Good Writers Grow and Share What They Know!

Created by Angela Stockman, 2014. For more information or additional resources, visit: http://makewriting.com . Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0

International (CC BY-NC 4.0) You are free to share and adapt this resource for noncommercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to me and link back to

http://makewriting.com

Good Writers Grow and

Share What They Know!

Researching in order to inform authentic audiences at the primary level

Designed by Angela Stockman, Founder of the WNY Young Writer’s Studio [email protected] http://makewriting.com

Graphics courtesy of:

http://whimsyworkshop.blogspot.com/




An Invitation Even our littlest writers are capable of developing and sharing their expertise. This is how community grows within a writer’s workshop! This unit inspires primary writers to connect with and investigate topics they love in order to grow and share what they know.

In lieu of a script, teachers are prompted to make purposeful decisions throughout this unit, customizing plans and crafting instructional moves in response to the needs of writers while making the best use of the resources they already have access to. Are you interested in creating your own curricula? This unit will support your endeavors. Are you committed to the New York State Curriculum Modules or another program? It isn’t difficult to establish alignment between this curriculum and that one as well.

This unit is best situated within the writer’s workshop portion of a literacy block, and teachers will recognize traditional workshop structures as they execute daily plans. However, many of the mini-lessons attend to the connection between making and writing. You’ll notice a variety of uncommon strategies that enable kids to work out of their seats and on their feet as they seek understanding, tinker around with craft and process, and invent real stuff for real audiences. If you’re eager to move writers through a linear sequence of steps with efficiency in order to complete an assigned task, this unit may frustrate you. Teachers that are interested in illuminating each writer’s unique process, engaging them in authentic learning and watching sparks fly as unexpected discoveries are made will appreciate this unit for the catalyst that it is.

Your writers will surprise you, if you let them. This unit is intended to help them define high standards, become experts in what matters, and make meaningful contributions to your classroom community. Position yourself as a learner, and prepare to be amazed by the best teachers you will ever have: your students.

I hope you will contact me with questions, curiosities, and feedback! I love hearing from the teachers who use my work.

All my best—

Angela Stockman

[email protected] http://makewriting.com 716-418-3730




Planning and Preparation Considering the questions below will help you execute this unit with success.

Considering Student Ownership: Topic and Resource Selection

Defining Standards Additional Resources and Materials As you review this unit, you will notice reference to those Common Core State Standards that are explicitly assessed within the unit. Others may certainly be attended to on a daily basis. In addition, you may work with writers to define additional standards. These definitions of quality might emerge from the study of specific mentor texts or products that writers hope to replicate. What will your standards be?

Chart paper and markers Notebooks for writers Magazines for cutting, glue, packing tape for notebook construction (optional) Four varied colors of construction paper (one set per student, optional) Your own notebook and examples of your own writing Single sided primary paper: Crayons and pencils Sticky notes Foam boards (optional) Tablets, laptops, or desktop computers (optional) Free drawing apps for tablets (optional) A copy of What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada (optional) or other great mentor texts for idea generation

Take a peek at the chart to the left, and consider the varied degrees of ownership that writers maintain over their work.

How free will writers be to choose their own topics?

How free will writers be to locate resources independently?

Most importantly, what rationale is guiding your decisions?

If this unit enables less ownership, how will you release ownership over time? It may make sense to guide writers through this experience once before inviting them to revisit the research and information writing experience again independently.




A Peek at the Weeks Ahead If this is your first unit, you may choose to begin with this Welcome to Workshop Lesson Series:

5 Lessons (45-60 minutes each)

1 2 3 4 5 Writers are

Notebook Keepers Writers are Idea Seekers Becoming a Writer Inside

of Our Workshop This is How Writers Talk

to One Another How Will You Know When You Need a Conference?

Research and Information Writing Unit Length: 20 Lessons (45-60 minutes each)

1 2 3 4 5 Making a Community:

Good Writers Grow and Share What They Know

Defining Topics by Listing the People, Places,

Things, and Ideas We Know About, Wonder

About, and Love

Choosing Topics That Interest Us, Choosing Topics That Interest

Readers

Good Writers are Researchers

What Makes You Pick Up a Book?

