2nd Grade Writer’s Workshop Authors as Mentors The heart of the CSISD Writers Workshop Units of Study stem directly from Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Primary Writing and Units of Study for Teaching Writing 3-5. Based on the needs of students and teachers in CSISD as well as the demands of the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) at each grade level, additional suggestions for mini-lessons and resources have been added.
Notes about this Unit of Study: This session represents the official launch for your author study! You will want your student writers to feel as if they are embarking on an entire new journey in their writing lives. In the first few days of this unit, the students will revisit and resume writing Small Moment narratives. All of the following session lessons are based on an author by the name of Angela Johnson. Another choice of author might be considered if the resources are available to support the reading-writing connection made in each session lesson. Whatever author you choose to use, make sure that your students can make the connection that the featured author writes just like your students do. You will want your students to adore their author and identify with them as well. Then, you can encourage your writers to follow the featured author’s model by living wide-awake, attentive lives that lend themselves to Small Moment story opportunities. Also, many of the session lessons refer to the Tiny Topics Notepad. This notepad will embody an emphasis on living like a real author. The students may use a Tiny Topic Notepad as mentioned in the session lessons OR they may continue to use their Writer’s Notebooks.
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Session 1: Discovering Small Moments, as Angela Might Teaching Point: Sometimes writers think of a general topic to write about, and then focus on a tiny aspect of that topic to write about.
Materials: chart paper, markers, Joshua’s Night Whispers by Angela Johnson (or another chosen author’s Small Moment story), Tiny Topics Notepad if you desire to record Small Moments in this rather than the Writer’s Notebook Connect: “Writers, I recently found an author that writes JUST LIKE YOU! I was in the library and found this book.” (Hold up the text Joshua’s Night Whispers OR another book that focuses on Small Moment writing.) “When I find a book that’s a lot like books I’m trying to write, I think to myself that I wish this author could be our teacher. I could see HOW they write, because I’m trying to write the exact same way! For the next couple of weeks, we will learn from Angela Johnson’s writing (or other chosen author) because we are a lot like her. What do you think?” Read the author’s work, pointing out that the author has written a text that is similar to what the students know how to write. “Students, did you notice that this was a Small Moment story just like the stories that you write? Review the characteristics of what Small Moment stories have and compare the author’s text to the students’ writing. Teach (Model): “I am sure that when Angela sits down to write, she probably has a few big, huge topics on her mind. Remember, we might refer to these as ‘watermelon topics,’ those that are too big to write about. Before Angela started writing Joshua’s Night Whispers, she probably had ‘watermelon’ topics like vacations or her son. Those topics are too broad! Angela could have written everything she had to say about her son Joshua…. how he found an acorn on his walk yesterday, how he loves pancakes, and on and on. But Angela decided not to write about a ‘watermelon’ topic, instead she took one ‘seed’ or one topic. So, she wrote just about the time when Joshua heard night noises and got out of bed. That’s a ‘seed’ or Small Moment story.” Show the students your newest addition to Writer’s Workshop. (The Tiny Topics Notepad) “Writers, I’m pretty sure that for Angela to write about this story, she probably saw or heard her son get out of bed. She probably said to herself, “I could write about that.” Maybe she wrote her idea in a tiny notepad like this one. Maybe she wrote ‘Joshua-up at night’ or something simple like that. Then, later when it was writing time, she turned that idea into a story.” Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Now will be the time for students to think of a large topic to write about and share that
