Defining+R+&+W+Workshop

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What We Know About Reading and Writing Workshop **Directions:** As indicated on the prep sheet for __#|class__ 8, please add to our knowledge base that we began together in __#|Class__ 7 below. At the very least, add 1-2 items to the literature section (Atwell, Hicks, & Rief) and 1 additional item to another category of your choice here. Know that you can certainly add additional items! :) Be sure to put your first name & last initial in parentheses after any of your entries. For the Atwell, Hicks, and Rief category, be sure to specify which author you are referencing and the page #'s to which you're referring as well.


 * What We Know In General about Reading / Writing Workshop: ||
 * * Add your ideas here...
 * Peer Editing Groups
 * __#|Conferencing__
 * Share Between Peers
 * Structure
 * Goals
 * Balance between reading and writing
 * Giving and receiving strategies for reading and writing
 * Minilessons
 * Discussions about Interpretations
 * Speaker present at times (area of expertise) ||
 * What Atwell, Hicks, and Rief Have to Say about Reading / Writing Workshop: ||
 * * __#|Student__ choice about topic and genre is a core principle of the writing workshop approach- Hicks pg. 1 (Samantha Melton)
 * Establish expectations. __#|Students__ need to develop a criteria as writers, to __#|step__ back to consider what is working and what needs more work in their texts, and to set realistic goals for their writing- Atwell pg. 110-111 (Samantha Melton)
 * Engage __#|students__ in real writing tasks and use __#|technology__ in a such a way that it complements their innate need to find purposes and audiences for their work- Hicks pg. 8 (Samantha Melton)
 * Regular and repetitive writing workshops help the students write well. (Jade Garrett)
 * According to Hicks, mulitliteracies means that we should both teach linguistically diverse students and honor the languages and dialects that they bring while also introducing them to the larger discourse of __#|school__ and the community. Pg 9 (Jade Garrett)
 * As a teacher, you want to get a feel for what your students know before they __#|start__ workshopping. __#|Surveys__ can be used to __#|start__ and records used to track progress. (Jade)
 * Hicks believes there needs to be constant feedback between teacher and __#|student__ pg. 1 (Alex Goforth)
 * Writing workshops allow for students to have the time and space to write. Hicks pg. 6 (Alex Goforth)
 * Hicks believes writing reading workshops must have constant feedback between peers and students as well as broad visions of assessment. In doing so, students are more aware of how to improve their writing. Hicks, pg. 1-2 (Hailee)
 * The goal of reading/writing workshop should be to "teach the writer, not the writing." Don't focus so much on if your students know the steps of the writing process as __#|teaching__ your students how to be better writers. Hicks pg. 7 (Stephanie D)
 * Teachers shouldn't just have students doing the same things with technology and call that innovation - new methods and approaches have to come with digital literacy and the use of technology. Hicks pg. 2 (Stephanie D)
 * Teachers should encourage active revision in a workshop. Hicks pg. 5 (Stephanie Snead)
 * We have to be sure we bring a mind set of new literacies to the classroom not just traditional literacies. pg. 2 (Paige Smith)
 * Keep the classroom organized to allow students to learn. Rief pg 23 (Robin Oelrich)
 * Encourage students to publish their __#|work__ because "they have important things to say and unique ways of saying them" (Rief pg. 29). (Hailee)
 * Right up front, parents need to know what they can expect for, and of, their children in my classroom.(Rief pg 32)(Blake G)
 * Organization cannot be relegated to the back off the writing-reading teacher's mind, any more than can it be placed as the last chapter in a book.(Rief pg 33)(Blake G)
 * Keeping the parents informed. At the beginning of a school year a teacher should send a letter home to explain their methods and philosophy. (Reif pg. 32). (Alex G.)
 * Having clear expectations about what students should accomplish and consistent procedures is important for writing workshops (and ELA classrooms in general) to succeed. Rief pg. 30-31 (Stephanie D)
 * Ask parents for book donations for the classroom. Rief pg 24 (Jade G)
 * I want students to know I value reading enough to take class time to do it. Rief, pg.32 (Pryscilla Lee)
 * The students do not have an excuse for not reading if the books are available right there in a classroom library - Rief Chapter 2 pg. 24 (Samantha Melton)
 * Students should have separate places when it comes to reading, writing, and revising and have the available resources to complete all of these-Rief 23-24 (Stephanie C)
 * It is important to discuss expectations with the students so that they are aware of what they are responsible for completing-Rief 31 (Stephanie C) ||


 * What We're Seeing in the Field with regard to Reading / Writing Workshop: ||
 * * The teacher that I am observing gives her students at least ten minutes a day to read. She makes recommendations for them and allows students to make recommendations to each other. She is constantly telling the students that if they do not like a book to feel free to stop reading it and try another one. (Alex Goforth)
 * In my cooperating teacher's classroom, I see frequent feedback about student writing. My CT plans for extra time for students to read/write during class, giving feedback often. (Hailee)
 * My school set aside certain times of the week for students to receive enrichment in reading and writing from their teachers. It's a great way to help those students who are falling behind or who are not voicing their struggles (Blake)
 * My CT has a personal classroom library but makes time to take her class to the media center on some days. She gives them about ten to fifteen minutes to return books and select something new. She also has a classroom supply of Kindles that are available to students if they finish their work early or have spare time in class. (Samantha Melton)
 * In my CT's classroom, she has a bookshelf that contains her classroom library for students to check out with her read either on their own or during their SSR time at the beginning of class. (Stephanie C) ||
 * What We've Experienced Ourselves with regard to Reading / Writing Workshop: ||
 * * My initial experiences with Reading/Writing workshops focused on peer revision and editing. Although this a part of the workshop, I have learned that it is not the only component. (Samantha Melton)
 * My experiences with R&W workshops also included peer reviews. Also, I've had experiences with different stations set up to aid the writing process and reading reviews. (Jade Garrett)
 * The only experience I ever had with reading/writing workshops consisted of consulting with one peer, one time, on one assignment. It was presented as a very linear process. I would get feedback once from that peer and once from the teacher, then I was on my own. (Stephanie D)
 * The only thing that I have seen in a R/W workshop is that the students do peer review. I have never seen a teacher-student conference and feedback as Hicks mentioned. I would like to see that more often, because I think students need to hear and see what their teacher expects of them. (Stephanie Snead)
 * The only experience I have had with R/W workshops is peer or student to stuent peer reviews. Students would give feedback to only one or two students. (Paige Smith)
 * I never had many experiences with Reading/Writing workshops. My classes occasionally did peer review sessions but they never went as well as the teacher had planned (Stephanie C)
 * My experieince with R/W workshops is peer revision and literature circles. (Robin Oelrich) ||
 * Any other perspectives on Reading / Writing Workshop: ||
 * * I really liked the quote from the Hicks article, "teach the writer, not the writing." (Samantha Melton)
 * "Organization has to be right up front." Rief, pg.33 (Pryscilla Lee) ||