Dear Parents/Guardians,
I’d like to tell you a little bit about
writer’s workshop. Each day the workshop will last about thirty-five minutes.
During the first 5-10 minutes, there will be a mini-lesson that will usually
be direct teacher instruction. The focus will be a technique or strategy that
good writers use. After the mini-lesson, students will have the opportunity to
practice the day’s strategy and will then have independent writing time.
While the students are writing, I will
meet with individuals or small groups to confer with them about their writing
and to encourage their growth as writers. Sometimes in the middle of the
independent writing time we will pause for a "mid-workshop share." This will
be a time for me to refocus the group or highlight the extraordinary efforts
of an individual writer in the class. At the end of the workshop, about 5
minutes will be spent giving the students an opportunity to share their
writing with the class or with a writing partner.
Students will write, revise, edit, and
publish stories throughout the school year. They will also begin to assess
their writing and learn to implement the characteristics of quality writing
into their own work. Most of our writing will be kept at school and will be
sent home at the end of the year.
We are excited to share with you our focus
units for the upcoming school year. During each unit, students will be asked
to do a certain kind of writing, but they will choose their own topics. By
giving the students choices in their writing, it makes the writing more
meaningful and engaging. At the close of each unit, we will have a classroom
writing celebration to commend the students’ efforts. In the coming days,
please keep an eye out for a letter explaining our first unit of study.
You can be encouraging your child in
his/her writing efforts at school by having discussions about these topics at
home. The more the children orally talk about their ideas, the easier it is
for them to write about them at school.
Thank you for all of your continued
support. I look forward to reading and sharing your child’s great writing!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Painchaud