Writer’s workshop is hands-down one of my favorite times of the day in kindergarten, first, and second grade. You get to watch these young writers try and try to get their stories down on paper. They struggle to get sentences down, to use correct spacing and punctuation, and to tell a whole story. Then, the light bulb moment happens – the moment it all finally clicks and the words just seem to flow. Their faces beam with pride.
Who doesn’t love that moment?! If it’s been a while since you’ve seen success with your students in writer’s workshop, or if you’re just looking for some tips to help move your writers forward, you’re in the right place. I’m rounding up my favorite blog posts about writer’s workshop as well as sharing tons of freebies!
If you’re not sure where to begin writing in kindergarten, this post walks you through everything you need to know about writer’s workshop. I guide you through all of the parts of your writing block from the mini-lesson and independent writing to conferring and sharing. You’ll leave with a solid understanding of each component.
You can also find FREE writer’s workshop posters on this post! These posters served as guidelines to remind my students of expectations and what to do. Grab them today!
Anchor charts can serve as an amazing resource for our writers. Not only do they show our thinking and learning, but they serve as a visual tool for students to connect prior learning and current learning. This post has a round-up of nine different anchor charts you may want to create to help improve your students’ writing.
One of the most important pieces of writer’s workshop is the conferring time. This is the meat and potatoes of it because you get to really see what growth is happening for each student! Writer’s workshop conferences build stronger authors and allow for differentiated teaching. This post has a step-by-step guide that walks you through the conferring framework so you can also have successful conferences with your students. Plus, I share how I keep track of it all so I feel organized and know where all of my documentation is.
Early on in the year, we began our writing portfolios. I had very little experience with using portfolios, except for what I learned in college. I wasn’t sure how they would actually translate into my own classroom or if I would even like them. But I am here to tell you that I fell in love with them. We kept them each and every year.
This post has four reasons why you should try using writing portfolios with your students. I’m sure you’ll be convinced. You can pick up a FREE crate label for writing portfolios, too!
A writing block that runs smoothly and efficiently can really help students make faster progress in writing. This post has eight tips to help writer’s workshop run smoothly. One tip is to minimize interruptions. Implement routines for students to use the restroom, get water, or interrupt you if needed. I shared a FREE poster to remind students when it’s okay to interrupt in this post, too!
Mentor texts that come from published authors can teach our students many things about writing and provide tangible examples for them to look at. They can teach our young authors:
Reading and analyzing mentor texts for writer’s workshop is a powerful strategy to help strengthen your students’ writing abilities. This post walks you through how to use a mentor text, some of my favorites for writing, and quick tips to help you be successful!
One impactful mini-lesson you’ll want to do with writers in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade is writing wow words. “Wow words” are words outside of their regular vocabulary that make the reader or listener say, “WOW!” For example, using elated for happy. We want to encourage writing “wow words” so students can grow their vocabulary and make their writing more interesting.
This post is packed with ways to get students to expand their vocabulary. One way is to use a Try It First Dictionary. You can download one for FREE on the blog!
Your writer’s workshop block of time will grow from a caterpillar to a butterfly throughout the year! The biggest changes tend to be how the students write, what type of writing pieces they complete, and growth in the ability for students to self-check their writing.
As the year progresses, writer’s workshop should look different from the beginning to the end. Check out these five kindergarten writer’s workshop tips to help you push and engage your young authors all year long.
Some of these writer’s workshop tips I learned through helpful coworkers, research, and personal experiences, and some I learned the harder way through trial-and-error. I hope you can pick a few to try out to make your writing time more successful and run smoothly. If you have any questions, hop over to our Facebook group where I love to answer questions and collaborate with teachers like you!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
One Response
oh my gosh thank you so much!!!! I was just about to sit here and search for clipart and try and make my own.
I printed these on Avery shipping labels, size 8126. they fit perfectly and save time. Plus they stay on really well. I got the ideas from somewhere on Pinterest to use them for labeling folders. That need big labels. You know everything is big in kindergarten! Bless you!
Tkay