Helping students own their reading and writing all year long

    The first grade classroom I visited today was as busy just two days from the end of the school year as they have been at any other time of the year. The room was abuzz with the hum of busy writers. The table was covered with drafts, scissors for "story surgery" and a variety of writers' tools - pencils, markers, different kinds of paper, etc.
    Each of the stories shared demonstrated understanding of the year's mini-lessons and mentor texts. One student commented on the amount of detail in his illustration. One boy reread sentences to capture the punction he intentionally used. Another child, reread and questioned the order of his illustrations, being sure that it made sense. Strong verbs, character descriptions, and the use of dialogue reminded me of the all of the hard work that occurred all year long.  (Yes! First graders!) Their phenomenal teacher, Maryellen was as ethusiastic on this day in June as she had been all year long. Proud and encouraging, she made suggestions for revisions, helped edit, and listened carefully to each student.

    Several of them were working on stories that used Knufflebunny as a mentor text. A few weeks ago, the class traveled around the school armed with cameras. The photos they captured served as the background setting for their stories. They then drew their cartoon characters and superimposed them onto the background photos. Careful thought was given to describing their characters and plot. Humor abounded in stories about penquins who wanted  skates and  a character as big as your pinky! There were happy endings and surprise endings. Each story was different. The voice of each writer came through clearly.

    Writing takes time and can be messy. Maryellen made time and materials available all year long. The writing workshop in her classroom had a predictable routine of a mini-lesson, lots of uninterrupted time to write, followed by feedback from classmates and adults to prompt revisions. Their final pieces were typed and bound into books. Besides learning the conventions of writing, these first graders learned that writing is messy, takes time, and is fun.  All the lessons of the year are now woven into a tapestry of stories to be taken home and read all summer.

Points to ponder:
What does the routine look like in your writing workshop?
Do your students look forward to writing time each day? If not, how can you change the routine? Is enough time set aside each day? Yes, each day, not once a week or when there is time. Maryellen's students expect writing time each day. They are always thinking about what will come next in their writing. They look to their reading for ideas. They look to their friends' writing for ideas. As each child read their stories at the end of the morning, one boy commented on a possible sequel for each one. For the penquins who did receive the wanted skates, the sequel could be about getting skis. Always thinking, always writing!

My Favorite Books about writing: OMG! There are so many favorites!
Any books and articles by Don Graves- Every year I reread Build a Literate Classroom (Heinemann) to remind me of the writing tools I wanted to offer my students
Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray (NCTE)
Writing Workshop by Ralph Fletch (Heinemann)
Writing Essentials by Regie Routman (Heinemann)