9/21 Writing Workshop

My teacher uses a writing workshop model based on units of study that she developed with several other teachers last year. Over the first weeks they learn about writing a basic beginning, middle, end story through mini lessons that incorporate a lot of teacher modeling followed by student practice. This week they are starting to learn about revising. The workshop format lets students who are slow have extra time while those who are better writers can write longer, more detailed stories. Each student is working on writing at their own level and everyone is involved in writing the whole time. Some of them are on their second story while others are on their fourth or fifth. Mrs. S gives second graders a paper with less lines than the third graders and expects different levels of writing, not only from each grade, but also nudges each student where they need it. The kids are excited when they are selected to share their writing with the class and they were really bummed when they had to skip writing because of an assembly.