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Grade 7 Language Arts Name:________________________ Writer’s Workshop Introduction Period:________
Date:___________ What is Writer’s
Workshop? Writer’s Workshop is a chance, in Language Arts class, for
you to write. You will be able to
experiment with, try out, and explore different kinds of writing… …choosing
subjects that interest you …having a
chance to make mistakes without worrying about a grade …learning to
produce writing in the classroom, with others working around you …trying to
write different kinds of things--fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama… Why is it called a
“workshop”? A workshop is
where craftsmen and artists work creatively.
A workshop is a
place work gets done. A workshop is a
place where craftsmen have the tools they need to work. In a workshop,
the tasks usually come from within the artists, not from a boss. A workshop is
usually risk free; if the craftsman produces something that the craftsman
doesn’t like, s/he can treat it as a learning experience without having it
graded by others. In a workshop,
artists are free to ask other artists for opinions about each other’s work
without fear of being intimidated or laughed at. A workshop,
finally, produces work that craftsmen and artists are eventually proud to show
the world. A Writing Workshop
lesson: 1.
Mini-Lesson on some type of writing 2. Practice
of that type of writing 3. Time to work
on the piece of writing you are currently working on (from your folder*) or
start a new piece 4. The last 10-15 minutes are “sharing time” to
sit with a friend and share what you’ve written. 4. Putting
writing back in folders; replacing folders* in their box. But what will I
write? Anything, really. You might be writing poems, while someone
else is writing a short story, while someone else is writing a comic book. You decide…However, as you’ll see, you do have to at least try different forms of writing as the weeks go by. You can’t write the same form all the time. Sounds
easy. I can do whatever I want. This class is going to be nothing! An easy grade! Actually, there are requirements. Writing Workshop gets three grades for the term: 1) Working in class, instead of wasting
time. 2) Producing writing (or brainstorming)
while you are in class, whether it’s good or bad. 3) The final pieces you select for
evaluation. MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS
ABOUT PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS ARE COMING *Your folders will be given to you in class. FAQ,
and other matters… But when are we
reading books? Writing Workshop is two lessons per week. We’ll be reading books and doing other things
in class, too, of course. I can’t write on paper;
I like to write on a computer. There are lots of advantages to that. Sometimes we’ll have our writing lessons in
the computer lab. But if you think you can write only on a computer, you have some bad news coming in the rest of
your educational career. Learning to
write with paper and pencil/pen is still, even in the 21st Century,
an important and valuable skill. You mean even my
final copy can be written by hand? Not
typed on a computer? As amazing as it seems, written copies are fine. In fact, for some personal pieces,
handwriting is better than a computer.
But you may do a neat copy on the computer, too. I can’t write in a
classroom with all these other people. I
have to be alone by myself. Again, there are lots of advantages to that. But again, if you think you can only write in a room by yourself, or
that you can’t write or come up with
ideas in a classroom, you also have some bad news coming. Learning to generate ideas, and write, in a
room with others working around you is something to practice and get better at. How can you give a
grade to creative work? Isn’t that just
an opinion? In many ways, yes. That’s why the “Reasons Sheet” you’ll get in
class, and your drafting and re-drafting, are such important documents. I am mainly trying to judge how seriously you are taking your own
writing. In addition to that, my
experience as a teacher of English helps me in judging the quality. What you have to trust is that I will be fair
(which I will be), and that I will never make fun of you or your writing (which
I will not). What if I’m a slow
writer? You can be slower than others in class; that’s natural. But there is a requirement about producing
work, remember—good or bad. Plus,
there’s the requirement of producing different forms of writing. I believe you will have enough time in class
to write everything that you need to write.
If you think you need to take your writing home, please ask me. You can usually take work out of your folder,
but not take the folder itself from the room.
It’s too valuable to lose. What about those
requirements? How many finished pieces
will get graded? Let’s find out together how long it takes you to produce
finished writing. These first five weeks
will be an experiment for that. We will
work out the requirements together after we’ve been working a while, and you
have a better idea of how much you can actually produce in class each week. So I write all this
stuff, some good, some bad. Then do I
just throw it all away? No! We’ll be
publishing your writing, of course. Publishing takes different forms, from
posters to books. And at the end of the
school year, we’ll publish a big class anthology book of our favorite writing. |