What Makes You Click on a Site?

6 7 8 9 10 Fact Finding, Flagging, and

Tagging

RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Doodling is Note-Making

Choosing the Most Important Facts by

Clustering

RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. L.K.5a With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.

Reaching a Conclusion

RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Drawing is Writing

RI.K.6 Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.

11 12 13 14 15 Using Just-Right Facts

and Details

RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear.

Tinkering with Organization

W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Using What We Learn to Make a Product Audiences Will Love

W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

16 17 18 19 20 Good Writers Give Good

Feedback Preparing to Revise

W.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed. W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Editing and Reflection

W.K.2a-d Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Exhibition and Publication

W.K.6 With guidance from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. L,K.1.d Understand and use question words ( who, what, where, when, why, how).




Curriculum Architecture: An Overview

This unit was designed for teachers who are just beginning to implement writer’s workshop and students who may not have abundant workshop experience. You’ll find that the architecture for this unit is lean, as I’ve taken care to distill what is most essential and articulate it as concisely as possible. As a result, you will find it difficult to eliminate lessons without compromising the quality of each writer’s experience and their resulting work. You may choose to enrich this plan by adding supplemental lessons or spiraling writers through the unit several times, increasing expectations and levels of independence at each pass.

Lessons are framed around big ideas, dispositions, content, and skills that enable primary students to become powerful writers who produce quality work. They align to very specific targets, which are clearly articulated. Each lesson also includes a variety of Look-fors. These focal points serve to refine your vision and inspire quality reflective practice. Use them to mine powerful bits of evidence from the learning and work of writers. Engage in thoughtful and courageous explorations of these data, and celebrate each discovery made, especially when you’re able to uncover areas of need.

The assessments within this unit are authentic, non-disruptive, and easy to identify within the framework. All assessments are intended to inform teacher practice, and all rubrics are intended to help writers set goals, self-assess, and improve over time.

As you prepare to execute each lesson, you will choose one of three instructional approaches:

A traditional workshop approach, which includes a brief mini-lesson, significant time for independent writing and conferring, opportunities for peer review, and time to share and celebrate the growing expertise of the community.

A mirrored writing approach, which includes an extended lesson with significant teacher modeling. As the teacher introduces and applies new moves bit-by-bit, writers turn and test them one small step at a time.

A self-designed approach, which enables the teachers to craft lessons that meet the same targets while employing their own expertise and tapping into the experiences and interests of the students they serve.

Ideally, writers will have the support of a greater community as they move through this unit. Establishing a writer’s workshop requires teachers to attend to far more than materials, physical space, procedures, and routines. Shaping a culture that invites experimentation, collaboration, risk-taking, and authentic learning is each writing teacher’s greatest work. I’ve found that this doesn’t happen all at once, but through a series of small shifts that happen over time. I’ve captured some of them on the next page. Maybe they will inspire you. Maybe you have your own ideas to add!

Created by Angela Stockman, 2014. For more information or additional resources, visit: http://makewriting.com . Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) You are free to share and

adapt this resource for noncommercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to me and link back to http://makewriting.com

Crafting a Writer-Centered Workshop Culture One Small but Powerful Shift at a Time

What will you do differently? Why?

I Lead a Teacher-Centered Workshop Our Workshop is Becoming Writer-Centered Our Workshop is Writer-Centered

Teacher designs the workshop space and fills it with materials and resources.

The teacher seeks input from writers while designing the space and selecting materials.

The space is moveable, and teachers secure just-right materials and resources as they are needed.

Teacher designs or adopts curricula. The teacher makes some curricular choices based on the interests of writers.

Writers contribute to curriculum design and participate in work sessions.

Teacher chooses the types of writing that will be produced and when.

The teacher allows writers some choice over the type and timing of writing produced.

Writers choose the type of writing that will be produced and when.

Teacher chooses the topics that writers pursue. The teacher provides a variety of topics or prompts that writers may choose from.

Writers choose their own topics.

