Literacy Now

Workshop: A physical place where a craftsperson creates something.

Writer: A person who informs, entertains, persuades, remembers, reminds, and expresses using a combination of words.

What’s the difference between a writing workshop and a writers' workshop? Educators tend to use the two terms interchangeably, but I believe there’s a difference. In a writing workshop the focus is on the writing. Teachers hone in on what’s present on the page, what’s missing, and how the writing needs to change to meet a set of standards. In a writers' workshop, the focus is on the writer. Teachers focus on the person crafting the text—helping writers choose topics, purposes, and audiences for their writing and offering suggestions to guide the writer's decision-making process. A writing workshop provides a physical space for writers to work, while a writers' workshop provides both a physical and psychological space for writers to grow. I believe we teachers need to work towards building a writers' workshop within our classrooms.  

In the past two decades, as laws have ushered in more standardized assessments, our writing classrooms have started to reflect a trend towards sameness. A simple stroll down many school hallways reveals this. Student writing, posted side-by-side, often follows the same five paragraph structure—stories that all begin with dialogue leads, or persuasive pieces that have the same exact transitional words threaded throughout the text. One piece sounds exactly like the next—each one as voiceless as the one before. It seems to me that we have started to embrace compliance rather than honoring the uniqueness of the stories our children might tell.

I think we’d be wise to consider our reading lives as we determine what’s important when helping writers develop their writing lives. As a reader, I seek texts that are thought-provoking, emotional, meaningful, interesting, unpredictable, moving, honest, funny, and powerful. Over the past two months I’ve read high fantasy (A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin), humor (Best State Ever by Dave Barry), memoir (Just Kids by Patti Smith), historical nonfiction (Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann), and YA fiction (The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas). Each book informed me, made me laugh, provoked thought, appealed to my emotions. And each author kept me turning pages. If we value these qualities above all others as readers, shouldn’t we work to hone these qualities within our young writers?

As writing teachers, how often do we begin lessons asking:

• What kind of (story, informational text, persuasive essay, poem, digital text) do you want to explore?
• What tone (humorous, sad, thought-provoking, ethereal) do you want to convey?
• How do you want your audience to react?
• What do you need to know how to do as a writer to achieve those results?

In a writers' workshop we work to foster the habits young writers need to form so writing is a routine. And through this daily routine, we work to help writers obtain the cumulative knowledge they need to continuously develop and hone their craft. The focus is entirely on the writer. We help writers develop the skills that will sustain them across multiple pieces of writing.

Here are some of my tips for creating a more writer-focused writers' workshop:

• Know your students: Spend the first several weeks of school engaging in conversations with students about their lives outside the classroom. Use these conversations to match them to writing topics throughout the year.
• Delay genre studies: Resist going into genre studies too early in the school year. Give students the first 6–8 weeks to explore genres on their own. As you learn about your students’ lives, you’ll also learn about their preferred genres.
• Confer: Confer with students for a week before planning an entire genre study. Our mini-lessons should be responsive to what our students create as writers. We don’t know what to teach until we’ve had a chance to study our writers
• Offer an author’s chair: Give children opportunities to share their writing with the class and ask them to direct feedback from their peers.
• Leave time for reflection: Ask students to reflect daily on their learning. Reserve some time (2–3 minutes) at the end of your workshop and ask students to name something they learned. Their replies give you a snippet of authentic assessment that you can use when planning lessons.

I’ve taught writing in some capacity for over 20 years now—from teaching our youngest writers in pre-K to working with adult writers at the college level. When I first started teaching writing, I followed a guide handed to me by the district—I was teaching writing, but I wasn’t teaching writers. Now, I know better. I follow the writer. And my instruction is much more meaningful because I allow them to lead the way.

Dr. Brian Kissel is an associate professor of literacy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A former elementary school teacher and literacy coach, Brian teaches courses, conducts research, and provides professional development in writing instruction. He has a new book, published by Stenhouse, titled When Writers Drive the Workshop: Honoring Young Voices and Bold Choices. You can follow Dr. Kissel on Twitter.

Helping young children grow as writers can be overwhelming for many teachers. How do you jump-start their creative processes? How should you structure writing time? Should you ask your students to share their writing? With so much to consider, it can become entirely too overwhelming to begin. Now what? We encourage you to step back, breathe, and remember what is most important when working with budding writers.

We argue that, above all, the most important first step in effective writing instruction is forming strong relationships with your students. Writing is hard work and extremely personal; if you do not have trusting relationships with students first, they will most likely shut down when you try to talk to them about their writing. The relationships we form with our students become the foundation of our learning partnership. We have found the following tips to be most helpful in creating a classroom culture of mutual trust and respect:

• Writing teachers need to write. Period. If you haven’t experienced the difficulty of finding an idea, deciding how to shape a story, understanding mechanics and conventions, overcoming writers block, and more, it will be hard for you to help the writer sitting next to you. You must do the work you are asking your students to do. Before you start a new genre or writing project, try it first. As you write, think about what was tricky for you, potential problems that might arise for the students, and what felt good. Take notes and use them to help plan the lessons and conferring strategies you might teach. Students know when you are being authentic and will trust your guidance when they see you as a learner too.

