The Growth of a Writing Project

This year, I've really changed the way I organize and run writing workshop in my classroom. For the first time since I started teaching, my students work independently and know exactly what to do during this time. Before this year, I heard a lot of "I don't know what to write about" or "What do I do after I'm finished with my story?" Now, I rarely hear these statements from my kiddos. What is the difference? Two things-- 1) I very explicitly taught the routines of writing workshop at the beginning of the year. I'm talking EXPLICIT. Like what to do when your pencil breaks. Or where to put completed writing pieces in their binders. Things that sound so simple, yet really hold up writing workshop if they aren't known. 2) I compared the writing process to a growth of a flower. This was an idea that our literacy coach introduced to my second grade teaching team. After I introduced the steps of the writing process, my students were able to understand that a written piece takes a lot of work. They now know that to "bloom" their story, they first have to plant the seed (brainstorm), watch it sprout (rough draft), feed and nourish it (edit and revise), and then finally watch it bloom (final copy). Here is a picture of the bulletin board that I have in my classroom explaining this process:

If you'd like to download a free document containing all of the materials on this bulletin board, click here. Happy planting!