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with their writing partners. With the help of their partner, they will narrow down their topic to a ‘seed idea’, one inside that big ‘watermelon’ topic. “Right now, think of a large ‘watermelon’ topic… a trip, a dog, playing with your friend, and tell that topic to your partner. Now, think of a tiny ‘seed’ idea, one detailed story inside that big ‘watermelon’ idea. Remember…. Angela’s ‘watermelon’ idea was to write about her son Joshua. Then she decided on a ‘seed’ idea to write about one time when Joshua got out of bed because he heard noises. She probably wrote that in her Tiny Topics notepad. Turn to your partner and tell them your tiny topic.” At this time, if you would like to have your students use Tiny Topics Notepads, this would be the appropriate time to pass those out and begin preparation to record tiny topics during independent time. Remind students that these Tiny Topics Notepads are NOT for stories, but for ‘seed’ ideas. Try: “Writers, take your partner conversation with you to your independent writing time today. Think about how you took your ‘watermelon’ idea and then looked for a ‘seed’ idea within that larger topic. It’s time to record those ideas in your very own Tiny Topics Notepad.” Allow for time today for students to begin recording topics in their notepads. Share: Gather the group again. Tell the students to begin watching for little things that could become stories. Encourage them to live like writers and begin recording those ideas in their Tiny Topics Notepads. “We’re going to be going home later today. I want you to begin to live like a writer. Today we learned that writers like Angela Johnson write with details because the live with details. Begin collecting tiny, little details around you that could become a story. For example, earlier today I looked out the window and saw bird tracks in the snow. In my Tiny Topics notepad, I could write ‘bird tracks.’ So tonight, look at things in your house. Write a few ideas down in your Tiny Topics Notebook that matter to you. Be like Angela Johnson (or other chosen author). Listen and look closely. Tomorrow, you’ll write with details because tonight you’ll live with details!”
Session 2: Stretching Small Moments, as Angela Might (*Note: It might be beneficial to have read today’s mentor text in its entirety earlier in the day or week.)
Teaching Point: Tiny topics need to grow in our minds before we are ready to write about them. Materials: The Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson (or other Small Moment story by the chosen author used in previous session lesson), Tiny Topics Notepads, Writer’s Notebooks if needed Connect: “Writers, yesterday we started recording ‘tiny topics’ in our Tiny Topics Notepads. Some of you even took yours home and recorded details around you that could turn into a Small Moment story. As writers, it’s important to remember that we not only WRITE about details, but we LIVE in our details too. Earlier, we read The Leaving Morning (or other mentor text by the chosen author)
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and some of you said that Angela might have started this story by jotting down some notes in her Tiny Topics Notepad. Perhaps she just jotted down ‘Moving Morning’ in her notepad and it turned into this! Yesterday, I noticed _______ wanted to write about ‘sports’. He said, ‘I think I’ll write about sports and he opened up his Tiny Topics Notepad and wrote the idea ‘3 Strikes.’ Today, I want to show you how to take a tiny topic idea and change it into a Small Moment story. Remember though, writers don’t just think up a topic and then suddenly write about it…. Writers plan!” Teach: Tiny Topics need to grow in our minds before we write about them. “When Angela Johnson wrote The Leaving Morning, she started with a tiny topic. Guess what writers, it didn’t just grow into a fabulous story right away, this idea had to linger with her. She let it grow in her mind. She probably told the story to herself in her mind many times, or across her fingers, until it seemed right. “ Hold up your Tiny Topics Notepad for your students to see some of your ideas recorded. Choose one that you would like to model today. “Writers, would you watch me today take my tiny topic of “buildings sparkling” and notice what I do with my tiny topic?” Use this time to plan your story out- either by telling it across your fingers, sketching the progression of the story, etc. Active Engagement: “Let’s practice this with another one of my tiny topics in my Tiny Topics Notepad.” Go through the list together, and choose one that seems to interest the class. “Partners, take this topic of ________ and pretend YOU wrote that idea down. Let’s see how we could take this tiny topic and turn it into a story. Tell it across your fingers. Partner 1, tell the story to partner 2. Start with an action. What did you hear or notice first?” Try: “Today writers, we know that we can do the same thing that Angela Johnson does. We can find and record tiny topics and then write about them. Today, and every day, you’ll find tiny topics in your lives. When you go from a tiny topic to a story, remember to give your story time to grow.” Allow for students to give this a try today in their own Writer’s Notebooks or by using their Tiny Topics Notepad to get started. Share: “Writers, come prepared today to share your tiny topic that you turned into a Small Moment story.” Ask students to share their Small Moment stories aloud or with a partner.
