First 10 days of Writing Workshop
Day 1: Decorating notebook on first days of school and put in tabs
Note: The day before this lesson you might ask students to bring photos and
personal mementos that they don’t mind cutting or altering
Connect: This year we are going to become writers. Every day we will have a
time set aside to record our thoughts and memories in our writer’s notebooks.
Today we are going to make these notebooks truly our own.
Teach: Take a look at my writer’s notebook. Do you see how I have decorated
the cover with personal photos, stickers, pictures I drew, and quotes? These are
all things that are important to me and that will help inspire me as I write. Also, do
you notice that I have three sections to my notebook? One is for ideas, where I
jot down short phrases that help me remember stories I want to write later. The
biggest section is where I do my writing. The third section is my “notes” section –
this is for any notes we make during our mini-lessons.
(The notes section is used whenever you have a teaching tool you’d like them to
glue into this section of the notebook. Lesson 9 of this series is an example.
Other examples include lists of persuasive phrases, strong verbs, descriptive
language, etc. It’s easiest if these notes are given to students to glue into the
notebooks before the writing workshop mini-lesson, perhaps as morning work.
That allows the mini-lesson to be more focused.)
Active Engagement: I’d like everyone to take three of these tabs and write
“Ideas”, “Writing”, and “Notes” on each. Then place them in your notebook the
way I’ve done with mine.
Give students time to do this. Help them section off their notebook leaving the
largest section for actual writing.
Turn to your neighbor and talk about what you might use to decorate the cover of
your writer’s notebook. Talk about what you might use that you already have and
what you might create.
Give students 2-4 minutes to discuss. Depending on the class, you might want to
assign talk partners at the beginning of the workshop and allow students to keep
these partners for an extended time. This helps keep the active engagement time
focused and students on task.
Link: Today when you go off to your seats, you will decorate your writer’s
notebook. Use this as a time to talk about your photos, drawings, quotes and
other mementos with your friends nearby. Each of these might become fodder for
future writings, so pay attention to the stories you tell your friends.
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Day 2 - What is the notebook?
Connect: We all decorated our notebook yesterday and today we are ready to
start learning about what the notebook is.
Teach: Last year I asked my students what the notebook was to them and these
were the things they said. Look at the anchor chart that we created and added to.
(This will need to be written before the mini-lesson)
The notebook is a place for you to write your thoughts.
The notebook is a place for you to share your stories.
The notebook is where I learn new crafts and techniques.
The notebook is where I take risks. Sometimes they work and my
writing is great. Sometimes I have to go back and think about it
again.
The notebook is sometimes private but other times free for my
classmates to read.
The notebook is mine. I take care of it and don’t ever rip out pages
from it.
The notebook is special.
All of these thoughts were shared and believed by my class last year. The
notebook had a different meaning for each person. All of these are so true. The
notebook is all of these characteristics. I want you to think about “Things That
Writers Do”. We are going to start a chart that we will add to during the year. The
title of our chart is “What do writers do?” I want everyone to tell me some things
that writers do and I will write them on our chart.
Create chart together. Talk through each point that a child makes. Some
examples might be: Writer’s write down their feelings. Writer’s record their
memories. Writer’s pay attention to what happens around them.
Active Engagement: I want everyone to open their notebook and look at all the
blank pages. I want you to touch each page. I want you to think about what the
notebook was to my students last year and what writers do.
Give them time to think as you model doing this with your own notebook.
Those empty pages are going to be filled in with your words and your stories.
The things that writers do, we are all going to start doing. You are going to hear
me call you Writers a lot this year, because that is what we all are. I want you to
turn to your partner and repeat after me. “I am a writer.” Ok….some of you didn’t
think I was serious or you were kind of quiet. I want you to say it again with a little
more excitement. “I am a writer.” Great!
Link: When you go off to write today. You can write about anything you want to
as long as it is something that is true and that really happened to you. I want you
to take this sticker and put it in your notebook on the inside cover. It says “I am a
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writer”. We are all going to get these to remind us of who we are during writing
workshop. We are writers and we need to live like one.
Day 3 - Rules of Writing Workshop
Connect: Yesterday we talked about the notebook and about what writers do.
Today we are going to learn the rules for Writing Workshop.
Teach: I want you to think about a game that has rules. (Soccer, basketball,
monopoly) Turn and tell your partner one rule in that particular game and tell
them why they have the rule in place. (Have some share what they said) So,
rules exist to give us guidelines. What would happen if we didn’t have that rule in
soccer? It wouldn’t make sense right? It would be harder to play the game. In
writing workshop we have to have rules because we want to be better writers.
We are going to make a chart today of the rules for writing workshop.
