The Writing Block

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Writing Block


“Children’s writing samples serve as a rich portrait of how well young minds are applying important language skills and strategies.”
Description:
The Writing block is carried out in "writers workshop" fashion. It begins with a mini-lesson (10 minutes). The teacher sits at the overhead projector or with a large piece of chart paper. The teacher writes and models all the things writers do (although not all on any one day!). The teacher thinks about -- deciding what to write about and then writes. While writing, the teacher models looking at the word wall for a troublesome word, which is there as well as inventing the spelling of a few big words. The teacher also makes a few mistakes relating to the items currently on the editor's checklist. When the piece is finished, the children help the teacher edit the piece for the items on the checklist. Next the children go to their own writing. They are at all different stages of the writing process -- finishing a story, starting a new story, editing, illustrating, etc. While the children write, the teacher conferences with individuals who are getting ready to publish. From 3 to 5 pieces, they choose one to make into a book. This piece is edited with the teacher's help and the child proceeds to the publishing table where he will copy the correct form and finally illustrate the book. This block ends with "author's chair" in which several students each day share work in progress or their published book.
The writing block consists of the following segments/components-

I. Mini-lesson (10 min.)
• The teacher presents a mini-lesson in where they will model real writing and a skill or strategy. Elements in the mini-lesson are…
- The mini-lesson focuses on writing, adding to, or editing a piece.
- The teacher refers to the Word Wall and other places in the room to model how words available in the room can help with spelling.
- The teacher models t...