Passion, Purpose & Intent: Passion, Purpose & Intent: Envisioning Units of Study in Envisioning Units of Study in

Writer’s WorkshopWriter’s Workshop

Passion, Purpose & Intent: Passion, Purpose & Intent: Envisioning Units of Study in Envisioning Units of Study in

Writer’s WorkshopWriter’s Workshop

Tasha A. Thomas Tasha A. Thomas Director,Director,

Spartanburg Writing ProjectSpartanburg Writing Project

What is your Vision?

“Good writing starts with passion of

purpose.”-Katie Wood Ray

Envision Your/Your Students’ Writing

1. What do you want to write? OR What do you want your students to write?

2. What have you/your students read (or might you read) that is like what you want to write?

• Writing moves toward vision from intention• You must write with a clear vision of the

thing you are making.• In order to do so, you need to immerse

yourself in good writing that has the characteristics of what you hope to produce

• Keep track of what you “notice” as you read

• Build your finished piece by “borrowing from the larger world of writing”

(Ray, 37)

Envision Your Writers’ Workshop

As Teachers of Writing We Must:• Help students develop intentions as writers• Help students develop a vision for the kind

of writing that will serve their intentions• Give students the opportunity to explore

craft and live like writers• An effective WW will address:

– Interests of the writers– Needs of the writers– State and local standards– Rigor and challenge

» (see Study Driven, page 92)

What stands in the way of realizing your vision?• TIME

– To plan– To collaborate– To write

• Too many resources• The know-how

According to Katie Wood Ray

How do we solve these dilemmas?

One Answer: INTEGRATION

• Use an inquiry stance to integrate your reading/writing/content studies

• Design units of study that encompass several areas of the curriculum and pull from several resources so that students have the benefit of meaningful reading, writing and revision EVERY DAY

Step I: Understanding the

Framework

Essential Question #1:

What will students read that is like what we want them to write?

The Framework 1. Gathering Mentor Texts

– Samples of the kinds of writing students will do2. Setting the Stage

– Students are given expectations, deadlines, etc.3. Immersion (Getting the Big Picture)

– Read and get to know the texts (reading strategies)4. Close Study (Delving Deep into Craft and

Style)– Revisit the texts with the central question: “What did

we notice about how these texts are written?” – Teacher will model how to use the mentor text to

influence writing5. Writing Under the Influence

– Finish pieces of writing that show the influence of the study

(Study Driven, page 19)

Step II:Determining Your

Focus

Essential Question #2:

What will students be expected to produce?

Envisioning the Product• Genre Study

– Memoir, Literary Nonfiction, Feature articles, etc.)

• Author Study– Cynthia Rylant, Laura Numeroff, Gary Soto,

etc.)

• Process Study– Revision, Using Punctuation. in Interesting

Ways

**These are reciprocal. An author study can also lead to genre studies and vice versa.

One School’s Vision: Inman Elementary, 3rd Grade

• Study Possibilities for Memoir Unit

• As you plan your own individual units, pull from multiple resources (i.e. Calkins’ Units of Study)

Step III:Envisioning Units of Study

Throughout the Year

Essential Question #3

Which genres integrate naturally with content area units of study?

What to Study• As the teacher, you must establish the

purpose for each unit of study.• “Set the Stage” for meaningful reading

and writing with clear expectations• Create a balance of genre study and

time for student driven inquiry• Plan to study something that fascinates

you as a teacher, and your enthusiasm will rub off on your students.

Determining when to teach what and for how

long …• Which genres appeal to you?

Appeal to your students? • Consider both process and product.• Consider which units of study

naturally integrate with technology-based products like digital stories, web pages, podcasts, online research, etc.

Refer to Chapter 12 in The Writing Workshop (page 137-138) and Section 3 in Study Driven (page 189)

One School’s Vision:Clifdale Elementary, 5th Grade

August 2 weeks What is a writer’s notebook? Sparking Seed Ideas

September 2 weeks3 weeks

MemoirRealistic Fiction / Book Reviews / Book Blog

October 2 weeks2 weeks

Informative Practical How to Writing ABC texts

November 1 week2 ½ weeks

List Feature ArticlesFeature Articles (sports / science)

December 3 weeks Crafting Family Stories into Literature

January 2 weeks2 weeks

WWII Historical FictionFeature Articles from History (True Stories)

February 2 weeks1 ½ weeks

Literary nonfiction / Ecosystem unitIntegrated Podcast and Art Project

March 3 weeks Poetry (1 week Connection between Poetry and Songs)Poetry (2 weeks Free Verse / some form poetry)Possible chap book

April 2 weeks2 weeks

Revision Process Study(2 revised, copy-edited pieces due for 5th grade anthology)Multigenre Study (1 piece changed to 2 new genres) *Photostory

May 2 weeks2 weeks

Genre Study of Prompt Writing (PASS Practice)Publishing and Preparing Portfolios (Self Assessment)*Anthology Announcement / Portfolio Parties

Study Possibilities• Feature Articles Based on

Interviews• List Articles• Biographical Sketches and

Profiles• Editorials, Commentary, and

All Things Op-Ed• ABC Texts• Reviews• News Reporting• Photo Essay• Slice of Life Writing• Topical Writing• Survey of Different Kinds of

Writing in the World• Multigenre Writing

•Memoir•Short Stories of Realistic Fiction•Historical Fiction•True Stories from History / Historical Narrative•Crafting Family Stories into Literature•Poetry•Essays•Feature Articles and Literary Nonfiction•Practical How to Writing•Informative How to Writing•Advice Writing

Study Driven , Section 3

My Challenge to You For Today• Review the list of KWR study possibilities with

grade level colleagues• Determine which ones would fit well within your

existing curriculum• Brainstorm a list of study possibilities for your

grade level including:– Genre studies– Author studies– Process studies (the “how” of writing)

• ***Begin to think about how you can devote more time to developing young writers by integrating reading, writing and other content material

“People who write well know how their writing fits into the world of written texts.”

-Katie Wood Ray