Rules for Writing Workshop:
We write the whole entire time because we have a lot to say.
The mini lesson is where I learn, listen and share my ideas with my classmates.
During Share time I am respectful of the work that my friends have written.
I encourage my classmates.
My notebook is a special place where pages are not ripped out.
I take risks in my writing because playing it safe won’t help me grow.
These rules are ones that we need to try to live by. They are going to help us.
Active Engagement: I want everyone to initial our chart that we created. I am
putting my initial on here because I understand the rules for Writing workshop
and know that I have to follow these daily.
Link: Today when you write feel free to write about anything that has happened
to you. You can continue with the story you started yesterday.
Day 4 – Collecting Ideas
Note: to prepare for today’s lesson, find a large jar and fill it with 10-20 small
strips of paper. Each paper should have a category from which students can jot
down memories. A few to get you started:
 Memories with my grandmother
 Places I’ve been on vacation
 Times I felt sad
 Strange things I’ve seen
 Favorite pet stories
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Connect: Yesterday we talked about the rules of workshop. Today we are going
to work on getting some writing ideas in our notebook. As writers sometimes we
have to take a day to come up with topics. Writers sometimes have writer’s block
and say “I don’t know what to write about.” Has anyone ever said this? I have!
Teach: Today I am going to teach you one way of coming up with ideas for your
notebook.
Show students a large jar.
This jar is a special jar with lots of seed ideas that will jog my memory about
certain things that I can write about. We are going to pass the jar around and pull
out a piece of paper. We will read it aloud and then write down all the stories that
come to our mind in our ideas section. You might have 2 for one idea or 6.
(Teacher should have notebook out ready to model in hers as well)
Pull out paper –My paper says memories with my grandmother. Wow! That is a
big seed idea…I have lots of those.
Talk out loud as you write them down in your notebook. Model writing a phrase or
short sentence rather than the entire story, which students may want to do
initially. Write 5-6 memories.
Now that you have heard mine, I want you to try and write some memories about
your grandmother.
Give students a few minutes to jot down memories. Then pass the jar to
someone else. Have them continue to do this with 4-5 more people.
Wow I can tell you got a lot of ideas today. The seed jar is going to stay in our
room. We are going to pull it out from time to time when we think we are having
writer’s block.
Active Engagement: I want you to turn and tell your partner which idea you think
you might work on today. If it is piece that you started yesterday that is ok. If it a
new piece then great as well.
After they share, have a few tell you what they are going to write. It is always
good to get them excited about what they are writing before they leave the
carpet.
Link: What great story ideas you guys have written in your notebook. I can’t wait
to read all about what happens. Send students off to write
Day 5 - Listening and Responding to Each Other
Connect: One way writers make their writing better is to get together with other
writers so they can share ideas and give feedback. To share with each other, we
have to be really good listeners. Today we’ll learn what it means to be a good
listener and what a good listener might say to help another person with his or her
story.
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Teach: Today we are going to talk about what makes a good listener and a good
partner. There are going to be times in Workshop when you read your writing to
your partner. We need to talk about the role that both people play during that
time. If I am the one reading my story what should my partner be doing?
Wait for responses. Some ideas include:
 Look at me as I read my writing, listen carefully
 Think about the good things that I have done with my writing
 Think about one thing that they thought I could have changed
 They are my helper and listener.
 They ask questions if they don’t understand something.
Good listeners face each other and look at each other.
Show students how to sit knee to knee and eye to eye
Active Engagement: Today I want you to look at one of your seed ideas that you
have. I want you choose one of the stories and be ready to share it with your
partner.
Give them a few seconds to find a story.
Students practice taking turns telling a story to the person next to them.
Move from pair to pair, making sure students are practicing good
listening behaviors. Establish a signal that indicates the end of partner
talk when students should once again face the front. Some teachers use
a countdown, such as “three, two, one…” Then have them switch and let
the other person share their story.
Link: When you go off to write today, I want you to think about how you told your
partner the story of your seed idea. Think about all the details you used when
talking to your partner. Feel free to continue to work on another story or start a
new one.
Sample “Good Listener” chart:
Good Listeners…

Do
Face each
other.

Nod their
heads.

Think about
what the
person
is saying.

Say
How did you
feel when…?

What
happened
then?

I especially
liked the part
when you
said…
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Day 6 – Defining a personal narrative
Connect: Yesterday we learned about being good listeners with our partners.
Today we are going to learn about what a personal narrative is. This is the first
genre we are going to be working on.
Teach: Write “What is a personal narrative?” on a chart
A personal narrative tells a story or parts of a story. It is about the writer or
someone the writer knows.
