“The Power of Choice in the Writer’s Workshop”

Amie Pincumbe Lakeview Community Schools

Email:pincumbea@lakeviewschools.net

Lake Michigan Writing Project 2011

Price of a pen… $1.00Price of a pad of paper… $2.00The “power of choice” to write what one wants…Priceless

•Today’s Agenda

Group Anticipatory Set:“I have to write about what…?”

“Why Won’t My Kids Write?” – Description of problem within my Writer’s Workshop

“Let’s Go Shopping for Stories!”Choosing a topic to write a personal narrative

Share Time/ Wrap up with questions

11:00-11:10 am

11:10-11:20 am

12:00-12:15 pm

11:20-11:40am

11:40-12:00 am

Prompting Choice in Narrative WritingStrategies used to generate topics to write

*

Why Won’t My Students Write?”

•Classroom Observations• Students having a hard time

getting started• Head down on desk• Students writing a few

sentences and then were finished

• Doodling in Writer’s Notebook

• Moaning about writing time• No matter how creative I

thought my lessons were they still were not producing quality samples

“In order for children to learn to write and to grow as writers, it is absolutely essential that they are invested in their writing and they care about writing well.”

Lucy Calkins

“

How Can I Get my Students to Write ?

•Lucy Calkins- Units of Study Writer’s Workshop•Ralph Fletcher “Teaching the Qualities of Writing”

•Research Used:

“When children have opportunity and responsibility to choose their own subjects they

are not only much more apt to be invested in their writing, they are also much more apt to

be knowledgeable about their topics.”Lucy Calkins

Prompting Choice in Narrative Writing

“The Concept of student choice is believing that the best , truest topics lie deep within

each of us.”

Ralph Fletcher

• “My Treasure Map of Stories”• My Authority List/ All About Me• My Writer’s Notebook• Shoebox of Stories Yet to be told

•

Strategies to Generate Personal Narrative Topics:

“My Treasure Map of Stories”

• Think of a place where you have a lot of memories about or stories you could tell

•Draw a sketch of that place• Then place a “X” on your sketch where a memory happened

that you could tell or write about• Let’s give it a try!

“My Authority List”/”All About Me”• Take a few minutes and label a sheet of paper “My Authority List”• Then list all of the things you know a lot about

OR

• Draw a picture of yourself• Then write words or short phrases about things you know a lot about

Choose one of the strategies aand give it a try!

My Writer’s Notebook

Shoebox of Stories Yet to Be Told

Let’s Write!• First choose a a topic

from either your treasure map, Authority List or your All Abort Me page

• Circle it• Then begin to write your

personal narrative story• You will have about 10

minutes

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Timeline to Teach Strategies for Narrative Writing:

Share Time

• Turn to a person sitting next to you• First, describe what strategy you choose to use • Then, read your personal narrative piece

Wrap Up• Important Things to Remember:

• Giving students the choice in what they write is powerful!• Teach students the strategies to help them develop topics

to write about• Personal Narrative Strategies:

• “My Treasure Map of Stories”• “My Authority List”/ “All About Me”• Writer’s Notebook• My Shoebox of Stories Yet to be Told

•

“ You only learn to write better by actually writing.”

Doris Lessing

If you want to get your students to “actually write”simply give them the power of choice.”

• References