Chapter 7 Literature in the Writing Workshop

--We write with our minds, our hearts, and our ears. Some readers tell great stories because they intrinsically know the pattern of a good story, they are usually good, avid readers. As a teacher we need to involve our students in good literature to inspire their story telling. As a teacher and as a writer I've seen that the more my students read the better their writing skills become.
--Reading aloud: Reading aloud not only builds the sense of community in the classroom it also helps show the students the elements of writing in "mentor texts." I know in my own writing that this has helped me to become a better writer. For my students the students who love to read are also the one's who love to write. By giving my students a variety of read aloud experiences I can help their writing improve.
--Independent reading: This allows students to "discover a genre or author they love...the models..to help them learn from." Mentor texts allows students to see a range of writing and incorporate elements they enjoy from their "mentors" into their own writing. This independent time to read gives students a chance to find their "taste" in books.
--Book Discussions: In my class I call these "book talks." I can bridge this from a purely "reading" centered part of my class and use well known or loved books to talk about the "how" of the writing and what an author did to make a particular book "good."
--Using literature during a workshop minilesson: I really like the list of books to facilitate the elements of writing that the authors of this book gave in this chapter. It also talks about by sharing literature with the students it gives the students a choice of genre/topics for their own writing. I know in my class we touch on a variety of genres through out the course of the year. This makes them excited for the end of the year when they get to choose their own type of writing. They feel more empowered and are much more self-directed when they are given "choices" for their own learning.
--Using literature in Teacher/Student Confrences: Using the literature that your students enjoy you can help them make the connections to what they are trying to write with models from favorite authors, or authors they are familiar with.

One of my favorite quotes was this "We need to tap their experience as readers if we really want them to soar." This chapter gave me many great ideas of how to formulate my minilessons for next years' students!