Teacher leads all lessons and models using mentor texts and their own work.

The teacher uses some examples of student writing during lessons.

Writers lead lessons as often as teachers, using their own work and mentor texts.

Teacher initiates and leads all conferences. The teacher invites students to initiate and lead conferences.

The teacher expects students to initiate and lead conferences and teaches them how.

Teacher’s expertise is valued most and sought after first.

The teacher begins to name and showcase the expertise of other writers.

Writers make their expertise transparent, which enables them to turn to one another strategically for just-right support.

Quality is defined by teacher generated rubrics and exemplars.

Quality is defined by the analysis of models and research.

Quality is defined by models, vision, and unexpected ideas that emerge from the process itself.

Assessments are things that teachers give in order to evaluate progress, intervene, and produce grades

Assessment is a practice that teachers engage in in order to study progress and intervene.

Assessment is a practice that teachers and writers engage in in order to study progress and ensure continued growth.

Writers publish pieces assigned by teacher for audiences defined by teacher using an outlet selected by the teacher

Writers choose what they will publish from a portfolio of completed pieces. They choose their audience and outlet from a set of options defined by the teacher.

Writers define their audience early in the process. They seek outlets for publication that enable their connection with this audience.




A Day Inside of Our Writer’s Workshop: Rethinking Traditional Approaches

This chart provides a glimpse at two different ways to execute a workshop day.. One is teacher-centered, and the other is writer-centered. As you explore them, consider when it makes sense to use each.. One approach is not better than the other. Each makes sense, depending on writer’s needs and place within the process. Both models are reminiscent of traditional structures, but over time, I’ve made small but purposeful shifts in order to increase ownership and situate writers as teachers and leaders within our community. I find that doing so makes them far more interdependent. They learn what each peer’s strengths and specialties are, and they turn to them strategically, in order to get support. I know that consistent, high quality feedback is what helps writers grow, and I can’t be the only source for this inside of a large community. More importantly, I want writers to know how to support one another and advocate for themselves outside of the classroom and long after my work with them is done. For all of these reasons, we do things a little bit differently at the WNY Young Writer’s Studio, and I coach different practices in classrooms as well.

A Teacher-Centered Workshop Structure A Writer-Centered Workshop Structure Mini-Lesson: Teacher invites writers to build background knowledge for new content and skills by engaging in a quick investigation of text, reflection, or small group conversation. Teachers uses direct instruction to define new learning. Modeling is provided through the use of high quality mentor text, and then, teachers often write in front of their students, making their thinking very transparent. Anchor charts capture salient points and often sustain writers through multiple lessons, tying them together in a way that creates coherence.

Independent Writing and Conferring: Writers draft and tinker with their writing, reflecting as they go and reaching out to peers who have expertise that can forward their thinking and their work. Early in the process, teachers use this time to provide over-the-shoulder feedback to all writers. Once writers have produced enough text, true conferring takes place during this time. Teachers typically notice and take note of skills and behaviors during this time, and when necessary, they pause independent writing time to extend or reteach lessons.

Shared Expertise and End of Session Reflections: During independent writing time, teachers notice what writers are doing well, and they invite one or two of them to model something specific about their thinking, process, craft, or behavior at the end of the session, so that others might learn from them. A bit of celebration happens during this time as well, and then writers are invited to reflect, typically in their notebooks.

Optional Investigations: Teacher invites writers to participate in optional investigations. Some writers may choose to engage in these brief, inquiry-driven experiences that center on timely and relevant topics. Teachers do not lead these lessons. Instead, writers work together to investigate what matters and share what they learn with one another. Others may choose to dive right into their writing instead, if this is what they need to do, and some may choose to do independent investigations if this makes better sense.

Independent Writing and Conferring: Writers draft and tinker with their writing, reflecting as they go and reaching out to peers who have expertise that can forward their thinking and their work. In a writer-centered classroom, teachers expect writers to initiate and lead conferences. They coach them to do this, and they create classroom structures, spaces, and protocols that support this expectation rather than arranging and leading conferences themselves.. When they aren’t called upon to confer, teachers typically position themselves as observers during this time, noticing and taking note of skills and behaviors, and when necessary, pausing independent writing time to extend or reteach lessons. They also use what they discover to plan new investigations.

