Writing Workshop in the Classroom

We use the name Writing Workshop in classrooms to identify that wonderful time when students can explore their own interpretations, ideas, stories and information through writing. The term "workshop" represents just that - WORK!

Writing in schools has come a long way since the 50's and 60's. Back then the teacher gave an assignment and students wrote. They might not have understood the genre or the purpose, but they diligently picked up a pencil or pen and wrote the designated amount of paragraphs or pages.

Today is different. Writing workshop provides tools - instruction. One of the greatest tools a teacher can offer students is the ability to ask questions - the right questions - while they plan and write. Writing is work whether you're 9 or 59 years old. Just because a person has a good idea, doesn't mean that he will be able to write in an effective way. This is where questioning comes into play.

An effective teacher models questioning while thinking and writing in front of the students. For instance, if I was writing a personal narrative in a third grade classroom, I might begin with:
What emotional event or moment do I want to write about?
What is it that I want to share about that? What is my focus?
Why do I want to write about this? What is my purpose?
Who was with me?
Where was I?
What happened first? Or what was said first?
What details can I offer my reader so he can see and hear and feel what I did at that time?

If I was modeling persuasive writing in a fifth grade classroom, I might ask myself:
Who do I want to persuade? Who is my audience?
What do I want them to do, or how do I want them to think? What is my focus?
What are three or four different convincing points that will help me persuade them?
Can I add some detail, or perhaps an anecdote to each convincing point?
What is the big picture convincing point that I want to leave with my audience at the end?

Questioning takes time. I always tell students that strong writers work long and hard before they begin the actual writing of the piece. It takes effort to decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. It's sometimes difficult to think about those specific details or examples that will make your writing pop on the page.

We teach students about writerly questions through our own modeling, by asking them questions as they plan, and by asking more questions when we stop at a desk to help a student who is struggling with that initial idea. We do this because that's what ALL writers do. We ask questions to discover exactly what we want and need to write.

How can I get my audience excited about my focus?
Why would my character do that?
How would she do that?
Does this make sense?
What else would my audience like to know about this?
Why is this so important?
Do I really need this information? Does it add meaning to what I'm writing.

It takes practice, lots and lots of practice, to ask just the right questions, but students are savvy. The more they hear us ask questions, the more they see how questions help writers focus, organize and add development. And the more we model, the more they will experiment.

As teachers, we recognize success when we overhear students asking one another critical questions about their writing. They are becoming independent. They are seeing a purpose for using this tool.

Try it. The next time you model in front of your students, don't just write, think out loud. Ask yourself one question after another and then answer them. Show the process - how you select some ideas and discard others. Let the students watch you mentally sweat. Then provide time in writers workshop for your students to WORK.