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The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using a workshop method. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writing Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their Students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop. This page gives a basic overview of the Writing Workshop.

In this lesson, students analyze a writer's use of sensory details and descriptive language in a New York Times article reviewing the Apple iPhone. Then, students are asked to write original product reviews which incorporate some of the descriptive writing techniques identified and evaluated in class.

Here's how to start using SpellingCity: the online spelling program that makes practicing for spelling tests fun: If you are a student, start by entering some words into the "Start Here" box and test your spelling skills. If you are a teacher (or parent), start by using the site like a student to get familiar with the site. Then, teachers (and parents) should create an account so you can save word lists. The reason to register for SpellingCity is to save spelling lists.

In this activity, students "become" one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters, using lists of accurate, powerful adjectives. In class discussion, students support their lists with details from the novel.

Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading. They pick out words, phrases and lines from the prose passage then arrange and format the excerpts to compose their own poems. This process of recasting the text they are reading in a different genre helps Students become more insightful readers and develop creativity in thinking and writing.

"How do you work with a teacher who refuses to be a collaborative part of a team? She does her own thing without regard for other team members. Her students are not exposed to the same curriculum as the other students but she feels they are learning at their own pace. She has a literacy coach working with her but doesn't follow through on any suggestions to improve her teaching. She believes kids will learn when they are ready. Any suggestions?"

"These strategies are designed to help students and teachers engage in dialogue concerning pieces of literature. They are not designed as assessment devices, nor as products to turn in for a grade. They are designed to be done by students and then used to reflect on the reading experience and share ideas within a community of readers. It's not necessarily the activity itself, it's how it is carried out and used to promote invested discussions."

One initial lesson for writer's notebooks is to Read Ralph Fletcher's opening story in Keeping a Writer's Notebook. It's about digging a ditch and catching all kinds of critters. He compares writer's notebooks to that ditch -- a space we dig in our busy lives to catch stuff. After reading the story, my students and I brainstorm the different kinds of things we could catch in our writer's notebooks. Then I typed the chart in a format that made it easy for students to tape it to the inside cover of their notebooks. Here's what we came up with:

Interactive Writer's Models Analyze the elements of good writing with these interactive writer's models. Each model includes annotations and tips to help you be a good writer yourself. Middle School Grade 6 Grade 8 * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Descriptive Essay * How-to Explanation * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting a Position Grade 7 * Business Letter * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Complex Process Essay with Word Processing Features * Descriptive Essay * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting an Interpretation * Business Letter * Character Analysis * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Informative Report * Instructions for Operating a Tool * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Review of a Novel * Short Story * Supporting a Position High School Grade 9 Grade 11 * Analysis of a Poem * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Coverage * Description of a Place * Nonfiction Analysis * Persuasive Cause-and-Effect Essay * Persuasive Essay * Research Paper * Short Story Grade 10 * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Biographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Genres * Description of a Person * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Analysis * Research Paper * Short Story * Analysis of a Novel * Editorial * Historical Research Report * Reflective Essay * Short Story Grade 12 * Analysis of Literature * Comparison-Contrast of Literature * Descriptive Essay

In this unit, students will explore the genre of memoir. They will see that writers write about the ordinary happenings of their lives and that their own lives are packed with meaningful experiences and memories that can form the basis of their own writing. students will be encouraged to reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a notebook of their thoughts and feelings.

This unit is intended to familiarize students with some of the basic skills required to write news articles. students will learn about the structure of news articles, and will practice writing, editing, and critiquing news articles.

"Using Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers are excellent tools for helping students connect ideas and see relationships between different pieces of information. The goal is for students to expand their knowledge by understanding the material in their own way. Graphic organizers can be used for a variety of purposes, such as eliciting prior knowledge, demonstrating a sequence of events, and comparing and contrasting. "

"Strategy Guide Promoting Student Self-Assessment"

"In this strategy guide, you'll learn how to model how students can make three different kinds of connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world). students then use this knowledge to find their own personal connections to a text."

Term papers are the most dreaded writing assignment for students. Yet, with the following tips and advises, the outlook on writing term papers will surely change the negative reputation of term papers for students.

Listening to Themselves: Podcasting Takes Lessons Beyond the Classroom Student-produced podcasts bolster knowledge and communication skills.

Read Memoir Click on a column heading to sort by student name, state or title. Click a title to read the selection.

Teaching Students Feature Article Writing and Informational Reading

"Explicit Comprehension Strategy Instruction By: National Institute for Literacy (2008) Use explicit strategy instruction to make visible the invisible comprehension strategies that good readers use to understand text. Support students until they can use the strategies independently. Recycle and re-teach strategies throughout the year. "