Writing Partners
Philosophy:
All writers need writing partners to share their triumphs and struggles, to seek advice on
where to go next and how to get there, and to learn from each other’s writing strengths.
Writing partners help one another discover emerging aspects of each other’s writing
Writing partnerships are sacred!
For this first Writing Workshop, I will be selecting your writing partner or partners for
you. At the start of each new Writing Workshop, we will re-select partner(s), so that
everybody can have the experience of learning from and working with a variety of
writers. After this initial Writing Workshop, It is my goal that you will each eventually
self-select your partner(s).
Assessment
You will be assessed as a writing partner by your teacher, by your partner(s), and by
yourself. Assessments will take the form of narrative reflections, oral feedback, and
rubrics. Your performance as a member of a writing performance will be a large portion
of your participation grade and will be documented in your writing portfolio.
Performance: Concrete Signs that your Writing Partnership is Working
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You want to write and you are writing
You are sharing ideas with your partner
Your notebooks are open (Give a tour of your notebook to your partner)
You are showing respect and compassion for one another’s writing lives
Your body language is respectful and appropriate
What Constructive Writing Conferences Sound Like
Writer: When you are giving your partner a tour of your notebook or working on a draft
of your piece, some ways to acquire feedback on your work might look like this:
“Here, I tried to…”
“In this opening, I wanted to…
“And then…
“I still need to…”
Reader: When you are giving feedback to your writing partner, some effective and
compassionate ways to start communication look like this:
“I like the part where…”
“I like the way you…”
“You should write about the idea in that entry…”
“Tell me more about that…”