Every afternoon after rest time, we have Writer's Workshop. UES uses Lucy Calkins' Units of Study as a model for how we teach writing. Each workshop begins with a mini-lesson that lasts 10 minutes. In this lesson, the children are taught a strategy to use in their own writing. The student's then work individually writing a story about themselves using the strategy or skill I have taught for about 20 minutes. During this time, I conference with a few children each day, teaching them a skill that is individual to their own writing. I meet with each child twice a week, sometimes more depending on their needs. At the end of their writing time, we meet back as a group to share and review what was taught. I choose a few children to share their work that exhibits the strategy that I taught in the mini-lesson that day.
On Thursday, the children were taught what to do when they are done. During the last week or so, as the students were writing stories about themselves, you could hear about the room, "I'm done." Today, they were taught what to do when they think they're done. We use the phrase, "when you're done, you've just begun." I taught them three things that they can choose to do when they think they're done. I modeled and explained that you can add more to the picture, add more to the words, or begin a new piece. They love watching me model the strategy as I write and draw my own stories. Today, I was continuing a piece about a time a seagull stole my sandwich at the beach. In our share, Kelley-D showed us how she added to the words about a trip she went on to Cape Cod, and Mathias showed us how he added more to his picture about a time that he was listening in the classroom. Both these students chose to work on pieces they began in previous sessions.
Each student has a writer's workshop folder that is kept in school. In a few months, some of these pieces will be sent home. If you'd like to see what your child is working on at any point in time, please stop by the classroom.
Class Picture
