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The Writing Workshop: Working through the Hard Parts
This seminal book is a practical, comprehensive, and illuminating guide for both new and experienced teachers that confronts the challenges of the writing workshop head-on.
In The Writing Workshop, Katie Wood Ray offers a practical, comprehensive, and illuminating guide to support both new and experienced teachers. While every aspect of writing workshop is geared to support children learning to write, this kind of teaching is often challenging because what writers really do is engage in a complex, multi-layered, slippery process to produce texts. The book confronts the challenge of this teaching head-on, with chapters on all aspects of the writing workshop, day-to-day instruction (e.g., lesson planning, conferring, assessment and evaluation, share time, focus lessons, and independent writing); classroom management (e.g., pacing and scheduling, managing the predictable distractions, and understanding the slightly out-of-hand feeling of the workshop); and intangibles (e.g., the development of writing identities and the tone of workshop teaching). The Writing Workshop is a book about being articulate―being able to think through what we are doing as we are doing it so that we can improve our practice. It's a book to go back to when things are getting hard. A book that helps us think through, "Now why was I doing this?" Woven between the chapters on teaching are the voices of published writers, followed by short commentaries from Lester L. Laminack. These voices remind us how writers do what they do, thus lending authenticity to what Katie Wood Ray shows us in the classroom, and thoughtfully helping us frame our instruction to match the complex process of writing.
In The Writing Workshop, Katie Wood Ray offers a practical, comprehensive, and illuminating guide to support both new and experienced teachers. While every aspect of writing workshop is geared to support children learning to write, this kind of teaching is often challenging because what writers really do is engage in a complex, multi-layered, slippery process to produce texts. The book confronts the challenge of this teaching head-on, with chapters on all aspects of the writing workshop, day-to-day instruction (e.g., lesson planning, conferring, assessment and evaluation, share time, focus lessons, and independent writing); classroom management (e.g., pacing and scheduling, managing the predictable distractions, and understanding the slightly out-of-hand feeling of the workshop); and intangibles (e.g., the development of writing identities and the tone of workshop teaching). The Writing Workshop is a book about being articulate―being able to think through what we are doing as we are doing it so that we can improve our practice. It's a book to go back to when things are getting hard. A book that helps us think through, "Now why was I doing this?" Woven between the chapters on teaching are the voices of published writers, followed by short commentaries from Lester L. Laminack. These voices remind us how writers do what they do, thus lending authenticity to what Katie Wood Ray shows us in the classroom, and thoughtfully helping us frame our instruction to match the complex process of writing.
278 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
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201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 16, 2014
why: I'm reading this in preparation for training to become an instructor in the Colorado Writing Project.
when: start 6/4/13, end 6/5/13
how: as a hard copy book. I read most of it on my couch, and I filled the margins with thoughts scrawled in blue ink.
thoughts: Out of all of the books I've read about teaching writing via workshop, this on is the most concrete I've read. What I mean by that is that it actually shows you what a writer's workshop looks like and all the little pieces/components of it. I think Kitttle's book on teaching writing goes in deep in a few aspects of this kind of teaching--and that is really important reading to do. But this one really shows you what a workshop looks like. It makes me want to pick up Atwell's In the Middle and re-read it since it's been nearly 20 years since I've looked at that, my first introduction to a reading/writing workshop (which I loved after reading that but never thought I could actually pull it off...)
review haiku:
Workshop formula?
Ha! There'is no such kind of thing.
Teach them as writers.
when: start 6/4/13, end 6/5/13
how: as a hard copy book. I read most of it on my couch, and I filled the margins with thoughts scrawled in blue ink.
thoughts: Out of all of the books I've read about teaching writing via workshop, this on is the most concrete I've read. What I mean by that is that it actually shows you what a writer's workshop looks like and all the little pieces/components of it. I think Kitttle's book on teaching writing goes in deep in a few aspects of this kind of teaching--and that is really important reading to do. But this one really shows you what a workshop looks like. It makes me want to pick up Atwell's In the Middle and re-read it since it's been nearly 20 years since I've looked at that, my first introduction to a reading/writing workshop (which I loved after reading that but never thought I could actually pull it off...)
review haiku:
Workshop formula?
Ha! There'is no such kind of thing.
Teach them as writers.
