WRITING WORKSHOP MINI-LESSONS:

4 types of mini-lessons:
1) Procedural important info about how the workshop runs 2) Writers Process strategies writers use to help them choose, explore, or organize a topic 3) Qualities of good writing info to deepen students understandings of literary techniques: scene, POV, leads, endings, etc. 4) Editing skills info to develop their understandings of spelling, punctuation and grammatical skills What makes a good minilesson? Show me, help me, let me Debrief of concept, reason for strategy, mentor text, practice/imitate, application to own writing.

Tips:
Mantra: Leave 25-30 minutes for workshop each day! Writers need time to be writers and manage themselves among the many choices available in workshop. http://bit.ly/Zpbvx Write mini-lessons on XL paper and post in writing center. OR, post online. Ideas for making the notebook individual: Graffiti page, picture pages, favorite song lyrics, decorate the cover, name your notebook! Sharing: Whole class, after a minilesson (quick share), at the end of class, read a piece having difficulty with, favorite line (inspiring), read piece where they demonstrate implementation of minilesson. Put favorite line on a post-it, anonymously. T or other S reads. T shares own writing also. Students keep portfolios

Recommended Outline:

Write or draw! Teacher shares 2 of her own sentences. The class chooses one. Teacher asks students how the sentence could be made better. Revise the sentence as a class.

Procedural Mini-lessons:
No Student is allowed to ask:
Would you look at my paper? Is this good enough?

Teacher decisions about the notebook:

Use class appropriate language Dont rip out pages. Music OK while writing, as long as it isnt loud enough to distract others.

How can I help myself?

CHECKLIST: Did I RE-read my own writing? Did I show it to another student? Self- reflect: Why am I stuck? If you still need the teachers help, ** If the teacher cant get to you right away, what are you going to do? KEEP WORKING! **

Mini-lesson - What is acceptable peer feedback?

Warmup Write about a time when words were hurtful. How many of you like getting compliments? Criticisms? How about compliments that arent true? Rationale for lesson: Peer feedback is important because it allows you to get support from someone other than the teacher. Teachers language can sometimes be very challenging to understand, but becomes so much easier when a friend explains it. You provide a valuable service if you can catch others mistakes before the teacher catches it. (If time permits, read Booker and The Nose) Overview Teacher provides a list of the Responders Role:

THE RESPONDERS ROLE

As the responder, you need to show interest and respect. Follow these guidelines. Review the rubric for the form of writing you are responding to so that you will know what to listen for. Listen carefully and take notes to help you remember what you want to say. Ask questions if you are confused about something or want to know Group work Each small group will be given an envelope with sample peer feedback sentence strips (teacher generated). As a group, students will have to categorize them in two columns helpful and not helpful comments. Students can add to this list. Share as a class.

Application - From your own writing, identify ONE paragraph you want to share with a partner. OR. Select a passage (perhaps teachers writing sample or anonymous student sample) and ask students to provide written feedback, using the following format: T Tell something positive A Ask a question G Give a suggestion Go over the kinds of feedback given, as a class. Sharing the process is very important. TIP: Use the same sample text to revise and correct as a class for at least 3-4 weeks, so students are familiar with its content, and SEE the number of ways it can be enhanced. Sample text used in the writers workshop is on page 17 of module 2: http://hisdela.wikispaces.com/Planning+Instruction TO THE TEACHER May pass the following Responding to a Writer tips Comments and questions to help the writer: 1. Identify. What I noticed about your writing Quote a word, sentence, or phrase that caught your attention surprising, memorable, effective, etc. 2. Tell. I think the main idea of your writing is 3. Understand. One part I didnt understand very clearly was 4. Develop. Id like to hear you tell more about 5. Connect to audience. When you wrote about you reminded me of 6. Writers questions to listeners. (Writers create own questions for their to the class:

Also conduct mini-lessons about:

Peer Response transition tasks, setting up your notebook, talking to a partner (volume), brainstorming (when enough is enough), gathering and collecting supplies, end of period (when to start winding things up), start of the period (dont go to desk empty-handed. Collect supplies first), how do you know when you dont have enough to write about. Familiarize students with the 6 traits, and teach students how to give feedback to other students in trait language. **Six traits are like elemers glue that holds the writing together**

Ways of taking notes for a peer conference:

Mark asterisks Post-it notes Draw arrows Write in the margins

Writers Process Mini-Lessons:

Mini-lesson - Draw a penny from memory: (to test how observant we really are. For first days)

Students draw a penny from memory.

