Writer's Workshop
East Lansing uses Lucy Calkins' writing program to help build children from K-6 into strong, independent writers. 2nd grade is a transitional year for children in all subjects, and writing is no exception. During the year, students move on from writing "from bed to bed" stories and focus on various different genres throughout the year.
Lucy Calkins' introduces new genres through short mini-lessons and the use of the "author's chair." Our children began the year with the biggest hurdle of all: Figuring out what to write! From there, students were introduced to writing about things like 'small moments'; using authors as mentors; non-fiction; magazine articles; and poetry. During my time as lead teacher, I taught the 'how-to' genre to the froggies.
The 'how-to' genre turned out to be one of the most rewarding units for both the teachers and the children. After introducing the idea of being experts on different subjects, students were taught about the different features of 'how-to' stories during each mini-lesson. Mini-lessons also demonstrated how important it was for partners to truly look over each other's work to ensure directions were clear.
Lucy Calkins' introduces new genres through short mini-lessons and the use of the "author's chair." Our children began the year with the biggest hurdle of all: Figuring out what to write! From there, students were introduced to writing about things like 'small moments'; using authors as mentors; non-fiction; magazine articles; and poetry. During my time as lead teacher, I taught the 'how-to' genre to the froggies.
The 'how-to' genre turned out to be one of the most rewarding units for both the teachers and the children. After introducing the idea of being experts on different subjects, students were taught about the different features of 'how-to' stories during each mini-lesson. Mini-lessons also demonstrated how important it was for partners to truly look over each other's work to ensure directions were clear.
The 'How-to' Genre Writing Process
Children wrote several different 'how-to' drafts. When a child was ready to “publish” his how-to story, he briefly met with me. Together we went over every single page, making sure ideas were clearly conveyed; conventions - capital letters and punctuation - were used; and spelling was correct. Once the story was “publish-worthy”, the student was given a new book – made of construction paper and two-sided how-to sheets – and asked to recopy his how-to story.
Once that was complete, the student was asked to revise his final copy how-to with my self-made ‘revision checklist’. The checklist required students to look at every single page and check to make sure their stories had the following traits:
-Pictures that help teach what to do
-Capital letters
-Periods or exclamation marks
-Neat handwriting
-Good spelling
Although this was the first time students had ever used such a checklist, they quickly understood that the tool could help them make sure their how-to books were "publish-worthy". When every child had finished completing their 'how to' story, I concluded the unit by inviting parents and grandparents to our author's celebration. This tied up the entire unit by not only showing students how important writing is in everyday life, but it also gave them a chance to share their writing with others.
Once that was complete, the student was asked to revise his final copy how-to with my self-made ‘revision checklist’. The checklist required students to look at every single page and check to make sure their stories had the following traits:
-Pictures that help teach what to do
-Capital letters
-Periods or exclamation marks
-Neat handwriting
-Good spelling
Although this was the first time students had ever used such a checklist, they quickly understood that the tool could help them make sure their how-to books were "publish-worthy". When every child had finished completing their 'how to' story, I concluded the unit by inviting parents and grandparents to our author's celebration. This tied up the entire unit by not only showing students how important writing is in everyday life, but it also gave them a chance to share their writing with others.
How-To Story Examples
-Sample Lesson -
- How-To Example Page 1 -
- How-To Example Page 2 -
- How-To Example Page 3 -
- How-To Example Page 4 -
-Checklist -
-Sample Lesson -
- How-To Example Page 1 -
- How-To Example Page 2 -
- How-To Example Page 3 -
- How-To Example Page 4 -
-Checklist -