“Are we done yet?” That is a question commonly asked by students who are truly experiencing the writing process for the first time. Students today want to quickly finish assignments, hand them in, and move on only meeting the bare requirements. When students work through the writing process they learn that it takes time, and they see what they are truly capable of producing. Teachers need to accept that the quantity of writing assignments they can assign will decrease, however the quality of their students’ work will dramatically improve. When the writing process is the focus, students can see and experience their learning and improvement, which is powerful! As a result, they will develop higher-level skills, their confidence will thrive and they will end up with a writing piece that they can be proud of, instead of throwing together an assignment for the sake of its completion. This course is for educators of grades K-12, of all subject areas because students of all levels need to be able to write for different purposes, audiences and across varying genres. Participants will delve into the 5 stages of the writing process in depth, and will connect how they can be aligned to their grade level and discipline. In addition, participants of this class will examine the writer’s workshop concepts of mini-lessons, mentor-texts, and conferencing.

Teachers enrolled in this course will...

Know

1. what the stages of the writing process are.
2. process writing vocabulary including conferencing, mini-lesson, mentor text, models, audience, purpose, craft, and more.
3. the writing process is aligned with the common core standards requiring K-12 students to write three different text types (genres), and these standards can be addressed in all subject areas.

Understand

1. the difference between process writing and non-process writing ("quick assignment completion") and its effect on students.
2. the benefits of the writing process for students including fostering higher level thinking skills, giving students the opportunity to feel pride and validation for the hard work they put in throughout the process, and more.
3. how to plan/teach a writing mini-lesson.

and Be Able To

1. plan mini-lessons for different stages of the writing process that can be transferred into their classrooms.
2. develop an outline of a writing unit using the writing process.
3. create an editing checklist with that can be transferred into their classrooms.

Visit www.nyctd.org to learn more and register.