Turn Up the Volume! Your Students need to Write…A Lot!
What is something you are able to do well? I suppose I would choose singing. I am no Carrie Underwood, but I can carry a tune. My singing ability has certainly grown over the years through numerous opportunities for practice as well as help along the way in a variety of forms. I would imagine that the same would be true of your skill whether it be cooking, juggling a calendar, playing a sport, running or maybe even just juggling! (hehe)
Recently, a question came up in a Facebook group concerning early finishers in a writer’s workshop setting. The teacher was inquiring as to what other teachers have their students do once they are “finished with their piece”.
This had me wondering how writing time, and therefore the process of writing pieces, was managed in this particular classroom since in my experience, students are never finished writing in workshop! The workshop model was developed for many reasons, one of which was to allow consistent opportunities for students to write.
“When You’re Done You’ve Just Begun!”
This quote was always on a writing anchor chart that explained what writers do during independent writing time. Typically, in a workshop classroom, writers have autonomy over the writing process and move from one piece to another at any given time throughout the unit. This allows continued practice of all aspects of the writing process including generating ideas, planning, drafting, revising and editing. Just as with any other skill-playing an instrument or a sport, dancing, public speaking, etc.- practice is necessary for improvement!
Writing volume doesn’t solely refer to the length of a piece. Volume encompasses the frequency and variety of writing activities. Students need exposure to different types of writing, including some that won't be published or edited. This diversity allows students to practice numerous writing techniques and strategies.
Consider a seventh-grade writer learning to master the literary essay and all that comes with it. If there is only one unit within the year that hits on this type of writing, and each student only goes through the process of writing a a lit essay ONE time, will they have met mastery? Or even come close?
This is just as relevant for a first-grade writer, who is just beginning to understand the many purposes of writing as well as the many components-handwriting, spelling patterns, punctuation, structure, craft...I could go on and on. It is necessary for them to not only be exposed to a variety of writing types, but to create them as well, over and over and over again. That is the only way they will begin to understand it and become fluent writers.
Um, how will this work?
I realize you are most likely wondering how it is possible to manage so many writing pieces in one classroom. That same concern, or more accurately, fear, was mine not so long ago. In the lower grades, you will see student’s writing folders that are loaded with papers, many of which will not have more than a drawing or a word on it, and none of them will go together. In others, you will see oh so many books or stories that are completely written.
Here’s the thing: It’s O. K.
First, know that you do not need to look at, and you especially do not need to grade, every single piece of writing they have written. Some will be great, some will have mistakes, some won’t be finished, and that’s all ok too! Every mistake does not need to be corrected, because our focus is on writers, not the product itself. The product is simply a tool for knowing how your writers are doing. As far as unfinished pieces-they are just another “clue” in understanding your writer. You can use that clue to go further in your understanding of their process and knowledge of writing (did they choose a topic that didn’t work out, did they run out of stamina, did they just forget they had it?) Truth be told, in Kindergarten, First and Second Grade, you should not even be able to see all of your students’ writing pieces. There should be too many! All you need to do is use a few to assess their current strengths and needs. Just as a coach doesn’t need to see every practice shot taken in a player’s backyard, you don’t need to see every piece of writing. You only need to see enough to assess their current stage of development.
Ready to Turn Up the Volume?
I hope this post has provided the push you needed to up the volume of writing for your students. They need to go through the writing process over and over again. They need to practice writing fluently, spelling known and unknown word patterns, organizing pieces and all the rest.
Now go make that Anchor Chart!
