Mrs. McKenna's 5th graders live like writers because we write everyday.
Schedule of Writers’ Workshop
5-10 minutes: Mini Lesson (Focus Lesson)
A short lesson involving explicit instruction on some aspect of writing which eighty
percent or more members of the class have been trying to master or use in their current
writing project (e.g., description, sensory detail, dialogue, etc.). The strategy is named,
identified, and modeled. Students are given an opportunity for guided practice of the
strategy before going off to independent writing.
40-50 minutes: Independent Writing Time/Teacher Conferences During this time, students continue to work on a current or new piece, confer with peers, begin a new piece, confer with a teacher… The teacher circulates conferring with individuals or small groups, records notes, monitors the class… The conference is targeted and concise and related to the mini lesson and/or specific goals for a student as a writer. Conferences, like focus lessons have a predictable structure: “Research, Decide, Teach and Link, Record”, based on the research of Lucy Calkins.
5-10 minutes: Sharing
At the lesson’s completion, students share writing reinforcing the strategy or skill taught
in the mini lesson, a craft, application of a previous mini lesson, a related mentor text
