Jaime's Reflection- Writer's Workshop

I enjoyed reading the writer's workshop because it was easy to read. The writing was done with simple words and the format was easy to follow. It wasn't a long, boring paper that seemed endless. I'll definitely use all the checklists Greg provided. The checklists will be good to pass out to students or to post it on the wall in the classroom as a guide for students to follow.

I think the writer's workshop is a great way to teach students the craft of writing. One thing that is stressed a few times in this paper is demonstration or modeling. It's important for the students to see and hear how the teacher gets started with writing. I never thought that brainstorming out loud would be an effective way to teach writing. I don't ever recall my teachers thinking out loud. Back then teachers just told you what to do. A writer's workshop will also teach the students to be better listeners and it will also boost their confidence. Students are taught that during sharing time they must show respect and encouragement to the writer. I like the idea of using an author's chair during sharing time. This is a great way for the student to share their writings.

I'm working with fourth graders this semester at Kapalama and during the days that I'm there, I've only seen the students write once. They wrote a letter to some guest speakers that came to their school. I noticed that the students have S.U.R.F every morning for about twenty minutes. Maybe during that time they should do a writer's workshop instead. I think my students would like the writer's workshop because of the fact that they would be able to choose their own topic. They're always telling me about something that happened to them or someone else. I think it would be good for them to get all their thoughts and concerns down on paper.