Launching the Writer's Workshop: Grades K-2

By Kristina Smekens and Linda Schmidt

Starting your writer's workshop can be an awkward and anxious experience. Many teachers confess that they struggle to get it off the ground. What should I do the first weeks of school? What are key lessons to jumpstart my writer's workshop? How fast or slow should I move?

These are valid questions. And, it's easy to see why so many teachers are eager for some beginning-of-the-year lesson suggestions. This resource targets the heart of what every teacher wants for the initial weeks of school:

1. Strategies to establish the writer's workshop environment through routines, procedures and expectations.
2. Methods to define the ingredients of "good writing" so everyone is using a common language.
3. Foundation-building mini-lesson ideas that teach student's how to craft stronger writing.

Each lesson includes:

• A purpose and rationale for the lesson.
• A list of resources and teacher preparation required before delivering the lesson
• A detailed description of the lesson execution
• Suggestions for utilizing writing samples or mentor text to support the lesson
• Follow-up activities that relate to the initial lesson
• A CD of student writing samples and Blackline Masters that support each lesson