Mini-Lesson • Independent Work • Feedback
• Share
The mini-lesson is the time for explicit whole-class instruction. As implied by the term, the mini-lesson is approximately 5 to 15 minutes in length, and it is focused. The mini-lesson should be planned with one instructional goal in mind. The substance of the mini-lesson comes from three sources: what we know about our students; what we know about good writing and writers; and what national and state standards deem as critical knowledge for our students. The Writing Fundamentals Units of Study provide you with complete mini-lessons that guide you as to the substance, tone, structure, and pace of each mini-lesson.
The largest portion of time in your workshop will be devoted to independent work (15–25 minutes for grades K–1 writers, 25–35 minutes for grades 2–3 and 4–5 writers, and 25–30 minutes for 6–8 writers). This is the time students spend writing. Topic choice, consistency, and feedback are crucial components of independent and small-group work time. Because writers care most deeply about topics they choose, the factor of choice is key in supporting students' voice and honoring their intentions. When students have a choice about their topics, audience, and purpose, they apply teaching instruction in authentic and meaningful ways. The Reiterate portion of the Writing Fundamentals mini-lessons provides a launch for independent work by suggesting writing strategies,
ideas, or investigations.
Feedback is a crucial element of independent and small-group work time. Students need help in determining how to apply instruction to their writing, how to make their work match their intention, and in determining whether they are on the right track. You can provide this help and feedback by conferring with your students on a regular basis. Each Writing Fundamentals mini-lesson provides conference questions that will help you research each student's goals and intentions and decide how to apply specific teaching.
Share is the last component of the Writing Workshop structure (approximately 5–10 minutes). It is a time to physically come together as a community of writers and examine our work, articulate our process, reinforce the mini-lesson, or congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Share sessions might include: having a student share how he or she applied a technique presented during the mini-lesson; how he or she overcame a writing obstacle; having all students tell something they did as writers that they are proud of; or having a student explain something new that he or she discovered during the workshop are all good ways to share and conclude the workshop.
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