November 1, 2016
I've read parts of this book in the past, but I never took the time to really dig into this brilliant resource until recently. Although this book was published in 2001, this is still such a relevant book for teachers, both elementary and secondary teachers. Katie Wood Ray explains that writing workshops are where, "the focus is on writers who use writing to do powerful things in the world in which they live" (page 5). She also shares important information about the structure and purpose and joy of the writing workshop. Perhaps my favorite chapter was about conferring (Chapter 14). I appreciate her acknowledgement that conferring can be really hard, tips for how a teacher can get better at conferring, and how significant it is to sit with a student and to talk about his or her writing. In my opinion, this book is a treasure to teachers and literacy coaches. I wish that I had taken the time to completely read it over a decade ago.
May 20, 2010
This book completely changed my views on teaching writing. I have since started another which is just adding to my repertoire of knowledge when it comes to it. Ray and Laminack have done an amazing job building on the idea of having a Writing Workshop in the classroom. They talk a lot about the structure and ways to improve it so that if you have been teaching the Writing Workshop for 10 years or you are in your first year of teaching it, you are able to use the plethora of knowledge to build your workshop. Seeing as I am going to be teaching writing more and more in my classroom, this book will definitely be a continuous reference for me. I highly recommend it to anyone even thinking of incorporating a Writing Workshop into their classrooms.
October 10, 2020
I found this book in the teacher’s lounge 3 years ago and picked it up and put it on a bookshelf. Three weeks ago as I started the writing workshop with a group of fifth graders who do not have workshop experience (and me, who has been out of the experience for a few years), I was grateful to pull this book off the shelf. Katie gave me the courage and many tools to keep at this hard work. Her reminder of its difficulty and strong purpose was what I needed. This book will stay close by as I develop my craft of supporting students in developing their writing craft. As Angela Watson says, « it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. »
December 3, 2017
Katie Wood Ray’s books are awesome. She is so helpful to teachers who are looking for advice to make their writing workshop easier to manage and more engaging for their students.
April 16, 2021
Good resource book, but really focused on k-8.
June 20, 2013
Oh what to say about this book? I knew I would love it from the start--she got me from the preface. It's definitely not the book you should start with, though, if you have no knowledge of the Writer's Workshop. There are other books that I would go to first, and then pick up this gem.
Beyond that, though, there was just so much good stuff in here. I loved what she had to say about sharing, conferencing, and I especially loved her evaluation forms that she has the kids complete as part of the process. I think the biggest thing I got from this book is that I'm going to become a more reflective writing teacher, and I will be able to help my students become more reflective writers.
Loved it!
Beyond that, though, there was just so much good stuff in here. I loved what she had to say about sharing, conferencing, and I especially loved her evaluation forms that she has the kids complete as part of the process. I think the biggest thing I got from this book is that I'm going to become a more reflective writing teacher, and I will be able to help my students become more reflective writers.
Loved it!
August 18, 2007
Love this resource (and the title!). A good, detailed description of WW / mini-lessons, etc. It gave me more of a focus for WW structure and helped me problem solve in some cases.
October 9, 2008
Great starter for the teacher who wants to start writer's workshop. You do need to adjust for K and 1.
Currently reading
March 8, 2009Currently using this book with the g.3-5 Writer's Workshop team.
August 10, 2009
Katie Wood Ray is a master at describing her teaching philosophy through indelible metaphors.
December 24, 2023
An absolute favorite to read and re-read and use as a reference in a writing workshop.
July 5, 2010
Even though I've been doing writing workshop for a few years now, there was lots for me to think about while reading this book.
December 13, 2010
A fabulous book for anyone interested in teaching writing with real meaning.
August 3, 2011
Very good for our elementary teachers' language arts methods text.
July 27, 2011
A bit more applicable to elementary school, but still useful for thinking about writing workshop and how to structure it in your classroom..
Read
February 19, 2012Borrowed by a friend (Sherri)
July 1, 2012
This is an amazing book. Katie knows students and teachers. She addresses the fears of teachers and writing. She is a dynamic presenter as well!
July 22, 2013
I really liked the very precise and applicable information.
January 1, 2015
This book gives a good overview of how to implement a writer's workshop model in your classroom. Provides good examples and suggestions for organization and management.
Want to read
June 20, 2011and another reread
Want to read
November 26, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14819171
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14819171
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews