Personal Narrative Unit of Study: Launching Writer's Workshop

My school received training in the Lucy Calkin's style writer's workshop by staff developers from the Columbia University Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project. The week of training was of course phenomenal. We also got either the K-2 or 3-5 Units of Study. These are my teaching notes straight from my plan book for the third graders I taught. My lessons are --eventually-- adjusted to meet the needs of these students in their first year of writer's workshop. The class had a large bilingual and high poverty population. Most of my notes are organized as teaching points (TP) or the day's writing goal/objective. This book will help you too: Launching the Writing Workshop (Grades 3 - 5).

Unit One: Launching the Writer's Workshop

Genre: Personal Narrative
Part One

Lesson One

Paper choice mini-lesson
Baseline writing assessment: "Write about something true that you remember well."

Lesson Two

Teaching Point: We will read an example of good writing first as readers. Then we will read it again as writers looking for the qualities that make it good writing. Create Wall Chart with student comments. Help students to name what they find (e.g. talking is dialogue). Second or continued baseline writing assessment

Lesson Three

Teaching Point: Repeat lesson two's teaching point with new exert or previous story. You may also give students time to decorate their writer's notebook. Add on to wall chart.

RATIONALE: At the beginning of any unit of study, especially a new genre, students to be immersed in the genre. Classroom management can also be established by beginning the routine of gathering in the meeting area or rug. You may also introduce students to having a writer's notebook and bringing it to the carpet.

INTRODUCTION: After immersing students in a new genre, we begin the step of generating notebook entries. During these lessons we teach strategies to generate entries and to get ideas. The teaching point or goal should be shared with students and then modeled by you their teacher. After modeling, students and teacher debrief about the modeling. Some active engagement should also be brought in at the end of modeling or the debriefing or wherever most makes sense to you. This can typically happen in the form of a pair and share or a stop and jot.

Lesson Four

Teaching Point: We will generate entries by making a list of people who are important or special to us. Then, we will list small moments with those people. Then we choose one to sketch and write about.

Lesson Five

Teaching Point: We will generate entries by making a list of places that are important or special to us. Then, we will list small moments at those places. Then we choose one to sketch and write about.

Lesson Six

Teaching Point: We will generate entries by making a list of objects that are important or special to us. Then, we will list small moments at those objects. (Perhaps when you got the object or the person it came from.) Then we choose one to sketch and write about.

LET ME KNOW HOW THIS GOES IF YOU TRY IT OUT!

A Guide to the Writing Workshop Grades 3-5