Shared Expertise and End of Session Reflections: Writer-centered workshops tend to create more opportunities for invention, experimentation, and the development of diverse expertise. This is why it often makes sense to leave more time for exhibition at the end of these kinds of sessions. Typically, writers have more to share and are eager to do so. We also leave time for reflection here as well, and we use our notebooks for this work.




Good Writers Grow and Share What They Know: Researching in Order to Inform Authentic Audiences at the Primary Level

Designed by Angela Stockman at http://makewriting.com

Lesson 1: Writers are Notebook Keepers The Big Idea:

Notebooks are special tools. They help us keep ideas and they give us a place to play with our writing and think about the writers we are becoming. Writers keep notebooks in different ways.

Preparation: Each writer will need a notebook. Many prefer to use special composition books made for primary writers while others enjoy using or making other kinds of books. Will you be the one to determine what writers will use for notebook keeping, or will they have some choice in the matter? This decision should be made prior to teaching this lesson, and all necessary materials should be secured. You should also decide whether you will create sections for the notebooks prior to sharing with writers or if this is work that you will guide them through. You will find additional materials in bold below.

What will this lesson help writers come to know? 1. Notebooks give us a place to put our ideas for safekeeping, play with our writing, and think about the writers we are becoming. 2. Writers love and care for their notebooks. 3. Writers think carefully about how they will organize and fill their notebooks. What will this lesson help writers do? 1. Create and organize a writer’s notebook with a meaningful cover and purposeful sections

Establishing the Habits of Assessment and Documentation: Look-fors: This lesson provides a powerful opportunity for you to learn what matters most to writers. As they create their notebook covers, you will be able to assess whether or not each is able to:

o Name people, places, and things they love o Name topics, characters, and settings they want to

write about o Recall lines from favorite songs or poems o Write their favorite words o Gain writing inspiration from images

How will you document these findings, in order to study them? Some recommendations: checklists or quick cell-phone snapshots or audio recordings during independent writing/conference time.

Are writers in touch with what matters most to them? Are they able to name, recall, and write (or draw) about the topics to the left? Are they able to begin generating writing ideas from images?

What distinguishes those who are successful from those who struggle?

How will you intervene to support those who are unable to meet these challenges?




If You Choose a Traditional Approach: You will teach a mini-lesson that prepares writers to apply what was learned independently.

Mini-Lesson: First, gift writers with their notebooks, emphasizing how special they are and illustrating how they use their own notebooks to keep ideas, play with their writing, and reflect. Next, demonstrate the different parts of the notebook, including the cover (or perhaps landing page) and a section for ideas, notes, tinkering, and reflection. Then, you will teach writers how to use the following types of items to create great notebook covers. Use your own notebooks as examples:

o Pictures (found or drawn) that inspire writing ideas o Lines from their favorite songs or poems o Pictures (found or drawn) of people, places, and things they love o Favorite words o Sketches and doodles of topics, characters, and settings they would like to write about

Finally, help writers begin planning their notebook covers. You may choose to create interactive anchor charts, organizers, or other tools to help them capture their ideas. Use this tool to focus and anchor their work moving forward, as they shift to independent writing time.

Independent Writing and Conferring: *This portion of the lesson may extend over several class periods. Alternatively, writers may take their notebooks home and parents may contribute to the design. Writers use the time provided to establish sections for their notebooks and design their covers, using various resources provided by the teacher. Notebook sections can be created by stapling construction paper or tag board to the notebook page that starts the section. Covers may be created using magazines, copies of songs and poems, different kinds of paper, crayons, pencils, markers, tape, or glue. As covers are completed, teachers may choose to extend wear by covering them in packing tape. Examples are available in the supplemental resources provided at the end of this lesson. Potential questions to pose during conferences:

o How can I help you? What do you need in order to make your notebook or your cover turn out just right? o Why did you choose this item for your cover? Why is it special? What does it tell us about you? o How is your notebook cover meaningful?

