Throughout the year, students will engage in different units of study and be on their way to be life long writers. The workshop is structured so that the children know the routine and they know what to expect. It begins with a mini lesson with the whole class. Then the students write on their own and with partners. The teacher will hold conferences with individuals, partnerships and small groups. The workshop ends with sharing. For each unit, writers will go through the steps of the writing process: gathering, choosing a seed idea, drafting, revising, and ending. Finally, we celebrate our writing with a publishing party. Students are thinking about writing, talking about writing, reading about writing, but mostly...writing. The Writing Workshop includes instruction through shared, interactive, or independent writing, the writing process, and grammar.

Personal Narratives
In a personal narrative, the writer tells about one important moment. The children learn to zoom in on a small episode, write with detail, expand the heart of the story, make their characters talk—and they try to write so that the reader can really picture the story.

Writing Fiction
Fiction writers get their ideas for their stories by paying close attention to moments in their own lives. After collecting many story ideas in their writer’s notebooks, they choose their seed idea. They develop the characters, and focus on the character’s wants, needs, and motivations. The story usually develops around the obstacle that gets in the character’s way. There is a focus on integrating dialogue, action, and setting to help bring out the storyteller’s voice.

Literary Essays
Children will read small packets of short texts. By paying close attention to what happens to the characters in our stories, readers can think about what the character learns. They will develop a thesis statement and use the text to support their thinking. Writers will then connect the story’s message to their own lives or to another story.