Session 3: Studying Angela’s Writing: Ellipses Create Dramatic Tension Teaching Point: We can revise our writing by using authors as our “teachers of
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revision.” Sometimes authors can use a feature that we might want to try in our own writing. Materials: Joshua’s Night Whispers by Angela Johnson (or other chosen author), “Writer’s Craft” chart, Writer’s Notebooks Connect: “Writers, we are going to have an invisible teacher with us today! I’m here in the room, and I’m your writing teacher, but we are going to invite Angela Johnson into our room today to be our imaginary teacher. She’s not here in person, but she can teach us through her work. We are going to look at her work with Joshua’s Night Whispers and try some of her moves in our writing. You know this will work well for us because we’ve all watched great athletes try a skill, right? Then, we try that same skill, just like the pro did. That’s what we’ll do this week with our writing, but our pro will be a writer.” Teach (Model): Distribute copies of Joshua’s Night Whispers (or your chosen text). “Today, let’s study how Angela Johnson writes her Small Moment story. I gave each one of you a copy of her story. Look carefully at the text and tell your partner what you notice about the way she wrote the story.” After you have listened in on their conversations, convene the group back together and begin a discussion about what they noticed. Explicitly talk about the fact that Angela uses “three dots” in her writing. Define for the students that these are called “ellipses.” Reread the portions of the text that contain the ellipses, carefully making sure you pause. Ask the students what is happening in this point in the text when you pause. Pausing creates a feeling of suspense as you wait to find out what happens next. Why would Angela Johnson want us to stop in the point in her story? Reread the text, again and again, until the group has decided that the author wanted a special place in her story that was filled with drama and suspense. The perfect tool to make that happen was to use ellipses. You’re right boys and girls, each time there were ellipses, I wondered what would happen next. I was so glad when Joshua finally reached his daddy!” Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Show the students the “Writer’s Craft” anchor chart that you will begin to assemble together. Explain to them that this chart will help them become better writers. “To help us keep track of what we notice in Angela’s writing, I’ve made a special chart called ‘Writer’s Craft’. There is a section called ‘Where?’ for us to name the book we are using. Sometimes this will be Angela’s books, and sometimes it might be other authors’ names. There will be another section called ‘What do you see?’ and one called ‘Why is the author doing this?’ The last section is called ‘We call it ___.’ Let’s try filling in this chart today by what we learned from Angela and her use of ellipses.”
A sample of today’s chart might look like this: Writer’s Crafts Where? What do you see? Why is she/he doing
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We call it…
Joshua’s Night Whispers
3 dots, 3 times in the story
that? Slows reader down, something more is going to happen
Ellipses
Try: “Writers, you might even want to look at The Leaving Morning to see if Angela does anything similar in this book too. Today during Writer’s Workshop, some of you may want to use Angela Johnson’s craft or technique to help you become a better writer.” Share: Allow writers to share other opportunities in their writing where they used a craft similar to Angela Johnson’s.
Session 4: Studying Angela’s Writing: Comeback Lines *Note: This session gives the writers an opportunity to go from seeing the most obvious features in text (like the use of ellipses) to seeing the less obvious features of a text, perhaps the most significant parts of the text.
Teaching Point: Sometimes, when we revisit a text and take a closer look, we notice more of the writer’s craft. Materials: student copies of Joshua’s Night Whispers (or other chosen text that was used in earlier session lessons) Connect: “Yesterday, a lot of us were trying out Angela’s craft of using ellipses in our writing and you created such suspense! Way to go writers! It’s so exciting to take an author, any author- not just Angela Johnson, and learn from them. When you notice that an author is doing something that you admire, you can try the same technique.” Teach (Model): Pass out copies of Joshua’s Night Whispers. “Today, let’s look closely at this text again, this time looking for a different craft that Angela used. What do you notice about her writing? “ Read through the text again. “Turn and tell your partner something DIFFERENT than the ellipses that Angela uses to make her writing better.” As you reconvene the group, listen to their responses. Guide them to the observation that Angela uses the phrase “night whispers” more than once. Speculate with the students why she might be writing this phrase more than once in her story. Connect this phrase to the title. Discuss how they are the same. Refer to the Writer’s Craft chart that was created previously. Today’s section might look like this:
Where?
