Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2012
Location
Lower Level, Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-14-2012 9:00 AM
End Date
4-14-2012 10:00 AM
Abstract
The approach to writing instruction for first graders often involves giving rigid prompts to complete, inhibiting the creativity and imagination that young writers are more than capable of exercising. In an attempt to avoid such a practice, I implemented a writer’s workshop in a first grade classroom during my student-teaching experience. By explicitly teaching the writing process through mini-lessons and offering authentic writing experiences, I examined the effectiveness of writer’s workshop on student motivation and writing quality. Using descriptive field notes and student work samples, I provide a narrative account of my three-month self-study and the positive response of my students. The results suggest that the writer’s workshop was effective in motivating students to write as well as improving writing quality. Implementing this framework as early as first grade can help to instill a passion for writing, a skill that is increasingly necessary for academic success as students get older.
Building a Community of Writers: Implementing Writer's Workshop in a First Grade Classroom
Lower Level, Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
The approach to writing instruction for first graders often involves giving rigid prompts to complete, inhibiting the creativity and imagination that young writers are more than capable of exercising. In an attempt to avoid such a practice, I implemented a writer’s workshop in a first grade classroom during my student-teaching experience. By explicitly teaching the writing process through mini-lessons and offering authentic writing experiences, I examined the effectiveness of writer’s workshop on student motivation and writing quality. Using descriptive field notes and student work samples, I provide a narrative account of my three-month self-study and the positive response of my students. The results suggest that the writer’s workshop was effective in motivating students to write as well as improving writing quality. Implementing this framework as early as first grade can help to instill a passion for writing, a skill that is increasingly necessary for academic success as students get older.