Here are some tips for improving my FAVORITE time of the day!
1. Boost their CONFIDENCE!
Kids need to feel like they are capable and that their teacher believes in them. This will give them the ability to take risks and drive to write throughout the independent writing component of Writer's Workshop. BUT...this also applies to the teacher! Teachers need confidence in themselves, and as an instructional coach, I find that many teachers struggle with Writer's Workshop. They want a boxed program because they don't feel confident enough in their lesson plans, in their ability to lead a conference on the fly and help students choose appropriate goals. But we're trained professionals. We should not want a scripted program, and honestly, Writer's Workshop can never be completely scripted. Teachers need to connect their their kiddos in those conferences and make some decisions. So, everyone, build that confidence!
2. Be explicit!
Kids don't know your expectations! Even something as simple as a writing prompt, even at an intermediate grade level, model - model - model. Model everything. Anchor chart it up! Be so explicit that the kids have no choice but to understand your expectations and then exceed them.
3. Be the EXCITEMENT in your classroom!
Get kids motivated by being motivating! Get kids excited for this sacred time of your day - Writer's Workshop. Engage them through mentor texts, minilessons, anchor charts, your own writing, and more. If you're not excited, they won't be, like in teaching anything. Kids pick up on how you're feeling. When I walk into a teacher's classroom and their energy level in low, I oftentimes notice that the kids are moving slow and not really into it. You can get kids excited about anything, but only if you're excited, too. Don't say, "We just need to get through this lesson." Say, "I'm thrilled about what we're about to do and you should be too!"
4. Plan Plan Plan!
As an instructional coach, I plan for meetings and observations and demo lessons. As a teacher, I planned my face off for every single lesson. Sometimes I wrote them out, sometimes I wrote out Post Its with phrases and ideas that I wanted to be sure not to forget, but I planned. A lot. And you should too. Writer's Workshop can be very mellow and relaxing, but your minilesson is explicit, the choices for mentor texts you make is purposeful, and the writing you choose to share with kids is important. Don't wing it.
5. Differentiate!
You know how critical personalized learning is. It is the craze that swept our world. But it's really just differentiation wrapped up in a fancy bow. Every child, every learner, is different. We all work at our own pace, learn in our own ways, so address that through your lessons. Also, utilize your individual and small group conferences to address these needs with different learner types. This ultimately means that you need to KNOW YOUR STUDENTS. Know them on a deeper level that helps you to understand what they need from you, so you can support them without being the one to do the work. Nobody wants to be that teachers who "edits" and "revises" for their students and then rereads the story to realize that it is no longer the student's story, but the teacher's.
And there you have it! A few tips and tricks for making Writer's Workshop a success!
