they love, etc. (same concept as the web, just a different format). This idea comes from "Lessons That Change Writer's" by Nancy Atwell.
• I send students back to their desks with their own web (or heart map). The students spend the last 10 minutes or so filling out their own web. I walk around and put star stickers on the papers of those who are busy writing and help those who seem to be stuck. It is really important at the beginning to set up management with a lot of positive praise and feedback. I really stick to the expectation that students are quietly writing (NO TALKING!). I tell the students that during writing time the only thing I should hear are their pencils scratching the paper.
• As the block comes to an end, I introduce the students to their writing folder and teach them how to store their work and put the folders away each day.