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Writer’s Crafts Why is she/he doing What do you see? that?
We call it…
Joshua’s Night Whispers
3 dots, 3 times in the story
Joshua’s Night Whispers
One phrase, repeated
Slows reader down, something more is going to happen Main idea/action of the story
Ellipses
Comeback lines
Guide the students in the teaching point that sometimes authors repeat a phrase over and over again to make a point or to let the reader know the main point of the story. That’s what Angela did in her story. We call this writing craft “comeback lines.” Active Engagement (Guided Practice): At this time, ask partners to look through other titles of Angela Johnson and look for places she might have used comeback lines. If you have chosen another author to study, do the same. If students are able to identify comeback lines, that is a great start. Some of your writers might even discover other crafts she tries. If so, and you feel as if you want to discuss more than one craft in this session lesson, feel free to add that craft to the chart as well. Try: “As writers, we have learned so much from our author. And we still have so much to learn! Not only have we been thinking about WHAT she does, but we also think about WHY she does it. Let’s be thoughtful writers and keep thinking like this. As you work today, you might want to try comeback lines.” Share: Invite a few students who tried out the craft of ellipses or comeback lines.
Session 5: Studying Angela’s Writing: Using Research Details Teaching point: Precise details that we use in our writing comes from researching. Materials: copy of The Leaving Morning or other chosen author’s work to highlight facts, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, shared piece of writing done as a class, individual Writer’s Notebooks Connect: “Writers, join me in noticing how Angela Johnson (or other author) uses small bits of real information in her writing. Yesterday, we noticed that in The Leaving Morning Angela used a lot of facts. She could have written her story like this:” The other day we moved. I kissed the window good-bye. Then we moved. “But instead, her story has A LOT of information in it. She chose to write it this way….” Share a portion of The Leaving Morning with the students. Highlight the version without and with real facts.
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Teach (Model): “Today we are going to learn a new technique. Sometimes writers get information for their stories from their minds, but sometimes writers get information from researching. Let’s take a look at another writer, Robert McCloskey. He wrote Make Way for Ducklings. One day, he saw a line of ducks walking across the street. All the traffic stopped for them. To write about ducks, Robert McCloskey decided he needed to RESEARCH about them. He wanted to know all he could about ducks, so he got some ducks and kept them in his New York City apartment…. in his bathtub!!!! Sometimes, he would take a break from his story, put his pen down, and walk over to the bathtub just to watch them so he could have the exact words to describe them! That’s what real writers do.” Explain to students that is probably the plan Angela Johnson (or other chosen author) followed too. “We don’t know exactly what Angela Johnson did when she wrote The Leaving Morning, but she may have driven back to her old neighborhood to see if it could spark some memories. OR maybe she saw some movers and it sparked a memory of her moving day. What we do know about Angela Johnson and many other writers is that they research their details!” Active Engagement (Guided Practice): *During this time, use a piece of shared writing that has already been completed. The example given on pages 55-56 refers to a piece of writing related to tadpoles during science time. A science related topic would be ideal to add research facts to, but any piece of informational writing will suffice for this session lesson. Whatever topic is chosen, show the original version (without details) and the new version (with research details). Work through the shared piece together, adding details from observations and research. Partner work: “Writers, would you and your partner do more research together (observe/research) and see if you can find more information to add to our piece?” Allow for students to work together and ask for them to share aloud information/research/details they could offer to add to the piece. Try: At this time, students are doing their own research to add to their own pieces. If they can’t do the actual research at school, they can visualize their topic as they add research details. “Writers, I know that sometimes it’s hard to do research IN school if you are writing about something that happened OUT of school. Remember, you can reread your stories and pretend to be in the place you describe. Then you can remember more information and add it to your story.” Share: Teacher selects 1-2 students to share any research details they added to their story.