As you move from writer to writer, look for those who are encountering and overcoming specific challenges, working in unexpected but inspiring ways, or creating a notebook that is particularly unique. Ask some of these writers if they would be willing to show and tell about their expertise at the end of the lesson.

Shared Expertise: Invite 2 or 3 writers to show and tell about their expertise, emphasizing how each did something specific that was unexpected, unique, and inspiring. Invite other writers to try or adapt these approaches, and let them know that during every writer’s workshop session, you will be looking for several writers to share their own expertise. Make it clear that great writers are always sharing their expertise with one another and that this is how we learn from one another in workshop.

Reflection: Ask writers to turn to the first page of the reflection section of their notebooks and provide them with a prompt to respond to using words or pictures. A variety are included in the supplemental resources at the end of this lesson. If time allows, invite several writers to share their responses.




If You Choose a Mirrored Approach: You will teach the lesson bit by bit, providing time for writers to mirror what you model as you go.

Mini-Lesson: First, you will gift writers with their notebooks, emphasizing how special they are and illustrating how you use your own notebook to keep ideas, play with your writing, and reflect. Then, you will demonstrate the different parts of the notebook, including the cover and a section for ideas, notes, tinkering, and reflection. Pause here and help writers establish the same sections for their notebooks, if you have not done this work already. Notebook sections can be created by stapling construction paper or tag board to the notebook page that starts the section. Next, teach writers how to use the following types of items to create great notebook covers, using your own as examples. As you focus on each bullet point below, pause and ask writers to brainstorm specific items they might include relevant to it. Capture these ideas on an anchor chart or invite writers to do this independently using an organizer.

o Pictures (found or drawn) that inspire writing ideas o Lines from their favorite songs or poems o Pictures (found or drawn) of people, places, and things they love o Favorite words o Sketches and doodles of topics, characters, and settings they would like to write about

Independent Writing and Conferring: *This portion of the lesson may extend over several class periods. Alternatively, writers may take their notebooks home and parents may contribute to the design. Writers complete their covers, using various resources that you provide. Covers may be created using magazines, copies of songs and poems, different kinds of paper, crayons, pencils, markers, tape, or glue. As covers are completed, teachers may choose to extend wear by covering them in packing tape. Examples are available in the supplemental resources provided at the end of this lesson. Potential questions to pose during conferences:

o How can I help you? What do you need in order to make your notebook or your cover turn out just right? o Why did you choose this item for your cover? Why is it special? What does it tell us about you? o How is your notebook cover meaningful?


Shared Expertise: Invite 2 or 3 writers to show and tell about their expertise, emphasizing how each did something specific that was unexpected, unique, and inspiring. Invite other writers to try or adapt these approaches, and let them know that during every writer’s workshop session, you will be looking for several writers to share their own expertise. Make it clear that great writers are always sharing their expertise with one another and that this is how we learn from one another in workshop.

Reflection: Ask writers to turn to the first page of the reflection section of their notebooks and provide them with a prompt to respond to using words or pictures. A variety are included in the supplemental resources at the end of this lesson. If time allows, invite several writers to share their responses.




If You Choose a Self-Designed Approach: You will craft your own instructional approach while remaining aligned to this unit’s teaching points.

Teaching Points: o Notebooks provide writers a place to gather ideas, play with writing, and reflect. o Writers love and care for their notebooks. o Writers organize their notebooks purposefully. o Writers create meaningful covers for their notebooks by including specific types of items.

Supplemental Resources:

Anchor charts for you to replicate or adapt

Notebook Cover Creating Sections




Questions to Ask at the Start of a Project: What makes an idea a good one?

How does planning help you?

What do you love about writing?

What’s hard about writing?

How do you know when you are stuck as a writer?

What were you most proud of today?

Questions to Ask in the Middle of a Project:

What was easy today?

When did you have the most fun today?

What was the most important thing you learned today?

How do you know when you need a conference?

Which mini-lessons have helped you most? How?

