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About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers
About the Authors is about the littlest authorsthose in kindergarten through second grade. Based on a profound understanding of the ways in which young children learn, it shows teachers how to launch a writing workshop by inviting children to do what they do naturallymake stuff. So why not write books? Gifted educator and author of the best-selling What You Know by Heart (Heinemann, 2002), Katie Wood Ray has seen young authors do just that. And she wants your students to be able to do the same. Beautifully describing young children in the act of learning, she demonstrates what it takes to nourish writing right from the What's more, Ray explains step by step how to set up and maintain a primary writing workshop, detailing eleven units of study that cover idea generation, text structures, different genres, and illustrations that work with text. She also draws on data, projects, and the language of teaching used in the classroom of first-grade teacher Lisa Cleaveland. Ray allows readers to listen in to Lisa as she helps her young students learn from professional writers, work with intention, and think about their own process. Chockfull of examples of little books by young children, About the Authors is proof positive that a primary writing workshop is a smart writing move.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2004
12 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 5, 2010
This is a great book! It really shows you how to get your students to engage in writing! I would recommend this book to teachers.
August 23, 2018
Katie Wood Ray is my go to for writing in the classroom. Her insights, examples, and approaches to working with our youngest writers makes perfect sense. My students leave in May knowing they are authors and illustrators!
December 3, 2017
Changed everything about how I teach writing.
June 13, 2018
So so Helpful! Full of sticky notes and highlighting. Great reference.
October 13, 2018
A great resource if you are teaching Writing to Kinder or 1st especially.
September 16, 2010
In About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, Katie Wood Ray does an excellent job describing and detailing a writing workshop process for lower elementary students. First, Ray takes the reader (future teachers) through a step-by-step process of beginning to set up a writing workshop in our own classrooms. This includes details such as the classroom setup, guidelines for student writing, daily schedule/time for writing, and places to put materials. She also points out how important it is for our young writers to read like writers. To expand on this thought, reading like a writer is more than just skimming the words and wondering what the text is about; you notice and ponder how the text is written.
Ray goes on to describe what we should do in a writing workshop to make it successful. Children should not only be writing but need to explore all different aspects of language because that is what will help them become powerful writers. We as teachers need to keep students continuously writing to see that they are learning and exploring language in different ways. Ray describes how every writer does not go by the same list of steps to produce written work. Some go about it in very different ways so they can create the best work they can. Ray also describes how students need to edit and revise their work. Our goals as a teacher is not to expect a perfectly edited piece of writing, but to see that our students are editing their papers using the conventions of spelling and language that they are familiar with to produce the best piece of writing they can.
Ray explained how to set up a writing conference among children in the classroom. She also stressed how when you are having a writing conference it is important not to overwhelm the young writer with too many mechanics about their writing. Within writing workshops, it is important to allow the students to pick their own topics of writing. This is because, in the end, that is where the most heartfelt work will surface. Ray discusses that it is not always the topic that needs to be picked for the students. However, we can instead pick the genre and allow the students to embrace any topic that moves them. It is key to allow students to share during writing workshops because each writer has a voice that needs to be heard.
At the conclusion of About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, there are numerous activities that students can complete in the writing workshop. There are many tools for teachers to use to effectively run these workshops in their classrooms, as well. We thoroughly enjoyed reading this text and are excited to implement Ray’s views in our own teaching. Overall, Ray produced an extremely helpful book for all writing teachers to have because it eases the fear of teaching Language Arts to even our youngest writers.
Ray goes on to describe what we should do in a writing workshop to make it successful. Children should not only be writing but need to explore all different aspects of language because that is what will help them become powerful writers. We as teachers need to keep students continuously writing to see that they are learning and exploring language in different ways. Ray describes how every writer does not go by the same list of steps to produce written work. Some go about it in very different ways so they can create the best work they can. Ray also describes how students need to edit and revise their work. Our goals as a teacher is not to expect a perfectly edited piece of writing, but to see that our students are editing their papers using the conventions of spelling and language that they are familiar with to produce the best piece of writing they can.
Ray explained how to set up a writing conference among children in the classroom. She also stressed how when you are having a writing conference it is important not to overwhelm the young writer with too many mechanics about their writing. Within writing workshops, it is important to allow the students to pick their own topics of writing. This is because, in the end, that is where the most heartfelt work will surface. Ray discusses that it is not always the topic that needs to be picked for the students. However, we can instead pick the genre and allow the students to embrace any topic that moves them. It is key to allow students to share during writing workshops because each writer has a voice that needs to be heard.
At the conclusion of About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, there are numerous activities that students can complete in the writing workshop. There are many tools for teachers to use to effectively run these workshops in their classrooms, as well. We thoroughly enjoyed reading this text and are excited to implement Ray’s views in our own teaching. Overall, Ray produced an extremely helpful book for all writing teachers to have because it eases the fear of teaching Language Arts to even our youngest writers.
January 16, 2014
In About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, Katie Wood Ray does an excellent job describing and detailing a writing workshop process for lower elementary students. First, Ray takes the reader (future teachers) through a step-by-step process of beginning to set up a writing workshop in our own classrooms. This includes details such as the classroom setup, guidelines for student writing, daily schedule/time for writing, and places to put materials. She also points out how important it is for our young writers to read like writers. To expand on this thought, reading like a writer is more than just skimming the words and wondering what the text is about; you notice and ponder how the text is written.