Great at the start of writers workshop. Demonstrates how little we sometimes know our world, and things (and people) in it. Connect how a writers notebook is an observing and recording tool of sorts. Not necessary thoughts in head, but useful for preserving what the world looks, feels, smells like right now. Right this minute.

Mini-lesson - Food for thought from the workplace: (to show the value of writing in the real world. Before even introducing the writers notebook)
Table of Contents page (from the writing workshop folder) has several people from various occupations share their views on writing, and how much they need it in real life. Occupations range from hairdresser to financial analyst. Questions posed to these professionals were: What kind of writing do you do? Do you constantly have to be worried about your formal grammar? Why do you wish you had been taught about writing in school? S can reflect on their own views about the importance of writing. If they work, they can reflect on how much its needed on a day-to-day basis. They can also think ahead to what type of job they would like to have in 5 years. Would it help if their writing skills were above par? Question: What do you think about yourself as a writer? After students finish, poll how many just started writing? How many brainstormed first? How many still thinking and didnt get a chance to write anything? (If so, its okay thinking is a part of the process. If dont have an idea doesnt mean you wont get one!) On the board write: What are some methods or procedures you used? o Did anyone cross things out? Checked spelling? How many edited and changed sentences AS they were writing? How many needed more time? How many thought we had waay too much time? How many wrote something that the teacher would like to read? Anyone changed their mind in the middle, and went back and rewrote the whole thing? Main point Writing is a recursive process, and its not the same for everyone! As homework or extra credit, S can interview adults working in various fields, and ask how much writing they do on a day-to-day basis, OR what they wish they had been taught about writing in school.

Mini-lesson Generating ideas for writing projects: (for first days)

After introducing students to the writers notebook, AND after having set up the table of contents, ask student to title a page Ideas for Writers Projects. Here, students can generate ideas as a class about the TYPES of writings there are for example: short story, poem, blog, memoir, cartoons, resume, songs, thank you letter, instructions, etc.

Class share.

Mini-lesson Generating reasons for writing: (for first days, after generating ideas for writing)

Ask students to list REASONS why people write anything! Examples: Something angry about, to convince someone, to make someone laugh, to make fun of someone, to get a job. Teacher can add: to discover what youre thinking (my favorite!) To extend this further, take your class on a GENRE WALK around the school and the parking lot. How are messages sent through different modes of writing. Examples such as graffiti, bumper stickers, student work, motivational posters, announcements, etc. may be added. Think of what are the message which each such genre conveys. T writes 5-6 topic titles (teachers writing ideas) on chart paper. Ask S to choose one. T talks about it. Ask students to title their page IDEA BANK Things they can write about. Write in columns to save space. Turn on music, and give students just a few minutes to generate a list. Class share, if volunteers. Write about anything Have a puppy? Siblings? Walk to school? Have to wait for a ride? Have a job? Dont have a job? Lived in another country? Watched an ant carry a break crumb? Anything!

Mini-lesson IDEA BANK - Generating writing ideas: (for first days)

Mini-lesson Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street: (to help generate writing ideas)
About This Book: Eva is set a homework assignment to record goings-on in her Manhattan neighborhood. A hilarious sequence of happenings ensues and Eva learns that you can find inspiration for writing anywhere if you observe carefully enough. Lesson plan to tie this into a minilesson: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=964

Mini-lesson - Mirror Reflection: (introspection or intro to Speak)

Begin by using real mirrors to teach the reflective process. Borrow enough for each student to have one. As the students gaze at their own reflections, ask this question: "What do you think about while looking in a mirror at your own reflection?" http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/795

Mini-lesson - I Remember Poem: (to help generate writing ideas)

Read I Remember poem. S write own I Remember poems basically, write for 3 minutes and write anything and everything that comes to mind which they remember. After 3 minutes, they choose ONE from list, and brainstorm for 3 more minutes as many things as they can remember about that one topic. Can class share. Each student can choose and write ONE thing on a sentence strip. Post on board. Teacher can type them up in Wordle, and post. Would be great to see the similarities between memories.

Mini-lesson Response to song and picture slideshow: (to help generate writing ideas)
Play a favorite song, along with a slideshow of random pictures (can just google some nature, children, animal shots). After watching the slideshow, ask students to write a response. Either they can choose any one picture, or write about the song. OR, if the song or pictures reminded them of something else, they can write about that. OR, they can simply write about anything that may be on their mind.