If I could help you do one thing better as a writer, what would that be?

Reflecting at the End of a Project Cycle: What do good writers do?

How are you a good writer?

How did you get better as a writer? Use the words I used to…but now I….

What do you want to learn to do next?

Look back through all of your notebook entries.

o Put sticky notes on the pages that remind you of where you felt proud.

Tell me about that.

o Put sticky notes on the pages that remind you of where things were

hard. Tell me about that.

o Put sticky notes on the pages where you are keeping new ideas.

Where are they coming from?




Lesson 2: Writers are Idea Seekers The Big Idea:

When we live like writers, we find ideas for our writing everywhere. Writers train themselves to notice things that others may not, and when they get new ideas, they create physical or digital containers to keep them in so that they cannot be lost.

Preparation: Prior to this lesson, you will want to determine the level of student ownership over topic choice for this unit. Will you determine research and information writing topics? Will the students? Will you balance ownership in some other way? Following this lesson plan, you will find a chart that can prompt deeper thinking here. Next, you will want to create or locate examples of idea containers. Some writers keep territories in their notebooks. Others keep tiny notebooks tucked in their purses or on their nightstands. A variety of online tools make for great idea keeping too. Photos can be housed on Flickr, cell phones provide note-making apps, and many writers like to keep lists in Word or Google Docs. Which options would your students enjoy learning about? Which might be most valuable to them? What are they eager to try? Consider this before you begin this lesson, and gather examples to share. You will find additional materials in bold below.

What will this lesson help writers come to know? 1. We gather ideas from the things that happen to us, from the things that happen to others, and from things we listen to, read, and see. 2. Writers keep their ideas safe by creating containers for them. What will this lesson help writers do? Create a container for their ideas and begin seeking ideas for research and information writing

Establishing the Habits of Assessment and Documentation: Look-fors: This lesson provides a powerful opportunity for you to learn what matters most to writers. As they seek and work to contain ideas, you will be able to assess whether or not each is able to:

o Craft a writing idea from a personal experience o Craft a writing idea from an experience that someone

else had o Craft a writing idea from mentor text o Create a container for their writing ideas by creating a

list or an archive o Recall information from experiences, in order to

answer a question o Recall information from provided sources, in order to

answer a question

How will you document these findings, in order to study them? Some recommendations: checklists or quick cell-phone snapshots or audio recordings during independent writing/conference time.

Are writers able to glean new writing ideas from their own experiences, those that others have had, or mentor texts?

Which source is easiest for them to tap? Which is hardest? Why?

When writers recall information from experiences and from sources, are they able to do so accurately? If they embellish or change the facts, what is their reasoning for doing so? How does this decision enrich their work?

How will you intervene to support those who are unable to meet these challenges?




If You Choose a Traditional Approach: You will teach a mini-lesson that prepares writers to apply what was learned independently.

Mini-Lesson: Begin by inviting writers to talk with one another. Ask them to talk about things that are great ideas. What made them great ideas? Alternatively, you may want to bring in some useful objects (an iPad for instance, or a key to a door, or even a pencil), and ask writers to talk with you about what made each a great idea. Take some time to explore their responses, and reinforce today’s teaching point: ideas come from things that happen to us, from things that happen to others, and from things we listen to, read, and see.. Use your own examples to demonstrate how you have generated research and information writing ideas using each of these sources. You will want to choose an engaging mentor text that inspired your own research and information writing ideas. Have it on hand in order to demonstrate this connection. Define and model what a list is, and model what an archive is. You may choose to use a file folder filled with artifacts like pictures, clippings, or ephemera. You may also wish to share a variety of digital archives as well, if writers will be using them. Good examples include cell phone photo albums, Pinterest boards, and Flickr sets. Some primary teachers question whether our littlest writers are able to use digital tools effectively. This is understandable. You may be surprised by how tech savvy your students are, though. This lesson provides a great opportunity to expand upon their skills as well. Consider coaching writers to use one specific tool for the purposes of creating a digital archive. Next, use the prompts and tools that follow this lesson to guide writers through a quick brainstorming session. Then, prompt writers to return to their seats and begin establishing their own writing containers filled with great ideas. Remind them to use their brainstorming notes and sketches to create lists. They may also add their sketches to archives. Let them know that these archives will grow over time. Know that purpose of this lesson is not to ensure that all writers generate an abundance of great ideas. You are merely introducing them to the process of idea seeking and the way writers begin keeping ideas.

