Teaching Students How to Write- Not What to Write

I love the personal focus lesson that Wood includes in chapter 13 about using entries from the writer's notebook to find material for poems.  After reading her ideas and example, I feel that I could model this lesson and teach other students how to find material for poems in their notebooks.  I am excited about the idea of using my own writing with the students.  As Wood (2001) points out, "the teaching of writing is very powerful when students see their teacher as both a writing mentor and a fellow writer, not as the 'person who is going to tell us everything now'" (p. 145-146).

It is crucial for students to see us as writers and mentors who do not talk down to them, but who treats them as fellow writers.  I can imagine a wonderful writing workshop taking place in my future classroom filled with writers who are excited about writing.  Even though I am excited about embracing the writing workshop, there is as aspect of it that concerns me.

I am worried about how the first few days or the first week of the workshop will take place.  How will I introduce the writing workshop to students who have never been a part of a workshop class?  How will I effectively explain the process and procedures to them when it will be so new to me?  I know from reading The Writing Workshop how important the introduction and first week of "management and routine" lessons will be for the students.  It would be great to learn more, read more, and hear more about how other successful teachers prepared for that all-important first week in the workshop.

Wood writes in chapter 12 how important it is for us to take the time to know our students and their interests.  Wood (2001) also says that, "we will want to start with studies that build the most essential concepts necessary for their learning throughout the year:  how writers gather ideas from the world, and how to read like writers" (p. 134).  These are concepts that I could introduce to my students early on as we are getting to know each other more.

I also appreciate Wood's suggestion of "getting behind the energy" of the students' interests.  Possibly one of my favorite suggestions from Wood (2001) is "whatever you absolutely love in writing, whatever you are best at, should become a unit of study in your classroom for the rest of your career" (p. 133).  This makes me feel more at ease when thinking about planning units of study and focus lessons.  I know that I can teach what I love.  Even when selecting narrative, picture book mentor texts for this week, I choose two that are focused on mechanics (punctuation in particular).

The more that I read and learn, the more confident I am in becoming a writing workshop teacher.


Ray, K. W., & Laminack, L. L. (2001). The writing workshop: working through 
          the hard parts (and they're all hard parts). Urbana, IL: National Council 
          of Teachers of English.