Session 6: Noticing a New Structure: A “Many Moments” Story *This is PART TWO of the author study. We are now moving into session lessons that teach how writers don’t
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only write the story of one small moment, but can write a story with many small moments. Our goal is to get our student writers to make a decision….. “Do I write about ONE small moment or about MANY MOMENTS linked together?”
Teaching Point: Writers can create a story that has many moments, not just one small moment. Materials: Do Like Kyla by Angela Johnson OR Alexander and the No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day by Viorst, a necklace containing many beads as a visual, When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant Connect: “Writers, you have become experts at taking a small moment and writing it as a story. Today, I want to read _______________ and we will discuss if this is a story of one small moment OR a story of many small moments.” Read either story mentioned above, or another story of your choice that shows multiple small moments wrapped into one story. “So what do you think writers? Is this a small moment story? “ After discussion, explain to the students that sometimes authors decide to write a “Many Moments” story. “What I want you to realize is that sometimes authors decide to make a piece that is like a necklace containing many small moments. (Show the necklace with multiple beads as a visual.) As a writer, YOU get to choose what type of story to write…. Small Moment story or Many Moments story.” Give an example of how this choice might look. “I could write a ‘Small Moment’ story about my new puppy. I held her in my arms and walked into our house with her. This would be a ‘Small Moment’ story. OR…… I could write a ‘Many Moments’ story about all the times I am glad my puppy is in my life. I could tell one story after another about how my puppy makes me happy. That story would be like this necklace.” Explain to the students that over the next few days, they will study how to make a story with multiple moments in it. Teach/Model: Reread the text you read earlier. Ask your students to notice what the author has done. Hopefully, they will see crafts such as ellipses, comeback lines, researched details, etc. Active Engagement: “Turn and talk with your neighbor about this next story I will read to you.” Read When I Was Young in the Mountains by C. Rylant that students can determine which text structure it follows: a Small Moment story or a Many Moments story Try: Send students off to write today, reminding them that they can either continue to use Angela Johnson’s crafts (or other chosen author) or her different structures to use in their writing today. “Writers, you have lots of choices today. You may continue to revise a piece you are already working on or you may choose to start a new piece. Maybe you are ready to start a Many Moments story today.”
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Share: Choose students that were able to decide on a Many Moments story structure today and allow time for them to share how their story followed the same pattern as the necklace that you brought in.
Session 7: C o n t i n u i n g t h e T e x t S t r u c t u r e : Moments” Story
“Many
Teaching Point: Writers understand that each small moment is connected in a “Many Moments” story. Materials: previous day’s mentor text selections, graphic organizer for anchor chart, blank graphic organizer for partner work, new example of a “Many Moments” story for use in Active Engagement portion Connect: Tell students that a thread or idea runs through a “Many Moments” story. This thread holds the moments together. “Writers, yesterday we looked at ________________. We noticed things the author did in their Many Moments story. One idea that you stated was that many of the pages were similar- they felt and sounded the same way. I think that’s the real trick of this type of writing.” Teach/Model: Use the graphic organizer shown on page 82 to teach the students how to find an overarching theme with similar moments in one of the mentor texts read previously. Several pages need to be read to find what the many moments could be. These many moments are written in the smaller boxes. Then, discuss what the common theme is between all of those moments. This overarching theme or main idea is written in the larger box at the top.
larger thread of story or theme Small Moment
Small Moment
Small Moment
Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Allow students to practice in partners as you read another example of a Many Moments story and fill in their own version of the blank graphic organizer. Link: Send students off to write, reminding them that if they write a Many Moments story, they will want to have an important idea in their story that can become their thread, or theme of the story.
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“Today, if you choose to write a Many Moments story, your big idea should come out to your audience loud and clear. You might even want to choose a comeback line to use in your story that draws your reader back to the big idea of your story. Pick something very important as your thread.” Share: Share the writing of two students at share time today. Let the class help you fill out a blank graphic organizer for each of the samples shared. The goal of share time today is to make sure student writers understand how each Many Moments story must have a thread to connect the moments together.
