I have a confession to make. I struggle with teaching writing. While I love writing, and my students generally love to write as well, I have a hard time pinning down exactly what I want to teach and how I want to teach it. While I feel pretty comfortable with my reading instruction, I feel that I go back and forth between different approaches in my writing instruction. Although I have set out with the best of intentions every September for the past 8 years, I have never been able to successfully launch a high-quality independent writing workshop. I always end up falling back on assigned writing. There. I said it. I don't know whether I should hang my head in shame or feel liberated!
Writing Workshop is going to be a major focus for me this year. I'll do my best to chronicle my adventures in teaching writing throughout the year. Unfortunately, I won't have time in my schedule for a daily writing workshop, although I do plan on carving out 40-50 minutes four times a week. Here is what I want my writing workshop to look like:
- 10 minutes whole group mini-lesson
- 20-30 minutes independent writing and conferences
- 10 minutes whole group sharing session
And here are some of the resources that I plan on using. In case you didn't notice, I have a lot more professional books about teaching reading than I do about teaching writing. Chicken or egg?
- 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham
- About the Authors by Katie Wood Ray
- Is That a Fact? by Tony Stead
- No More I'm Done by Jennifer Jacobson
- Crafting Writers by Elizabeth Hale