• Start with strengths. Nothing shuts down a relationship faster than only focusing on the problems. Each time you meet with a writer, find what “glows” before you work on the “grows.” Praise should focus on specific strategies and techniques. We start the first two weeks of writing time just complimenting our students. We know the heavy lifting will come and we know the pressures of meeting curriculum needs. We also know that when students feel success in learning, they are more apt to continue.
• Listen, really listen. As teachers we often bring our own agendas. We know what needs to be taught and what the steps are for getting there. The problem is when we make a student’s piece of writing our agenda. When you sit next to a writer, ask questions and really listen to what the writer is trying to accomplish. Help the student move forward in their own direction. The agenda items get checked off, but the writer still feels in control.
• Know your students. Even small gestures—such as greeting them at the door, noticing new shoes and haircuts, holding morning meetings, or occasionally hanging around at recess or lunch—go a long way. When you take the time to get to know your students, you are in a better position to help them record and share their stories and passions with the world.

When conferring with young children, many teachers jump right into “teacher mode” and forget the vulnerability that comes with the process of writing. From finding your voice, to mastering spelling and grammar, to mustering up the courage to share your work—writing is not easy to do or to teach. We believe that teachers who take time to build a relationship of trust with students, who show that they understand the challenges and the hard work that accompany writing, and who make an effort to truly get to know their students will see the best results.

Kristin Ackerman is a teacher, writer and presenter. She has been teaching for 14 years and is passionate about supporting students and teachers. She is the co-author of Conferring with Young Writers:  What to do When You Don’t Know What to Do both published by Stenhouse Publishers. Kristin presents to teachers across the country on reading and writing topics. You can find her on Twitter or on her blog literacychats.wordpress.com.

Jen McDonough has been a first grade teacher and part-time literacy coach for 17 years. She is the co-author of A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades with Georgia Heard and more recently co-author of Conferring with Young Writers:  What to do When you Don’t Know What to Do both published by Stenhouse Publishers. Jen presents to teachers across the country on reading and writing topics and is excited about her new role as a K-4 literacy specialist at The Pine School in Hobe Sound, FL. You can find her on Twitter or on her blog literacychats.wordpress.com. 

In my work as instructional coach/reading specialist, I always make a special point to seek out the student teachers in our building and offer literacy strategies, researched articles and books of best practice.

Recently, a classroom teacher asked me to observe her student teacher. I asked if there was something specific on which the teacher wanted me to focus. Most student teachers (and sometimes seasoned classroom teachers) have a firm grasp of their content, but have a difficult time building classroom community. She looked at me with a wry smile and said, “She wants to be everyone’s friend. She’s afraid to create procedures because she thinks the kids won’t like her.”

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. Our rational brain tells us we need routines and procedures to keep our students motivated and safe. However, our irrational brain doesn’t want to disappoint or cause conflict, so we might allow the silliness. It can be a difficult compromise—especially for a student teacher who might be only five or six years older than her senior students. Most student teachers haven’t yet crafted “the look” or haven’t yet acquired “the voice.” It takes time to cultivate a persona, and when one is still learning the science, the art can take a back seat.

I met with the student teacher prior to the observation. I demonstrated the resource I would use to gather data. The resource entitled, The E⁴ Approach, encourages the observer to propose ideas, suggestions and notes of support in a non-evaluative way.

The E⁴ Approach focuses on four major components: Embrace, Expect, Engage and Encourage. The guiding questions are meant as a way for the observer to notice, ask or wonder about a specific component.

The framework encourages flexibility. The individual who is being observed is welcome to use the questions listed, or encouraged to create questions depending upon the emphasis or purpose of the lesson.  Of course, the observer doesn’t need to respond to all of the Guiding Questions and can omit the ones that are irrelevant for the particular observation; or the observer can create other questions more relevant to the particular lesson.

The student teacher appreciated my introduction of The E⁴ Approach and was eager to read what I would write. She felt the questions were valuable and commented that she would “love” my suggestions for engagement since “I feel I’m running out of ideas.”  

In closing, I created The E⁴ Approach as a means to support and assist each other in becoming the very best teachers. Perhaps this document could be used as a way to observe our peers, offering suggestions when teaching a new lesson or giving ideas on increasing student engagement? However you decide to use it, think of it as an opportunity for emphasis, examination and ultimately, excitement for professional growth.

Download The E⁴ Approach template here. 

Peg Grafwallner is an instructional coach with Milwaukee Public Schools. Learn more about Peg on her website.

For the past three years, I have served as an instructional coach at a Title I elementary school. One of my responsibilities is to help facilitate parent and community outreach, therefore I’m always on the lookout for new ways to strengthen the home–school connection and reading strategies and activities that parents can try at home.

In the past, I had used social media, brochures, and our Title I night as connection opportunities, but I still hadn’t seen the impact on student achievement or motivation that I had hoped for. Recognizing the importance literacy and a love of reading play in our students’ lives, I began to brainstorm how I could reach out to families every month, ensure the students have a quality home reading library, and partner with parents to provide reading opportunities at home. 

