Writing Workshop The Essential Guide By Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi
3rd Book Review by Kim Perdue
If you want to know how to establish a writing workshop in your classroom, this is the book to read. I have been holding workshops since I started teaching ( a whopping 3 full years I should add,) but never had such a detailed, descriptive account to follow as this book.
Something that I will change about my workshops because of this book is the scheduled time. I schedule in a writer’s workshop most days, but sometimes it’s at different times. I plan to make this block of time consistent now, to allow my students to prepare for this. I didn’t realize how important it is for students to know when they will be able to get back to their writing.
I also will have students share their writing during all phases of the writing process. In the past, I’ve always had my students share when they’re published, but allowing them to share during the process helps them with so many things. They get feedback from their peers which allows them to finish the story, revise it or clarify things. I love this idea. The book suggests you ask several students, each day during the workshop, to share whatever they have done. What a great idea.
I liked the practicality of this book and also the guidelines that will help me to pull off the writer’s workshop more effectively. One of the guidelines is to have students pull together for 5-10 minutes for a mini-lesson, write for 35-45 minutes, then pull back together for a 10-20 minute share. I think this is a great guideline for a great workshop.
I am so excited to get back to school My students don’t know it, but because of this class and the ideas and books we’ve been exposed to, they are going to be some fantastic writers!
Comments