Writing Workshop Survival Kit

For English teachers and writing teachers in grades 5–12, here is a comprehensive, step–by–step guide to teaching the writing process in a class workshop setting all conveniently organized into two parts.

Part I, The Writing Process in the Writing Workshop, explains the writing workshop, offers specific strategies and tools for classroom management, and provides reproducible handouts and activities for each stage of the writing process, prewriting to publishing. Among the most important topics covered are:

• Structuring Your Writing Workshop Shows how to set up a workshop and includes reproducible handouts such as Student Responsibilities in the Writing Workshop and Rules for Working in Groups.
• Evaluation Provides descriptions of various evaluation methods as well as reproducible evaluative/monitoring devices such as a Skills Analysis Sheet.
• Discipline Includes a list of discipline problems along with specific suggestions on how to manage them effectively.
• Publishing/Sharing Describes various ways to share, from in–class readings to class magazines, and offers information on how students can submit their works to local, regional and national publications.
• Use of Word Processors and Typewriters Presents information on the effective use of technology, from simple writing to producing class publications.

Part II, Using Mini–Lessons in the Writing Workshop, contains three different kinds of mini–lessons focusing on specific writing topics and skills. Each of these mini–lessons stands alone and can be implemented whenever you wish, and many are accompanied by reproducibles. The lessons include:

1. Mini–Lessons for Types of Writing: These 16 mini–lessons feature topics such as Personal Narratives... Essays... Articles... Persuasive Writing... Fiction... Poetry... Plays... and Screenplays.
2. Mini–Lessons for the Art of Writing: These 25 mini–lessons focus on methods and techniques to make writing powerful and expressive. Sample topics include Effective Leads... Conciseness... Active and Passive Constructions... Developing Imagery... Choosing Strong Verbs... and Developing Settings.
3. Mini–Lessons for the Mechanics of Writing: Here you’ll find 59 mini–lessons on topics such as Subject–Verb Agreement... Subject–Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases... Agreement of Pronouns and Antecedents... Combining Sentences for Variation... and Point of View... as well as mini–lessons on words that are easily confused, such as Affect–Effect.

Altogether, the Writing Workshop Survival Kit places at your fingertips more than 150 ready–to–use activities/lessons you can share with your students. They will give your students a variety of interesting writing experiences and help make your teaching in the writing workshop easier and more effective.