It was during this brainstorming session that I came across the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and applied for a Literacy Outreach Grant. The online application process was simple; there’s a multipage form consisting of open-ended questions about the project and general information. I submitted the application and we were fortunate to receive $2,000 to use for the 2016–2017 school year. I reapplied to receive additional funding for the 2017–2018 school year, and this year's grants will be announced in September. 

Thanks to the grant, our kindergarten through fifth-grade students receive a literacy take-home bag every month, which contains a new book and at-home resources (such as links to relevant websites and apps, discussion questions, main idea dice templates, and a reading version of Bingo). To date, we have been able to add more than 1,500 new books (which do not have to be returned) into the home libraries of our students. Studies have shown repeatedly that the simple act of providing resources and/or literacy activities positively impacts student literacy achievement. 

I purchased the books from Scholastic, which allowed us to maximize the amount and variety of books we could get with the grant funding. I made sure to have a balance of fiction and nonfiction titles, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Ramona, Frindle, and The One and Only Ivan. 

Since starting the program in September 2016, we have seen an increase in student motivation to read, academic achievement, and parent involvement. I have had parents contact me to thank me for involving them in their child’s reading, and to share how great it is to see their child sit and enjoy reading. We have students who, in the past, would open a book and pretend to read, and some who would openly share that they had never read an entire chapter book. As a teacher and instructional coach, this stuck with me, and now when I come to deliver the take-home bags every month, it's these same students cheering and rushing over to get a bag. A day or two after the bags have been taken home, I have students come up to me and share what the book was about and ask if I know the title of the book they'll get next month. 

With additional grant funding, I plan to expand the Literacy Take-Home Bag program to include additional areas of literacy as well as include our preschool students and families.. I want to ensure every student has a solid, and early established, foundation of literacy, and this begins in the home. 

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation offers grants for summer, family, youth, and adult literacy programs. Funding ranges from $3,000 to $15,000, depending on the program. I encourage you to visit dollargeneral.com for more information and to apply for a grant to impact literacy in your school or community. 

Stephanie Laird is an ambassador and advocate for education, literacy, and teacher leadership. Currently, she is an instructional coach, a member of the Board of Directors of ILA, and president of the Iowa Reading Association. She shares her ideas with educators through social media, professional writings, and by facilitating adult learning nationwide. To connect with Laird, follow @LairdLearning on Twitter or visit LairdLearning.weebly.com. 

Every educator knows the reality of the summer slide. Once school is out, many students don’t continue with academic ventures during the summer months, and they return from summer vacation having forgotten some of the things they worked so hard to learn the previous year.

For reluctant readers, summer is a time when many forget about reading and writing. Some don’t even pick up a book because they are not motivated to read something that’s not assigned.

Parents and teachers may struggle to help students continue to learn over the summer. As a former Title I teacher, I have seen many students make great gains during the school year but return in the fall having lost a lot of progress.

On the other hand, there are students who look forward to summer because it affords them extra time to dive into the growing stack of books by their bedside.

One way to ensure that students have access to summer reading material is by participating in programs such as LitPick Student Book Reviews, which provides books to students in exchange for their honest reviews. The reviews are posted on LitPick’s website, and students receive valuable feedback on their writing.

Students have said that LitPick has helped improve their reading and writing, develop close reading and comprehension skills, and discover new genres that they enjoy.  

Here’s what a few students had to say:

• “Since joining LitPick, I can read much faster than I used to. I find that my imagination has expanded as well, which helps when writing.”
• “LitPick has helped my writing a lot. Writing is hard for me. I have been in the United States for about three years. In Nigeria, I learned and spoke British English, but I really learned a lot when I came here. I really like to read. Fantasy is my favorite type of book. I like to tell others about the books I read and hope my friends will like the same books. With LitPick, I can tell everyone about the books I read. I can work on my writing too. People say I have strong opinions. This is a good way to share them.”
• “LitPick has helped me grow as a reader by further developing my close reading skills and introducing me to new genres/writing styles. Through LitPick, I have read and enjoyed different genres of books that I wouldn't have picked up before. LitPick has helped me grow as a writer by causing me to pay more attention to what makes a book good or bad, which I can now apply to my own writing.”

Teachers and parents are always looking for ways to keep students reading without it feeling laborious or like an assignment. Both children and adolescents need breaks in order to be refreshed, but during the long summer months they also need to be engaged in activities that promote learning and exercise the skills they’ve worked so hard to acquire.

As a teacher, I have witnessed firsthand the relationship between choice and reading motivation. LitPick allows students to choose from a selection of available books. By providing students with choice as well as an outlet to share their thoughts, the program helps foster an authentic love of reading and demonstrates the power of words.

Most U.S. schools have a month before school starts up again—it’s not too late for students to polish their reading and writing skills in time for September. 

Tynea Lewis is a site administrator at LitPick Student Book Reviews. A graduate of Millersville University of Pennsylvania’s elementary education program (with an added certification in K–12 library science), Lewis is a former teacher and an ILA 2016 30 Under 30 honoree.