Mini-lesson - Main Character Questionnaire:

14 questions that help the writer really get to know the main character of their story. http://books.heinemann.com/Shared/onlineresources/0506/lesson30.pdf Students may also draw character sketches instead.

Mini-lesson Story machine: (or essay machine, for college, persuasive or argumentative essays)
Create two sets of cards, one that contains occupation labels (red A cards) and another that contains odd behaviors (blue B cards). The more odd the behavior, the better. There should be enough occupation cards for everyone to have one, with a few left over. Heres how story machine works. Each writer should draw one card from each pile. Now, ask yourself, Why did Card A do Card B? (Ex: Why did the shoe salesman (red card A) trim the lawn with scissors (blue card B)?) If that pairing doesnt work for you after some reflection, feel free to draw from the additional piles or to trade with each other. You may also want to share your pairings because someone else may get an idea from your selection. Once you have a pairing that works for you do the following, which is a way of thinking through a story from the end to the beginning: 1. Try to think of the event suggested by your pairings as the last scene of a story. You need to supply the motive for the odd behavior and the setting. (EX: In the last scene, the shoe salesman DID trim the lawn with scissors. What drove him to do that? What events led to that end?) 2. Think of a conflict that might be resolved by this odd behavior. 3. Imagine the scene immediately prior to the last scene. 4. Then, imagine the scene that presents the initial difficulty. 5. Begin writing, setting out the initial difficulty and building toward that last scene with the odd behavior. Activity cards for Story Machine can be downloaded at: http://hisdela.wikispaces.com/Assessing+to+Inform+Instruction Twist to change this to an ESSAY MACHINE: For example, for a college essay, pair the topic with dreams and aspirations. Or, can have 3 cards Audience, topic, POV (so students are forced to write from POV other than their own) Can also be done for an argumentative or persuasive essay Pair issues with random position. Students must advocate for or against the issue, based on the cards they drew. Hopefully, this should help them look at issues from different persepectives.

Creative Writing Prompts:

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/ 329 creative writing prompts. Mouse over any number to get the prompt.

Qualities of Good Writing Mini-Lessons:

Mini-lesson - Six-Word Memoirs: (to help find a focal point/main idea to their writings)
Show Six-Word Memoir book preview: http://bit.ly/PxWIz Read sample six-word memoirs from Not Quite What I Was Planning Teacher & students write own Can type them into Wordle: http://bit.ly/2jLBr Add wordle to class blog. S write them on sentence strips. Post on Wall and/or class blog. Make bumper stickers for their cars. Practice in own writing summarize their writing topic in 6 words.

Mini-lesson - Text messages to teach audience, purpose and language:

Show internet abbreviations. S guess meanings, and add to list. Read sample email message, as a class (with excessive abbreviations). Talk about purpose and audience its importance while writing. In pairs, compose 2 letters 1) Letter to a teacher, explaining why s/he is late to class because of something that happened in the cafeteria, 2) Letter to a friend, explaining what really happened in the cafeteria. Volunteer class share. Post on blog (optional). Practice eliminate internet abbreviations in own writing drafts and final pieces. http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=159

Mini-lesson Show, Dont Tell: (to help add details)

On chart paper, write: The kitchen was a mess Ask students what a messy kitchen LOOKS like? Write descriptions on the board. What would a messy kitchen SMELL like? FEEL like? SOUND like? Write additional descriptions on the board. Next, ask students to compose a sentence using these details. Ask for volunteers. If no one volunteers, thats okay. Teacher can maybe share her revised sentence.

Mini-lesson Point of View: (trying out different perspectives)

Teacher reads a few pages from The Three Little Pigs Next, read a few pages from The True Story of The Three Little Pigs. Ask students to name some differences. (The second one is told from the wolfs POV). When youre stuck, try changing the voice! Write from a different characters POV. Remember: The antagonist in your story doesnt see himself/herself as a villain.

Mini-lesson - New Starting Point:

Find a place other than the first sentence where the story might begin. http://bit.ly/pr1tu

Mini-lesson - Word choice continuum: (finding the perfect word)

Come up with 10 words for COLD Put these words on a continuum most cold to least cold.

In own writing, when using common words such as happy, sad, hot, cold, try to use this strategy to generate other options.

Mini-lesson Finding Patterns:

Look for topic patterns in your writing. Which topics seems to emerge in your writing over and over again? Mark with post-its, highlight or use margin notes. Use a left hand page to record the dominant topics. Choose ONE and brainstorm as many details as come to mind about this topic.