Session 8: W r i t i n g a “ M a n y M o m e n t s ” S t o r y w i t h D e t a i l s Teaching Point: Writers weave details into their “Many Moments” stories. Materials: a chosen sample of a classmate’s “Many Moments” story to be used in whole group time, a different sample of another student’s “Many Moments” story to be used in active engagement time, Writer’s Notebooks Connect: The risk with writing a story with multiples moments is that students will forget to add details. “Writers, our main goal in a “Many Moments” story is to write about many moments together. But we want to keep it powerful…. And to do that we must remember to add detail to our work. These details can show our reader what we have experienced, felt, and thought.” Teach (Model): Using a student’s work that you have already examined, call the writers to a place in the room where they can see the sample. “As I read _______’s piece today, I am going to notice how ______ says a lot about each moment.” Share the piece, emphasizing the small moments together. One idea would be to fill in the previous day’s graphic organizer together to identify the student’s chosen small moments. Once the small moments have been identified, say to the students: “__________ could have written his “Many Moments” story like this.” Give a nonexample of what you are looking for. ( a piece that is missing detail and elaboration) “Listen again as I read ____________’s piece. Listen for the details that you hear.” Share the piece for a second time. Active Engagement (Guided Practice): “Now I am going to read another student’s “Many Moments” story. I will also give you a copy.
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Would you listen as I read this story? When I am finished, I would like for you and your writing buddy to underline details you see ___________ using in their writing.” Link: “As you all go off to write today, you have two more mentor writers to add to your brain! _________ and ________ from our class know how to use details in their “Many Moments” story. Please remember that the details we write matter! Try putting details in your writing just as our famous authors and classmates do.” Try: Students write a new “Many Moments” story or add to an existing one, concentrating on adding detail. Share: Share any samples or areas where students added detail to their “Many Moments” story. Talk about how these details enriched the experience for the reader and the writer.
Session 9: S t u d y i n g N e w A u t h o r s a s M e n t o r s Teaching Point: As writers, we can take ANY author’s work and emulate it in our own writing. Materials: There are many authors to choose from, but any of the following list of authors would be a rich collection of mentor authors to provide for your student writers: Byrd Barlor, Eric Carle, Joy Cowley, Donald Crews, Lois Ehlert, Judith Viorst, and Charlotte Zolotow.
Connect: “Writers, you have learned so much from Angela Johnson’s (or other chosen author) books. Today, I want to be sure that you know that, as writers, you and I can study ANY author. Any day, when you want a tip for how to write well, all you have to do is reach out to a book you love and read that book like a writer, thinking, ‘What works here? How did he/she do that? What did the author do that I can try?’ Teach (Model): Demonstrate this technique by taking another book and starting the process you went through with Angela Johnson’s books. “Let’s take ____________’s example. I will read it aloud and I want you to watch how I read this book, thinking about what __________ does as an author. Later today and tomorrow, you’ll be doing this on your own with new books!” Use sticky notes to mark places where the author used a technique you want to try in your writing. Example: Placing a sticky note in the introduction where the author might have used sound effects. Continue through the text, stopping periodically to attach a sticky note and think aloud WHY the author chose that technique and how you could emulate that in your own writing.
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Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Partners will repeat the process that you just modeled. “Writers, now it’s your turn. Work with your partner on the book that I am going to give you. Use your sticky notes to mark places that caught your attention and discuss how you plan on trying that craft out yourself.” Allow for discussion time after the students have explored their partner sharing book. Link: S u m u p f o r t h e c l a s s w h a t t h e y ’ v e l e a r n e d a n d e n c o u r a g e t h e m to always be on the lookout for authors as mentors. Try: “Writers, we have noticed many things today with our partner in the books that I gave you. Now it’s your turn to return to your writing space and begin writing. Sometimes, authors get right to work and start writing immediately. But sometimes, authors ty to find other authors to give them a ‘jumpstart’ on ideas. Notice I have placed some great mentor texts around our writing space today. Learn from these books, just as you did with Angela Johnson.” Share: Find a few students who used mentor authors today to enrich their own writing. Ask the student to show the class the mentor text, the place of the author’s craft they chose to emulate, and evidence in their own writing of the same craft.
