Best PracticeBest Practice: Today’s Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools

by Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels, and Arthur Hyde

“Virtually all the authoritative voices and documents in every teaching field are calling for schools that are more student-centered, active, experiential, authentic, democratic, collaborative, rigorous, and challenging.”

Best Practices for 21st Century Learners in Writing Workshop at Norwood:

• Student-centered: choice and responsibility in all stages of the writing process

• Group work: peer editing with guided instruction and sharing of published work

• Creativity: immersion in multiple genres• Problem-solving: brainstorming, revision, content and

formatting decisions• Interdisciplinary connections: writing across disciplines• Authentic experiences: Write to be read by different

audiences

Goals

• Develop competent, creative, confident writers • Foster a love of writing• Expect and support student ownership of work• Write authentic pieces for an audience• Learn and apply grammar and mechanics in

context

Writing Workshop

• Writing lessons focus on specific skills and/or genres

• Student choice = motivation and enthusiasm• Frequent opportunities to write to develop

skill• Students write to be read• Publish several original pieces a year

Writing Process

• Brainstorming• Drafting• Revising• Editing• Publishing

Kindergarten Word Wall

Kindergarten Teaching Charts

First Grade Teaching Charts

1st Grade Revision Questions

Mentor Texts

3rd Grade

3rd Grade Teaching Chart

3rd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade Teaching Chart

4th Grade Teaching Chart

4th Grade Teaching Chart

Student Writers

• Students are actively involved• Students generate ideas • Students have clear

responsibilities• Students have individual

conferences with teachers and get feedback from peers

• Students have frequent opportunities to write

• Students write for an audience

1st Grade Writing Folder

First Grade Writing Folder

First Grade Writing Tools

Conferencing

Independent Writers

4th Grade Celebration Day

Write to be Read

Read Like Writers

Make Specific Comments

What Parents Can Expect

• Exposure to a variety of genres• Authentic student writing• Struggles and challenges• Progress as writers• Enthusiasm • Developing confidence

What Parents Can Do

• Reading helps writers.• Notice good writing in books: strong verbs, vivid description, realistic dialogue, figurative language. Possible conversation starters:

“I notice that…” “This part makes me picture…” “I like how that sounds…”

• Notice story moments in your everyday life.• Enjoy and celebrate your child’s stories.• Share your own writing!

Talk about your own writing process.

Frequently Asked Questions Question: Are you teaching grammar in writing workshop?Answer: Yes. Grammar is intentionally and specifically taught, and expectations build each year. Grammar and punctuation can be introduced or reinforced during the mini-lesson at the start of writing class. The students are then expected to correctly use the grammar convention in their writing. The grammar taught in the lesson can be added to the student’s editing check-list. Writing workshop emphasizes reinforcing grammar through writing. Worksheets are deemphasized, but not eliminated, in favor of practicing grammar in the context of the students’ writing projects.Question: How much should I help my child edit his/her writing? Answer: Talk to the teacher about what writing conventions and editing strategies your child should consistently use. If appropriate, have your child read his or her writing aloud to find and fix missing words or punctuation. Keep in mind that mistakes are often difficult for children to see in their own writing. Editing and spelling are developing skills. Revision (focus on content) is a separate step from editing.