Mini-lesson 3X3 - How to get unstuck:

Ask students to name some nouns. Choose one. (ex: summer) In 3 minutes, write as many 3 word phrases ABOUT this word as possible. Dont have to use the word in your phrase. EX: I love summer or Tired of walking or Shade desperately needed. Take a character that has been dominant in your writing. Use that persons name and write as many 3 word phrases as possible. EX: Walle loves mommy, Run play sleep, Pick me up, Leave me alone

Mini-lesson Bringing emotions in writing:

Ask students to write for 2 minutes about the following prompt: Think of a person youre annoyed or upset with. Write a note to that person. Next, write for 2 minutes about this one: Think of a person who needs comforting. Write a comforting note to that person. Lastly, write for 2 minutes about: Think about someone you need to persuade. Write a convincing note to that person. After writing, ask for volunteers to read ONE, but the class will decide which one that was angry or comforting. After a few volunteers, ask students to think about sentence length. Create the following device sheet:

Stylistic Device Sheet Anger = Short sentences, accusation (You!), negative words, questions and exclamation marks. Comfort = longer sentences, empathy (I feel your pain), softer words Persuade = more formal, cant be complaining in tone, not argumentative, bullying or sarcastic. Ask students to look at their own writing and see which stylistic devices they have used in their writings, or which devices can they add? Highlight these changes.

Mini-lesson Adding Sensory Details to the concrete and abstract:

Show a mentor text, with excessive sensory details so its obvious. (EX: The Way Out by Craig Childs) Ask students to name a food in the cafeteria. EX: Pizza Create a list like the one below and fill in the sensory details about PIZZA: o SMELL grease, mildew, cheese, burnt o TOUCH slimy, slippery, soggy, cold o TASTE cardboard, tomatoes o SIGHT slimy, gooey o SOUND crunch, squish 2 min - Write a sentence using some of the imagery generated in the list above.

 o o

EX: The grease from the slippery, cheese-overload pizza dripped on my shirt as I took my first bite. Volunteers may share. Otherwise, T can share own. PART II Next, think of an emotion. EX: Anger Create a list like the one above, and fill in the sensory details about ANGER: (may really have to probe and push students can be tough!) o SMELL hot, stinky o TOUCH sharp, fiery, bumpy, rough, sandpaper o TASTE bitter, sour, metallic o SIGHT red, flames, erupting volcano o SOUND thunder, drums, eruptions 2 min- Write a sentence using some of the imagery generated in the list above. EX: Jessica stood there like a sharp sword, ready to slice anything and anyone that dared to cross its path. Application: Go through your own writing and add sensory details. Use 5 different colored highlighters (one for each sense), and highlight existing details. And/or, add new details. See if you have more of any one sense.

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Mini-lesson Freewrite response to literature: (for TAKS essay practice)

o o o o o o o Read a short excerpt from a novel (EX: The Chalupa Rules by Mario Bosquez) 1 min - Freewrite about what words and phrases stick with you. Ask students to share aloud, as a class. Then, read the excerpt a second time, asking the same question Which words and phrases stick with you? Should get much more observant responses. So hard to get it all in the first reading. Create opportunities to help students feel successful. Next, What prompt is this passage a response to? (childhood memory, important object, perfect day, etc.) 5 min - Freewrite (with music) about ONE prompt that you thought this passage was about, and write about it. For example, if you thought this was about an important object, write about an object thats important to you.

Mini-lesson Response to Literature Adjective-Noun Essay:

Teacher reads short text or essay. Students write 4-6 adjectives which describe most important point or character in the reading. Silently, read through the list, and choose 1 adjective they think is the BEST one. Can change form EX: Luck can be Lucky Next, write a sentence about that adjective EX: Lucky is ____________________ (fill in the definition) Continue on the first paragraph, describing being lucky. BODY EX: Fred is lucky because _____________________ (reason here). George is not lucky because ___________________________ (reason here). CONCL EX: Take out to the bigger world. Can download sample essay + directions at: http://hisdela.wikispaces.com/Writing+Workshop+in+the+Secondary+English+Classroom

Mini-lesson Good writers self-reflect:

The final day when a draft is due, give students 15 minutes to self-reflect. **Collect their papers FIRST!** Ask students to also reflect on their own writing process. What works, what doesnt? Also, ask students to reflect of their portfolios (portfolio self reflection qs - module 4, page 10) + keep Portfolio Record Keeping sheet (module 4, page 11) to keep track of completed writing pieces, and each pieces strengths and weaknesses. Sample student reflection questions: How did I get started on this piece? How did I keep going? What kind of prewriting did I do? Did I make any wrong turns? What did I do? Did I get stuck at any place? What did I do to get unstuck? Did I revise? What? Why? Did I write for a particular audience? What difference did that make? How important is this writing to me? What have I learned about myself as a writer? Am I satisfied with this piece? Why or why not? If I was given more time, how would I make this piece better? How might my future writing change as a result of what Ive learned by writing this piece?

More Notebook Ideas:

1. List in detail all the places you have lived, leaving a line between each place. Next, recall whether you were happy or unhappy in those places. 2. List important family members. What are the dynamics of your nuclear family? 3. List smells indoor and outdoor, and the memories they conjure up. 4. Do you have any recurring dreams or nightmares? List them. 5. Think of your childhood. Is there something that terrified you, made you ashamed, deliriously happy, triumphant, etc.? Write about it. 6. Which Wizard of Oz character is most like you? Do you most need a brain, a heart, courage or to find your way home? 7. What sort of thing can ruin your day? Why? 8. What sound or sounds drive you nuts? Why? 9. Suppose you are a prodigy with some special talent or power. Tell the story of your remarkable life.

10.What kinds of things do you think people feel they must keep hidden from each other? Why? 11.Use hyperbole to describe todays lunch in greatly exaggerated detail. 12.At your age is life easier for males or females? Why? 13.People are the only animals who laugh and weep, for they are the only animals who are stunned with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be. William Talbitt 14.It isnt easy being green. (Kermit the Frog) Finish the statement, It isnt easy being __________. 15.Whatever is on your mind.

Editing Skills Mini-Lessons:

BITE SIZE CHUNKS! Dont do too much in one mini-lesson.

Mini-lesson Use a sample text to refer to throughout the 6 weeks for practice
Two sample texts are in on pgs 8-9 of module 3 (writers workshop). 7th Grade A Horrible Day 11th Grade Secondhand Smoke: A Silent Killer

Mini-lesson Writing by Imitation:

1. His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age. 2. Hectors room smelled of Hot Cheetos gym socks and lies. o Ask students where they think the comma goes in the 2nd sentence. o 2 min Practice writing their own imitation of the sentence. Pick a place and go ahead and use smelled of o Example: Saras room smelled of pressed flowers, dusty love cds, Clinique Happy bottles, and unfulfilled promises. o Take a minute Reread your sentence. Make sure you used commas to separate your series. o Share. o Can redo the sentence as: His room smell of cooked grease, Lysol, and age. (to teach students to check their verbs!) o Or, to teach details: His room smelled of lots of things. o WHAT CHANGED? WHAT EFFECT DOES IT HAVE? (Ask students these 2 questions when comparing sentences, instead of simply asking which is right/wrong. ** NOTE: when teaching writing by imitation, be sure students understand that imitation is very different than plagiarism. Imitation is like art. In fact, all art is a form of imitation! More imitation resources in Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson.

Good resource for teaching the em dash: Love That Dog ** Law of NEON ** Close eyes. Imagine driving down a highway with your headlights off. No lights in the road. Its pitch dark. Out of nowhere, you see a neon sign a billboard perhaps. You see it a mile away! Now imagine, youre in Las Vegas with bright lights everywhere. Do you still see that small neon sign? Probably not. Law of neon says If you wanna do anything for emphasis, do it in numbers of 3, but when you overdo it, youll lose it.

Value of spelling
Show pictures of banners, billboards, ads with incorrect spellings, and how it changes the context of the word. Show the tattoo YOUR MINE!

Teaching Contractions: Mechanically Inclined p. 57, 115 After mini-lesson, highlight contractions in your writing. If no contractions, add a sentence uses a contraction and highlight. Shopping List/Receipt Self check: (with typewriter music) o At the end of each editing mini-lesson, ask students to create a T-chart of shopping list items to checkout and recipt. o Ask students to Shop their paper, and highlight the item in writing, if found. For example, if shopping for apostrophes, highlight them and/or correct them. o Shopping list contains items to shop or check for in paper. o Receipt shows whether any changes were made, and WHY they were necessary. o If student doesnt have any changes, then ask them to write 1-2 sentences that USE that item.