8 tips for teachers

1. Dont tell the student to slow down or just relax.

2. Dont complete words for the student or talk for him or her.
3. Help all members of the class learn to take turns talking and listening.
All students and especially those who stutter find it much easier to talk when
there are few interruptions, and they have the listeners attention.
4. Expect the same quality and quantity of work from the student who stutters as
the one who doesnt. 5. Speak with the student in an unhurried way, pausing
frequently.
6. Convey that you are listening to the content of the message, not how it is said.
7. Have a one-on-one conversation with the student who stutters about
needed accommodations in the classroom. Respect the students needs, but
do not be enabling.
8. Dont make stuttering something to be ashamed of. Talk about stuttering
just like any other matter.

Management of Writers Workshop

Setting in place particular procedures for Writers Workshop allows it to run more smoothly. Examples of
procedures that you may consider include:

when and how students can sharpen their pencils

where paper and other writing tools are kept

date and label everything

write on one side of the paper only and skip lines in a draft

when you are stuck, use the resources in the room to help you (e.g. anchor charts, dictionaries,
'Have a Go' cards or books, other published works, classroom books, other students)

procedures for arranging for conferences, partner editing, publishing

Best Practice Writing Instruction
In our work, we have found that teachers achieve best practice when they concentrate their efforts on the
following six instructional areas:

1.

Writers Workshop - A system for classroom management and the development of an effective
writing community - Focused mini-lessons taught in the context of authentic writing; the majority of class
time reserved for writing; conferencing; sharing; students choosing their own topics and forms; emphasis
on authentic audiences and purposeful communication; writers notebooks; frequent teacher modelling;
five days a week, 45-60 minutes per day at elementary, three days a week at secondary; etc.

2.

Writing Process - Teaching students how to write the way real writers write. - Pre-writing to
develop ideas; drafting to increase fluency and expression; sharing to get feedback; revision to apply
feedback; editing to produce conventional writing; publishing to make work available with others;
assessing to understand strengths and weaknesses and determine goals for improvement.

3.

Writing Strategies - Reliable, re-usable techniques that help writers solve common problems e.g. Topic T-Chart; What-Why-How; Idea-Details; lead strategies; ending strategies; pacing strategies,
transition strategies, sentence strategies, conventions strategies; etc.

4.

Six Traits - A language of quality that defines good writing - Ideas: main idea, details, showing,
purpose, originality; Organization: leads, endings, transitions, pacing, sequencing; Voice: personality,
style, respect for audience; honesty; control; Word Choice: strong verbs, specific nouns and modifiers,
appropriate vocabulary, memorable phrases, grammar and usage; Sentence Fluency: length, beginnings,
sound, expression, construction; Conventions: capitalization, ending punctuation, internal punctuation,
paragraphing, spelling.

5.

Authentic Forms - Helping students explore and master the kinds of writing done by real people in
the real world - narrative, expository, persuasive; informational writing, reviews; letters; newspaper and
magazine articles; etc.

6.

Reading-Writing Connection - Helping students internalize reading and writing as complimentary

aspects of literate communication - analysing reading texts for writing techniques; Studying the same
forms in reading that we want students to write; Reading and evaluating the writing of other students; etc.

Writers Workshop is a framework for writing instruction and practice in the classroom.
Components of Writers Workshop
There are three major components of the Writing Workshop:
1. Mini Lesson (5-10 minutes)

Provides explicit instruction in a specific aspect of writing

Often recorded on chart paper; these 'anchor charts' are later displayed around the room so that
students can refer to them as they wish.

Focus is on four main areas: procedures and organisation (routines), strategies and processes,
skills, craft and techniques

2. Independent Writing Time (20 - 30 minutes)

students are working their way through the writing process - planning, drafting, revising,
conferencing, editing, publishing

teacher is conferencing with individual students, as well as monitoring, encouraging, and

providing help as needed

each student is writing on their own topic and in their own genre

a 'Writers Notebook' or folder may be used for this purpose

3. Conferencing (takes place during writing time)

can take place with a peer or with the teacher

should be kept short

4. Sharing/Author's Chair (5-10 minutes)

focus on students sharing examples taken from the mini-lesson conducted earlier
students do not necessarily share their whole piece e.g. if it's a good begining, they share only
the beginning

try to use a special chair - the 'Author's Chair'

allows students to learn from each other and to see/hear good examples of writing

Watch this excellent short video to see a Day in the Life of a Writers' Workshop...
Mini Lesson Basics

