Defining+R+&+W+Workshop

The following wiki page represents... // **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, Milners, & Hicks) 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, Milners, & Hicks category, be sure to specify which author you are referencing and the page #'s to which you're referring as well.


 * I. What We Know In General about Reading / Writing Workshop: **
 * It's not about molding a particular piece of writing so much as it is about molding the actual writer. (Matt)
 * It is more fluid and student centered than it is traditional/teacher centered. (Jenn)


 * II. What Atwell, the Milners, and Hicks Have to Say about Reading / Writing Workshop: **
 * //MATT- Atwell says to do it once a day for an hour.//
 * //Atwell also believes in conferencing, reading out loud, mini-lessons, anything related to ELA content.//
 * We must engage students in real writing tasks that complement the innate need to find purpose and audience-Hicks page 8. (Lauren F)
 * Hicks suggests first teaching the writer, then the writing, the technology, then back again to the writer to structure a digital workshop- page 8. (Lauren F)
 * Hicks says we should first focus on the writer, then on the writing, and then finally on the technology. (Matt)
 * Hicks states that using technology is extremely helpful, though, as it helps connectivity and publishing, two essential parts of teaching writing well. (Matt)
 * Hicks doesn't necessarily believe that technology will eliminate students who are apathetic to writing workshops, but by using technology to complement writing, more students will be engaged. (Meredith)
 * Teachers, especially those unfamiliar with new literacies, must be able to change their views to accommodate new citation sources and ways of finding information. (Meredith)
 * The work/responsibility for writing shifts from the teacher to the students - Milner, pg. 345 (Bethany).
 * Spending significant class time for writing workshops demonstrates the importance of writing to the students - Milner. (Bethany)
 * By building a classroom library based on students interests, the accessibility and variety within the classroom increased reading dramatically- page 24. (Lauren)
 * I ask the students in September to look over the books in my library. "What's missing? What book do you want me to buy?" I ask them. I want the new students to know right away that I trust their choices. -24, Rief (Meredith)
 * Atwell believes that in doing R&W workshops, teachers should be learning and refining their processes just as much as the students are learning about reading and writing. (JEnn)
 * Atwell also believes that student choice in text is important, but that teachers need to take some ownership in exposing their students to good literature as well. (Jenn)
 * Atwell says that teachers need to monitor student reading habits to prevent stagnation (such as if a student is only ever reading the same series of books) by encouraging students to branch out or making connections to other books that will help the student grow. (Jenn)
 * Rief says that organization enhances a good workshop classroom. I can see how this will be important because a workshop type atmosphere is chaotic and their needs to be organization to keep the chaos under control. (Jenn)
 * Rief also acknowledges that it is impossible to do everything with reading and writing in the short amount of class time that we will have so teachers have to make choices about they will include. (Jenn)
 * The writing workshop at its core, centers on students as writers and provides them with the time and space to engage in writing. Hicks pg 6 (John)
 * Rief pg 7 encourages publication, going public with our words. Our students have important things to say and unique ways of saying them. (John).
 * The Milners say that writing workshop is a place for students to exercise increasing independence and for teachers to step back and observe, but to also zoom in one-on-one with students who need assistance. (p.358) (Zakk)


 * III. **** What We're Seeing in the Field with regard to Reading / Writing Workshop: **
 * //JENN- My teacher started the class with a workshop and I got a chance to read student work. 8th grade. Students were given peer feedback which was positive, along with a suggestion for what might work better. The teacher began by talking about constructive criticism. Post-it notes were used for peer comments.//


 * IV. **** What We've Experienced Ourselves with regard to Reading / Writing Workshop: **
 * //MATT- I did it in a creative writing class.//
 * //JENN/ZAKK- I liked school. Wait, no, I only liked Reading/Writing Workshops. Yeah, those were fun.//
 * I never liked Reading/Writing Workshops because I like doing both on my own, especially writing. In high school I remember not wanting to share and finding it uncomfortable to share my writing with other students. (Meredith)
 * I've been a part of a reading/writing workshop in college where we shared our own fiction and after awhile personal feelings crept into the evaluations and things got personal instead of helpful. (John)
 * I have found workshops to be really helpful when students want to be there and write (ex creative writing course) but the times I remember it in high school were unruly because some students were not on the same page. It would probably work best if it workshopping a big assignment they are invested in like a multi-genre project or another inquiry project. (Zakk)


 * V. **** Any other perspectives on Reading / Writing Workshop: **
 * //JENN- Set aside time for Reading/Writing Workshops, maybe not a strict schedule.//
 * Though we have guiding principles and goals, we must continue to pose questions, learn new things and evolve along with culture, new literacies, and how they interact with each other, if we want to engage students in the writing process- Hicks page 13-14. (Lauren F)
 * Rief pg 24: Building a classroom library for yourself makes reading increase in the classroom. Make sure you have books that interest students as well as trusting their own choices in what new ones to buy. (Matt)