Summer Professional Development # 3- National Writing Project:Immersion into the Writers Workshop

This was a 4 day workshop that took place at Rider University. It ran from 9am-12pm. We were reminded about what a Writer's Workshop IS, as well as ways to incorporate the workshop into our classroom and curriculum of the district.

Day 1- We were introduced to the structure of the workshop. We discussed what makes a good writing community and what makes a good writer. We also learned about conferring with our students. MANAGEMENT IS KEY!! We also practiced a quick-write. These are 2-3 minute writing prompts based on different topics.
  

Day 2- We reviewed an article about various activities to use in a Writer's Workshop. We also just threw ideas around about how we've incorporated writing and reading into our tight day schedules. We also talked about Conferring again.

 

Day 3- We watched several conferences and talked about the qualities of a good conference versus a bad conference. We also talked about peer conferences. There was an adorable video about the different people in a peer review. It is the top 10 mistakes to avoid. Take a look at it here. We also talked about teaching grammar. It is a tough thing to do. It can easily be incorporated each morning in a morning message.

Day 4- We talked about teaching grammar again. We also mentioned "mentor texts". These are books that show different qualities of good writing. We then looked at several activities and created samples of each activity. Then we spent time looking for resources that would be beneficial to us. 

Overall, it was a FANTASTIC week! I was very happy with it.