5-10 minutes long

multi-level

precedes independent writing time

explicit instruction

assessment based

focus on procedures and organisation (routines), strategies and processes, skills, craft and
techniques

composed of four major parts: Connection (teacher puts today's work in the context of children's
ongoing work as writers and explicitly names what they'll be learning about today); Teach (explicit
teaching of one important concept that will make their writing better, often drawing upon own writing,
children's literature or student's writing); Active Engagement (students talk to a partner or examine their
own writing for evidence of the concept); Link (encouraging students to try out the strategy in their writing
that day or to add it to their toolkit of strategies)
Mini Lesson Challenges

handling student participation

keeping minilessons brief

teaching with clarity and purpose

maintaining student engagement

The 6+1 Trait Writing analytical model for assessing and teaching writing is made up of 6+1 key qualities
that define strong writing. These are:

Ideas, the heart of the message;

Organization, the internal structure of the piece;

Voice, the personal tone and flavor of the author's message;

Word Choice, the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning;

Sentence Fluency, the rhythm and flow of the language;

Conventions, the mechanical correctness;

and Presentation, how the writing actually looks on the page.

Ideas
The Ideas are the heart of the message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with all the
details that enrich and develop that theme. The ideas are strong when the message is clear, not garbled.
The writer chooses details that are interesting, important, and informativeoften the kinds of details the
reader would not normally anticipate or predict. Successful writers do not tell readers things they already

know; e.g., "It was a sunny day, and the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy white " They notice what
others overlook, seek out the extraordinary, the unusual, the bits and pieces of life that others might not
see.
Organization
Organization is the internal structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the pattern, so
long as it fits the central idea. Organizational structure can be based on comparison-contrast, deductive
logic, point-by-point analysis, development of a central theme, chronological history of an event, or any of
a dozen other identifiable patterns. When the organization is strong, the piece begins meaningfully and
creates in the writer a sense of anticipation that is, ultimately, systematically fulfilled. Events proceed
logically; information is given to the reader in the right doses at the right times so that the reader never
loses interest. Connections are strong, which is another way of saying that bridges from one idea to the
next hold up. The piece closes with a sense of resolution, tying up loose ends, bringing things to closure,
answering important questions while still leaving the reader something to think about.
Voice
The Voice is the writer coming through the words, the sense that a real person is speaking to us and
cares about the message. It is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and
breath. When the writer is engaged personally with the topic, he/she imparts a personal tone and flavor to
the piece that is unmistakably his/hers alone. And it is that individual somethingdifferent from the mark of
all other writersthat we call voice.
Word Choice
Word Choice is the use of rich, colourful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way,
but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. In good descriptive writing, strong word choice clarifies
and expands ideas. In persuasive writing, careful word choice moves the reader to a new vision of things.
Strong word choice is characterized not so much by an exceptional vocabulary that impresses the reader,
but more by the skill to use everyday words well.
Sentence Fluency
Sentence Fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way in which
the writing plays to the ear, not just to the eye. How does it sound when read aloud? That's the test.
Fluent writing has cadence, power, rhythm, and movement. It is free of awkward word patterns that slow
the reader's progress. Sentences vary in length and style, and are so well crafted that the writer moves
through the piece with ease.
Conventions
Conventions are the mechanical correctness of the piecespelling, grammar and usage, paragraphing
(indenting at the appropriate spots), use of capitals, and punctuation. Writing that is strong in conventions
has been proofread and edited with care. Handwriting and neatness are not part of this trait. Since this
trait has so many pieces to it, it's almost a holistic trait within an analytic system. As you assess a piece
for convention, ask yourself: "How much work would a copy editor need to do to prepare the piece for
publication?" This will keep all of the elements in conventions equally in play. Conventions is the only trait
where we make specific grade level accommodations.
Presentation
Presentation combines both visual and verbal elements. It is the way we "exhibit" our message on paper.

Even if our ideas, words, and sentences are vivid, precise, and well constructed, the piece will not be
inviting to read unless the guidelines of presentation are present. Think about examples of text and
presentation in your environment. Which signs and billboards attract your attention? Why do you reach for
one CD over another? All great writers are aware of the necessity of presentation, particularly technical
writers who must include graphs, maps, and visual instructions along with their text.
The writing conference is at the heart of teaching writing and is the core of the writing workshop. The
writing conference is a one-on-one strategy, that takes place between the student writer and the teacher.
Conferring is perhaps the best opportunity for direct and immediate teaching of the complex processes
and skills involved in writing. Individual conferences generally are short, about two to five minutes, and
occur while the other students are involved in their own independent writing projects.
One of the primary purposes of the writing conference is to help students take a deeper look at their
writing and ask themselves questions such as, "What else do I want or need to say?" "What can I add?"
"Does this make sense?" "How can I change this to make it better?" and "What kinds of questions will the
reader ask?" Teachers, listening and asking questions during individual conferences, help students look at
their own writing with a critical eye while also helping them begin to ask themselves these kinds of
questions.
Conferences can occur at any stage of the writing process. As a result, they can be an avenue for one-onone instruction covering a wide range of writing skills, strategies, and concepts.