Writing Workshop in the Elementary Classroom

Writing Workshop in the Elementary Classroom is a culmination of the authors’ work with students and writing for collectively over 35 years. Teaching writing using a workshop methodology can be exciting as it is an interactive approach to writing, but it can also be challenging as it is not the traditional teacher directed whole class lessons that many test preparation curriculums tout. The book takes the reader through the stages of the writing process in the first part, explaining what students are doing and thinking in each stage. In the second part, the authors explain how to manage students, materials, mini lessons, grading and other aspects that help writing workshop classrooms run smoothly. To help with the transition to a workshop method, readers are asked to keep a journal wherein they plan what they will do in their classrooms.

This book is an exceptional resource for both novice and experienced teachers. The book gives practical ways to integrate spelling and other writing conventions into mini-lessons during the course of writer's workshop. It encourages me to journal and reflect on the framework and reminds me to keep pushing forward even when things are not working out the first time around., Incorporating the lessons from this book into my planning has made a significant change in my writing lessons and instruction. Through authentic writing opportunities during writing workshop, my students’ writing has improved. With the routines and structures in place, I can provide my students with true differentiation during conferencing that addresses each student’s individual needs., This is a powerful book for teachers filled with everything one needs to get writing workshop up and running with success in the classroom.  It provides a clear structure of the components of writing workshop and practical forms in the appendixes that teachers can use on day one. A must-have resource on every teacher’s bookshelf!, Writing is a story, our story. We are a character, or a story teller, or both. Whose story are you going to tell? That is what this book made me think of as both a writer and a teacher of writing. It helped me to create joy in the writing process. Writing workshop helps students to tell their stories – stories that help them grow into the person they will become.

Kathy Puente has been a teacher in the elementary classroom and an educator sharing writing workshop with teachers for over 30 years. She loves to teach writing and is fascinated with how children find their voice and themselves through writing. Jenny C. Wilson is an Associate Professor of Literacy at Texas A&M San Antonio. She teaches courses in writing and works with students in afterschool programs to develop their writing voices. She researches writing and literacy in Liberia and inservice teacher training. She currently lives with her two schnauzers.