Personal Narratives have……
Plot
Characters
Setting
(You will continue to add to this chart as you teach them in reading and
writing…..i.e.: conflict, resolution, climax, transitions, point of view, theme, etc.)
Today I am going to read a text that is a connect book for me. The book is a
narrative text and reminds me of my own story.
My book is Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon. I read the text and then share my story
about getting pulled over at 16 because I was so short. The cop didn’t believe I
was 16. I sat on a pillow and he thought I had a fake id. I had to call my mom.
The police officer felt terrible and kept apologizing to my mom for his mistake.
When sharing your story give great details and include what we charted as a
personal narrative. You might choose a different text to share that connects with
your story.
When I was sharing my story…Would you agree that it was a real story about me
with characters, plot, and setting?
Active engagement: I want you to turn to your ideas section and beside one of
your ideas I want you to write the setting of that story, and characters in your
story. For example my seed idea is “When I got pulled over”; setting - inside car
on Broad Street, characters - police officer, me and my mom.
Give them time to do this
Link: When you go off to write today think about the components we learned
about in a narrative. Continue to write something new or something you have
been working on.
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Day 7 - Reading like a writer (Day 1)
Connect: Yesterday you were able to see a personal narrative that I wrote. Today
I am going to teach you how to read like a writer.
Teach: When reading like a writer, we have to look through a different set of lens.
There are many reasons to read. We read to enjoy, to find information, to get
directions, to learn, etc. When we read like a writer, we look at the text differently.
We look at the words and how the author writes. We look at how he/she uses
punctuation. We also notice things that others might not notice like how the
author begins a book or ends a book, the details they tend to use, and the
language. I am going to read you a book today but I am going to read like a
writer. I do this because I can learn a lot from other authors.
Read text aloud: it can be any text. As you read start noticing all of the things
above that the author is doing and share them aloud with your students. If there
is a line that you like, write it in your notes section titled “reading like a writer”. If
you notice words or want to take notes on punctuation that you liked, record that
too. Do this all in front of the students. In the interest of time you might just read a
section of a text aloud and not read an entire book.
Active Engagement: Now that you saw how I read like a writer, I want you to go
in your notes section and at the top of a page write “Reading like a writer”.
Whenever you have notes that you want to jot down or you heard or saw
something really neat that an author did, I want you to jot it down on this page. If
you run out of room, you can make a new one.
Link: When you go off to write today, I want you to grab a text from this basket.
(Pick ones that have great language and good details.)
As you read, I want you to put on those different lenses. Practice reading like a
writer. If there is something in the text that you notice, feel free to write it down in
your notebook just like I did. At the end of workshop, bring your text back to the
carpet. I can’t wait to see what great writing goes on today.
Day 8: Reading like a writer (Day 2)
Connect: Yesterday we learned how to read like a writer. Today we are going to
continue learning about how to read like a writer, and specifically how to “borrow”
a line of text that we really like.
Teach: Remember that when you read like a writer you are looking at the text
with different eyes, a different lens. You’re not just reading it to enjoy it, but
you’re also studying it to see how the author was able to make you feel the way
you felt when you read it. Have you ever laughed out loud when you read a
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book? So have I! I like to go back and reread those sections to see how the
author made the scene so funny.
Select a text with beautiful, descriptive language. One example might be
“Saturdays and Teacakes” by Lester Laminack. Read a section of the text aloud
that contains descriptive language. Then show students chart paper where you
have “lifted” the sentence/s that were especially beautiful.
I just love how Lester Laminack has this repeating line where he says “Pedal,
pedal, p-e-e-d-d-a-a-l-l” to show how the boy had to go slowly up the hill on his
bike. I like this line so much I’m going to “borrow” it and put it in the notes section
of my writer’s notebook. I’m thinking that sometime later I might try to do the
same thing in one of my stories.
Write the sentence in the notes section of your writer’s notebook.
I won’t copy him exactly, when I use it, but I’ll try something similar. For instance,
I notice that “pedal” is a verb, so if I’m writing a story about playing with my dog I
could keep repeating something that he did. Maybe I could say my dog was
“Jumping, jumping, jumping” as a repeating line. And by the end of the story,
perhaps my dog is getting tired, so I can stretch the words out: “j-u-u-m-m-p-p-in-g” to show he’s slowing down.
Since I’m reading like a writer, I notice these things the author does, and I record
them so I’ll remember to try them later in my own writing.
Active Engagement: Listen as I read this next page, and try to notice something
interesting the author does with words that you think you might be able to try.
Read aloud the next page. Be sure to read aloud a page with descriptive
language such as onomatopoeia or strong verbs or specific adjectives. If
possible, project the text on a screen or give students a copy of the page so they
have visual as well as auditory cues while you read.
Did you hear something you might try as a writer? Turn and tell your neighbor
about a section of the text you’d like to “borrow”. Then write it in the notes section
of your notebook.
Link: Today we learned that one way of reading like a writer is to “lift” or “borrow”
a line or two from texts that we read. Every day you read and write, try reading
like a writer. Ralph Fletcher says that he likes to read books twice – once just to
enjoy it, and the second time to see what he can borrow. In our writing, let’s try to
do the same.
Day 9 – Collecting ideas using Skittles
Connect: Yesterday we learned about how to read like a writer by lifting lines of
text from books we love. But some of you are still trying to think of ideas about
what to write, so today I want to give you more resources for thinking of ideas.
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Teach:
Give each student the Skittles color sheet below and have them glue this in the
notes section of their writer’s notebooks. To save time, this should really be done
earlier in the day, perhaps as morning work. Also give each student an individual
packet of Skittles candy at writing time.
It’s important that authors include their personal feelings in the narratives they
write. I’m going to show you how you might do that. I’m going to reach into my
bag of Skittles and choose one – oh! It’s a yellow one! According to my chart,
that’s a happy Skittle, so I’m going to think of some happy memories I have and
jot them on in my ideas section.
Model thinking of these memories and jotting a quick list.
Skittles colors:
Red – Angry
Green – Sad
Yellow – Happy
Orange – Funny
Purple - Nervous
Active Engagement: Now I want you to try. Pull out one Skittle and see what
emotion it connects to. Then jot down 2-4 memories you have when you felt that
way.
Give students time to do this. Ask 1-2 students to share aloud the list they wrote.
If you have time, let students choose another color Skittles and continue their jot
lists.
Link: Today we learned that one source of ideas is emotions. Stories are less
important for what they say than for what they make us feel. If you have some
ideas for sad stories, then you need to help your readers have that same feeling
in your writing.
Day 10 – Zooming in on a topic
Connect: Yesterday we learned about how to brainstorm story ideas that are
based on emotion. But I’ve noticed that sometimes students have been trying to
write about too much in one story. Today I want to help you narrow your topic
ideas so that you “Zoom in” on a particularly meaningful event in your writing.
Teach:
It will help if you have previously read Marla Frazee’s book “Roller Coaster” to
the students so that you can spend the mini-lesson time revisiting the text rather
than enjoying it for the first time.
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Do you remember when we read “Roller Coaster” by Marla Frazee? She chose
to “zoom in” her story on just the roller coaster ride. She included her emotions,
like we talked about yesterday.
Place a large example of the circles below on chart paper.
She could have written her story about her entire day at the amusement park, but
that topic would have been too big.
Write “amusement park” in the biggest circle.
She decided to narrow her topic. She decided to write about the rides at the
amusement park instead.
Write “rides” in the middle circle.
But she decided there were just too many rides at the park, so she decided to
narrow her topic even more and write just about the roller coaster.
Write “roller coaster” in the smallest circle.
Do you see how her story is much more powerful because she zoomed in on just
this ride and how she felt? She didn’t include too much – it was just right.
Active Engagement: Now I want you to try. Let’s do this together.
Pass out individual copies of the “Zooming In” sheet below.
What’s something we could write about? I know – everyone probably did
something interesting this summer. Everyone write “summer” in the biggest
circle. But that topic is too big, right? Turn to your neighbor and narrow this topic
some. What’s something smaller you could write about?
Give students a chance to turn and talk. Listen for a pair who narrowed their topic
well, but not too much.
I heard Jimmy turn to Jose and say he went to the beach this summer. Let’s use
their example on this large sheet while you write yours on your sheets.
Write “beach” in the middle circle.
That’s still a pretty big topic, Jimmy. Can you narrow the topic even more? Can
you tell us about one scene, one event that happened while you were at the
beach?
Probe for activities such as sand castle building, watching a man fish for sharks,
eating ice cream, etc.. Try to avoid vague general topics such as “swimming”
since that probably happened every day. We want the students to think of one
particular event that they can describe. For instance, “swimming” would be ok if
it’s accompanied with details, such as “swimming and stepping on a jellyfish”.
Write Jimmy’s idea on the big sheet and ask everyone else to turn and talk and
narrow their topics even more.
By narrowing our topics we can now write a more interesting story, just like Marla
Frazee did. We can include details and emotions and help our readers feel like
they’re really there with us.
Link: Today we learned that stories can be much more interesting if we zoom in
and narrow our topic. Today when you go to write, make sure you’ve narrowed
your topic and that it’s not too big. You might write about your idea from today, or
if you’re in the middle of a story you started earlier you may continue that one.
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Zooming In
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