Independent Writing and Conferring: Writers use the time provided to create a container for their ideas. Potential questions to pose during conferences:

o What makes this idea a good one? o Which idea is the one you are most interested in right now? Why? o Talk with me about where these ideas came from. o Which do you prefer: making a list or creating an archive? Why?


Shared Expertise: Invite 2 or 3 writers to show and tell about their expertise, emphasizing how each did something specific that was unexpected, unique, and inspiring. Invite other writers to try or adapt these approaches, and remind them that during every writer’s workshop session, you will be looking for several writers to share their own expertise. Make it clear that great writers are always sharing their expertise with one another and that this is how we learn from one another in workshop.

Reflection: Ask writers to turn to a clean space in the reflection section of their notebooks and provide them with a prompt to respond to using words or pictures. A variety are included in the supplemental resources at the end of lesson one. You may generate others that you prefer. If time allows, invite several writers to share their responses.




If You Choose a Mirrored Approach: You will teach the lesson bit by bit, providing time for writers to mirror what you model as you go.

Mini-Lesson: Begin by inviting writers to talk with one another. Ask them to talk about things that are great ideas. What made them great ideas? Alternatively, you may want to bring in some useful objects (an iPad for instance, or a key to a door, or even a pencil), and ask writers to talk with you about what made each a great idea. Take some time to explore their responses, and reinforce today’s teaching po int: : ideas come from things that happen to us, from things that happen to others, and from things we listen to, read, and see.. Use your own examples to demonstrate how you have generated research and information writing ideas using each of these sources. You will want to choose an engaging mentor text that inspired your own research and information writing ideas. Have it on hand in order to demonstrate this connection. Define and model what a list is, and demonstrate how you made a list of great ideas for research and information writing from your own experiences. Then, invite writers to try this on their own, using the prompts and tools that follow this lesson. Next, model what an archive is. You may choose to use a file folder filled with artifacts like pictures, clippings, or ephemera. You may also wish to share a variety of digital archives as well, if writers will be using them. Good examples include cell phone photo albums, Pinterest boards, and Flickr sets. Some primary teachers question whether our littlest writers are able to use digital tools effectively. This is understandable. You may be surprised by how tech savvy your students are, though. This lesson provides a great opportunity to expand upon their skills as well. Consider coaching writers to use one specific tool for the purposes of creating a digital archive. Invite writers to create an archive on their own, using the prompts and tools that follow this lesson. Let them know that these archives will grow over time. Know that purpose of this lesson is not to ensure that all writers generate an abundance of great ideas. You are merely introducing them to the process of idea seeking and the way writers begin keeping ideas.

Independent Writing and Conferring: Writers use the time provided to continue establishing containers for their ideas. Potential questions to pose during conferences:

o What makes this idea a good one? o Which idea is the one you are most interested in right now? Why? o Talk with me about where these ideas came from. o Which do you prefer: making a list or creating an archive? Why?


Shared Expertise: Invite 2 or 3 writers to show and tell about their expertise, emphasizing how each did something specific that was unexpected, unique, and inspiring. Invite other writers to try or adapt these approaches, and remind them that during every writer’s workshop session, you will be looking for several writers to share their own expertise. Make it clear that great writers are always sharing their expertise with one another and that this is how we learn from one another in workshop.

Reflection: Ask writers to turn to a clean space in the reflection section of their notebooks and provide them with a prompt to respond to using words or pictures. A variety are included in the supplemental resources at the end of lesson one. You may generate others that you prefer. If time allows, invite several writers to share their responses.




My Great Ideas

Things that happened to

me.

Things that happened to

others.

Things I’ve listened to, read, or seen

Documents

Good Writers Grow and Share What They Know!