Launching the Writer's Workshop: Grades K-2 (3rd Edition) Item: 18671
Launching the Writer's Workshop: Grades K-2 (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 978-0-9790186-7-1
by Kristina Smekens and Linda Schmidt
Part 1—The Launch
Starting up a 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. It's easy to see why so many teachers are eager for some beginning-of-the-year lesson suggestions.
The first 50 pages of this resource target the heart of what every teacher wants for the initial weeks of school:
- Techniques for generating topic ideas.
- Procedures to establish topic ideas.
- Methods to introduce the 6 Traits to students.
- Strategies for building a kid-friendly writing rubric.
Part 2—The Rest of the Year
What do I do after the "launch"? How do i organize my writing units? Which lessons should I teach when? The second half of this resource includes over 70 explicit mini-lessons that target the most essential writing skills throughout the rest of the year.
The remaining 65 pages of the book provide what every teacher wants when planning writing units:
- Lessons tied to particular writing genres (i.e., opinion/persuasive, informative, narrative).
- Bulleted points to highlight within the 15-minute lesson instruction.
- Teacher tips that offer lesson insight and potential adaptations.
- Ready-to-go downloadable resources that support each lesson.
- Anchor papers and/or mentor text suggestions to demonstrate the lesson skill.
- Trigger suggestions that make the abstract concepts more visible and concrete for learners.
- Spin-off activities for students to accomplish during independent writing time.
Grades K-2, 127 pages + exclusive website access with lesson resources
Learn more about author & teacher Kristina Smekens.
Also available for Grades 3-12:
