Guess what? I wrote a book! That’s right: Make Writing: 5 Teaching Strategies that Turn Writers Workshop into a Maker Space debuted Friday and quickly became an Amazon Best Seller. A big thank you to everyone at the WNY Young Writers Studio for being an important part of this project, and hats off to editor Ruth Arseneault, cover designer Tracey Henterly, and interior designer Steven Plummer for their careful attention and incredible work. I’m grateful to Mark Barnes…
This chart provides a glimpse at two different ways to execute a day of workshop. One is teacher-centered, and the other is writer-centered. As you explore them, consider when it makes sense to use each, because one approach isn’t better than the other. Each makes sense, given writer’s needs and place within the process. Both models are reminiscent of traditional structures, but over time, I’ve made small but purposeful shifts in order to increase ownership…
Primary teachers know that drawing is writing and that even our littlest writers have wonderful and very important stories to tell and opinions to share. It’s important to mention that the anchor chart below, which I’ve shared before, is one that is typically constructed one lesson at a time, over the course of days or even weeks. How fast you move depends on the needs of your writers and the time available for instruction. This…
I spent much of last week curled up on my couch designing writer’s workshop units while nursing a killer cold. One gorgeous silver lining: I’ve discovered lemon ginger tea. Another? I’ve had some time to think about how we do workshop a bit differently at the WNY Young Writer’s Studio. Over the years, we’ve become a community that is truly writer-centered. Shifting away from traditional workshop structures and leading from behind was more than a…
During conversations with teachers last week, one mentioned how overwhelming it is to move writers through the revision process and how, all too often, what comes from the effort is more a reflection of the teacher’s thinking and work rather than the writer’s. “If I don’t do the work for them, their revisions are never deep enough. Their final drafts are still pretty weak,” she said. Truer words are rarely spoken, and this is why…
Over the last five years, I’ve had the good fortune to meet and write with a whole lot of kindergarteners, and when I ask them if they love to write, the majority tell me that they do. Enthusiastically. I’ve also had the good fortunate to meet and write with a whole lot of middle school students as well. But when I ask them if they love to write? The numbers are much lower, and their…
Adult writers are often judged by their abilities to sell their work to the masses. In most schools, children are taught to pursue high grades. Both groups are conditioned to value the product they create over the processes they pursue, and while one can certainly understand how this reasoning is influenced by reality, it’s also significantly flawed. I’m thinking of two writers that I used to work with closely: one seemed to write at the…
Name of the Game: Synesthesia Timing: This game is best played once writers have drafted a text that rich and lengthy enough for review. Goal: Adapted from a Gamestorming game by the same name (say that three times fast), this game challenges writers to examine character, plot, setting, theme, or any other element of a selected piece through their senses, enabling a more somatic experience of the text. The intent is to surface new insights…
Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist, tells us that, “Nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original. Some people find this idea depressing, but it fills me with hope. As the French writer Andre Gide put it, ‘Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.’” He reminds us that, “If we’re free…