Ray goes on to describe what we should do in a writing workshop to make it successful. Children should not only be writing but need to explore all different aspects of language because that is what will help them become powerful writers. We as teachers need to keep students continuously writing to see that they are learning and exploring language in different ways. Ray describes how every writer does not go by the same list of steps to produce written work. Some go about it in very different ways so they can create the best work they can. Ray also describes how students need to edit and revise their work. Our goals as a teacher is not to expect a perfectly edited piece of writing, but to see that our students are editing their papers using the conventions of spelling and language that they are familiar with to produce the best piece of writing they can.
Ray explained how to set up a writing conference among the children in the classroom. She also stressed how when you are having a writing conference it is important not to overwhelm the young writer with too many mechanics about their writing. Within writing workshops, it is important to allow the students to pick their own topics of writing. This is because, in the end, that is where the most heartfelt work will surface. Ray discusses that it is not always the topic that needs to be picked for the students. However, we can instead pick the genre and allow the students to embrace any topic that moves them. Allowing time to share is key during writing workshops because each writer has a voice that needs to be heard.
At the conclusion of About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, there are numerous activities that students can complete in the writing workshop. There are many tools for teachers to use to effectively run these workshops in their classes, as well. Overall, this is an extremely helpful book for all writing teachers to have because it eases the fear of teaching Language Arts to even our youngest writers.
Ray goes on to describe what we should do in a writing workshop to make it successful. Children should not only be writing but need to explore all different aspects of language because that is what will help them become powerful writers. We as teachers need to keep students continuously writing to see that they are learning and exploring language in different ways. Ray describes how every writer does not go by the same list of steps to produce written work. Some go about it in very different ways so they can create the best work they can. Ray also describes how students need to edit and revise their work. Our goals as a teacher is not to expect a perfectly edited piece of writing, but to see that our students are editing their papers using the conventions of spelling and language that they are familiar with to produce the best piece of writing they can.
Ray explained how to set up a writing conference among the children in the classroom. She also stressed how when you are having a writing conference it is important not to overwhelm the young writer with too many mechanics about their writing. Within writing workshops, it is important to allow the students to pick their own topics of writing. This is because, in the end, that is where the most heartfelt work will surface. Ray discusses that it is not always the topic that needs to be picked for the students. However, we can instead pick the genre and allow the students to embrace any topic that moves them. Allowing time to share is key during writing workshops because each writer has a voice that needs to be heard.
At the conclusion of About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers, there are numerous activities that students can complete in the writing workshop. There are many tools for teachers to use to effectively run these workshops in their classes, as well. Overall, this is an extremely helpful book for all writing teachers to have because it eases the fear of teaching Language Arts to even our youngest writers.
October 19, 2021
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.
Read
May 6, 2014"So we embrace the people we ask them to become,
people who make books,
and we teach and teach into this essential identity"(19).
This quote here sums about this book. How do we get student's to become more passionate and effective writers. Wood Ray shows us how to help students discover their work and feel proud to call it their own.
Many strategies are provided in order to help guide students in this direction!
people who make books,
and we teach and teach into this essential identity"(19).
This quote here sums about this book. How do we get student's to become more passionate and effective writers. Wood Ray shows us how to help students discover their work and feel proud to call it their own.
Many strategies are provided in order to help guide students in this direction!
September 20, 2009
This is a great book for primary teachers trying to find the best way to get young children to write! The authors know young children love projects so they start their writers workshop with children making books. I always reread this book when preparing to teach 1st grade! My first graders are writing books!
October 24, 2009
Not only is this book chock full of sound advice, rationale, and examples (a good balance, too!), but Katie Wood Ray is a remarkable author herself and serves as a wonderful model as she writes about teaching writing. I read this book cover to cover during a pretty densely packed quarter at school and have gone back to it again and again as a rich resource.
September 2, 2012
Reading this one for my writing class. So far it's given me the motivation to start making books with my kids instead of just writing on paper...don't tell anyone, but that's FUN!
Teacher friendly books filled with practical tips for classroom application and REAL samples of kids work (not fake things you collect from the one genius in the group) are awesome!
Teacher friendly books filled with practical tips for classroom application and REAL samples of kids work (not fake things you collect from the one genius in the group) are awesome!
October 7, 2010
i really enjoyed About the Authors and the expansion of writing workshops that it demonstrated. I liked being able to see actual children's work in the book and to demonstrate ideas to have an effective writing workshop in the classroom.
January 20, 2008
It's pretty good but even better if you can hear her explain everything.
November 20, 2009
This book has furthered my understanding of young childrens' work as authors. I am amazed at the complexity of compositions they create and that I can further with focused units of study!
March 13, 2010
A great read! The author takes you right into the reading workshop and allows you to see first hand what it's all about.
April 27, 2010
One of my favorite Writing Workshop explanations. It perfectly captures the philosophy, framework, and day-to-day needs for running a writing workshop in K-2!
March 13, 2016
This book completely revolutionized my writing instruction. This is a powerful book. I love it! If you teach writing in elementary school, you need to read this book!
October 7, 2010
I loved it. This book was easy to read and full of information.
July 21, 2012
IT was great! A must read for teachers of elementary students!
April 22, 2013
Details how to implement a writer's workshop in the classroom.
Want to read
August 3, 201614 copies
July 14, 2014
Clarified some questions I had about writing workshop with k-2. + KWR addresses the most difficult part of all-- how do you explain writing workshop it to parents? :) #bookaday
November 30, 2016
This had fantastic ideas for the classroom that are well reasoned within educational theories as well as practical. It includes student samples as well so it's entertaining to read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews