Writer's Workshop

We have Writer's Workshop every day in first grade. We begin this block with a mini-lesson on how we can make our writing even better, and then we write. We can write about anything we want, but we know that good writers write about what they know. This is why we spend a lot of time brainstorming lists of things we know about. We conclude Writer's Workshop by having one of our classmates share a piece of writing that they worked on that day with the class. We give feedback by offering a star (a compliment) and a wish (a suggestion).

We also know that writing is a process. We begin by brainstorming for ideas using webs and different graphic organizers. Next, we write a draft. Then we revise (Does it make sense?) and edit (Capitalization? Punctuation? Spelling?) our writing. Finally, we have a conference with Mrs. Eckhardt about our piece of writing, and we're ready to publish our piece for others to read!

Practicing writing at home is a wonderful way to improve reading skills! Have your first grader begin by writing about something he/she likes to talk about. Have him/her tell you a sentence first, then have him/her write that sentence down, since writing should sound like how we talk. After getting several sentences down on paper, have your first grader reread his/her writing to check for capitals, punctuation, and correct spelling of word wall words and to make sure it makes sense.