Session 10: E d i t i n g f o r P u b l i c a t i o n Teaching Point: Writers use editing and revising checklists to help them trouble shoot their writing and prepare for publication. Materials: students’ chosen piece for publication, Editing and Revising anchor chart (completed together), Editing and Revising checklist for students that matches anchor chart, final copy paper Connect: “Writers, you definitely know how to prepare for publishing. This is something we know well! Our celebration is coming up and we need to reread the writing we have chosen. We need to ‘fix up’ and ‘fancy up’ our writing. We already know how to ask ‘Is this my best?’ We also know we need to check for details and see if our story makes sense. Today, we need to check for correctness.” Teach (Model): Work together with your class to create an Editing and Revising Checklist that would include all the lessons that you had in this unit. Talk through fair expectations and cross off any expectations that would seem unfair to have at this point in the year. Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Work through the teacher’s copy or another sample, using the Revision and Editing Checklist that was just created together. Model for the students how it takes several times to revise and edit a particular piece. (One day might not be enough for revision/editing of this particular piece. Feel free to extend this session lesson for as long as necessary.) Link: “Writers, we worked so hard together to create this checklist that we think is fair and useful.
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Today, I want to give you a miniature copy of what we created to carry with you to your writing space. Use this to help you ‘fix up’ and ‘fancy up’ your writing.” Try: Give students enough time to work through the editing and revising stages of the writing process. Share: If any students wish to share how the Editing and Revising checklist helped them, allow time for that opportunity.
Session 11: C e l e b r a t i o n o f W r i t i n g Teaching Point: Celebrate with the student writers the immense job they have conquered…. They have chosen an author and used the crafts of the author to transform their own writing! Materials: published piece of writing, refreshments of the teacher’s choosing Connect: “Writers, let’s gather together. It’s time for our celebration!” Assemble the students in the meeting area, in a circle rather than a group. Ask the students to bring their published piece with them. Teach (Model): Let the students know that during this Share Into the Circle time, they won’t be sharing their entire story, for that would take too long. Rather, they will need to pick their favorite part of their story and be ready to share that part out loud to their audience. Model how to hold a finger on the favorite part of the story so that they will be ready to share when it’s their turn. Before starting the Share Into the Circle ritual, model for the students what it means when a student turns their head to the right. “That’s the signal that it’s the next person’s turn to share their favorite part.” Active Engagement (Guided Practice): Ask students to show you how to mark their favorite part to share out loud. Allow them to practice turning their heads to the right, practicing the signal of when it’s time to switch readers. Try: “I am very proud of all the work I am about to hear. You have learned how to model your own writing after that of a chosen author. You have studied their techniques and revised your writing to exemplify those treasured techniques. You have also chosen a piece of writing and revised and edited it. You did a great job. You should give yourself a round of applause.” Share: “Writers, let’s start Reading Into the Circle” with (student’s name). “ Allow for the entire circle of students to share their favorite part of their story. Begin the process of moving the students from a circle formation to several small groups of students.
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“Writers, just as we have a sample called an ‘appetizer’ at a restaurant, we have just ‘sampled’ some of what we will hear more of as we move into our ‘main course.’ When you get into your smaller share circles, share your entire story with your audience. This is the ‘main course.’ Let the students share their writing and listen to their peers as you walk around the room to monitor and enjoy. Ask for the students’ attention as the small group share time begins to come to a close. “Writers, now it’s time for dessert!” Assemble the students for refreshments to bring the celebration to a close. “Writers, you have worked hard and you deserve this celebration today. May we continue to have writing celebrations as great as this one today!”
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