Writer's Workshop is a writing strategy that can be implemented as early as kindergarten to teach students the 5 stages of writing and different genres through mini-lessons, individual writing time, peer feedback, and aligns with Common Core State Standards for 2nd grade writing including opinion, informative, and narrative texts. The strategy utilizes children's literature to demonstrate writing techniques and provide context for students' own writing.

1. Writer’s Workshop for
Elementary Language Arts
STRATEGY PRESENTATION
BY:
NINA C. FERNANDEZ
EEX4066-DR.KINNEY
SUMMER 2012

2. Introduction
Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide was
written by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn
Portalupi. Fletcher frequently works with
young writers in schools, and speaks at
education conferences in the US and abroad,
helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching
writing. Portalupi has helped teachers all over
the United States find modern and interactive
ways of approaching and teaching writing to
students in the classroom. This is Fletcher and
Portalupi 's third collaboration as a follow-up
to Craft Lessons and Nonfiction Craft Lessons.

3. Writer’s Workshop Overview
Writer’s Workshop is a great writing strategy which can be started as
early as Kindergarten in order to teach students how to write using the 5 Stages of
Writing as well as writing to different genres, audience, and purpose. Writer’s
workshop works best when it is combined with children’s literature which will
help student better grasp the purpose of the reading, different writing styles,
builds their reading comprehension and fluency, as well as help students with
their grammar, spelling, and punctuation development and instruction. The
following slides will provide a more detailed view of how Writer’s Workshop
would be done in the classroom as well as an example of what standards it would
touch on in a 2nd grade classroom.

4. What does it look like in the classroom?
Minilesson (short and focused; ranges from
Whole Group Meeting routines on how to complete Writer’s Workshop
to spelling, grammar, and punctuation
instruction; best modeled with children’s
(5-15 minutes)
literature)
Status of the Class (quick way of finding out
what each student is currently working on)
Whole Group Meeting Students will pick own topics and begin to write,
while going through the 5 stages of writing.
Individual, small groups, or partners During this time teachers can conference with
individual students in order to provide feedback
and/or assistance. Teachers should occasionally
(25-45 minutes; start students off at 25 be writing also to show students that writing can
minutes and gradually increase time) be done at any age.
Sharing Time Students are able to share what they are working
on or finished in order to receive feedback from
Whole class, small groups, or partners classmates. Ann example of this would be
Author’s Chair.
(10-15 minutes)

5. English Language Arts Writing Standard
Common Core State Standards Grade 2
Text Types and Purposes
W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion,
supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and
reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop
points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include
details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense
of closure.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.2.4. (Begins in grade 3)
W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by
revising and editing.
W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing,
including in collaboration with peers.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to
produce a report; record science observations).
W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.2.9. (Begins in grade 4)
Range of Writing
W.2.10. (Begins in grade 3)

6. Work Cited
Common core state standards initiative. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-
standards/writing/grade-2/
Portalupi , J., & Fletcher, R. (2001). Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide.
Heinemann.