“Like weeds in a garden, certain problems will show up from time to time.” This chapter covers some of the common problems teachers encounter during the writing workshop.
-To much noise: This could be a caused by not just noisy kids but also a deeper issue. It could be students are confused with what they should be doing, if they don’t know what to do if they are done, or if they aren’t writing about something that they find meaningful and therefore are too distracted. Address these problems during your mini-lessons, re-teach writing workshop rituals and routines, what is expected, or guide topic choices so that they don’t feel so confused.
-When you don’t like the topic they are writing about: Students might write about offensive, violent, or silly things that we don’t feel comfortable with. Students will probably be pulling from pop culture. Make sure that you have clearly stated boundaries of what is allowed in the writing. Try to steer away from retelling of videos and video games by telling them that you want to hear THEIR ideas and thoughts not something that you can rent and see for yourself.
-Finishing work too quickly: I found that in my class this was helped by having a saying “When you’re done you’ve just begun: STOP re-read your work, add to the pictures, add to the words, star a new piece. In this book they give a few other options- make a certain number of pieces must be done. Let students share unfinished work too, draw pictures in the story, ask them to add more details.
-Don’t finish what they start: Ask yourself if you are giving them enough time, are they picking topics they can get in depth with? Use those questions to help fix this problem
-Writing is boring: use other books to show how authors add fancy details. Have them remember what they told you and how it is different from what they wrote. Describing words they may not know could be taught in a mini- lesson
-Don’t know what to teach: read through student writing to focus your lessons: can re-teach routines, celebrate writing, use mentor texts, share your own writing. One quote I really liked was “It’s NOT absolutely necessary to have a mini-lesson at the beginning of every writing workshop, you may just want to get the writing SHARE time might be where you do your lesson.
-Overwhelmed by student conference: Don’t let the students be ducks and follow you around. Teach them to be independent thinkers and problem solve so that you can get your conferences in.
-editing: make a checklist have them read their writing for each item on the checklist not just once for all things on the checklist. Give them opportunities to share writing so they can make it “reader friendly.”
-Energy is low: genre study, change their genre of writing to give them a break. Give an author’s day celebration publishing day
-Too many/none to share: reserve share time for 2 or 3 students, small groups share or partner shares so that all students get to give their writing a spotlight.
-Don’t want to revise: Let students choose what they will revise. Be Patient and let them develop in their writing the way they need to.
This chapter was really nice having a chapter on troubleshooting this writing time. This chapter really gave me knew ideas on how to structure my writing workshop so that less problems and fires need to be put out and so that I have more time to have my student conferences.
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