Your Name: Deidre Koziak and Molly Jefferson

Time frame / Dates of Initiative: 8 weekly online sessions

Short Description of Initiative:

Writer’s Workshop for Early Childhood teachers will be an 8 week online professional
development designed for teachers who are new to implementing writer’s workshop.
This course will teach the structure and format of writer’s workshop in an early
childhood classroom. By the end of this course, participants will be able to determine
developmentally appropriate sequence for lessons. They will also be encouraged to
design lessons that can be implemented in their own classrooms.

There are a number of overarching objectives that are applicable to each week.
They are:
● Participants will develop an understanding of writer’s workshop in Early
Childhood
● Participants will learn developmentally appropriate sequencing of lessons
● Participants will be able to identify different levels of writing in their classroom
● Participants will learn the correct formatting and structure of a writer’s workshop
lesson

Session Objectives Content or Activities / Assessments

Number Resources
and Needed
Topics /
Themes

Week 1 -Participants will -Voicethread Read:

learn course -Survey -Introductions:
Topics: expectations Monkey Social presence: Students will post
Introducti -Participants will -Lucy Calkins- on discussion forum introducing their
ons to develop a sense of Launching the name, school, class size, and
participa community through Writing exposure to Writer’s Workshop
(group)
nts and introductions and Workshop
-Read:
Writer’s group activities (Bend 1 Lucy Calkins- Launching the Writing
Worksho -Participants will Session1) Workshop
p reflect on their prior - Padlet: -Bend 1 Session 1
knowledge of (individual)
Reflect:
writer’s workshop
-Respond to 2 other introduction
-Participants will posts (individual)
identify comfort level -Respond to reading with 3 “a-ha’s”
of implementation of (individual)
writer’s workshop Display:
-Complete Survey Monkey- Comfort
level on Writer’s Workshop (1-
unfamiliar, 5-very familiar)
(individual)
Do:
-Complete Padlet- How would you
define Writer’s Workshop?
(individual)

Week 2 -Participants will -Lucy Calkins- Read:

identify the key A Guide to the Lucy Calkins- A Guide to the
-Topic: elements of a Common Core Common Core and Writer’s
Workshop
Key writer’s workshop Writing
-Chapter 7 (individual)
Element mini lesson Workshop Reflect:
s of -Participants will (Chapter 7) -Discussion post: identify key
Writer’s identify the meaning -Discussion elements of the mini lesson based on
Worksho of connection, Board Chapter 7
p teaching, active -Video (individual)
engagement, and -Popplet Display:
-Watch video on Writer’s Workshop
link
(individual)
-Participants will Do:
reflect on examples -Create a graphic organizer of the
of effective writer’s structure of a Writer’s Workshop mini
workshop lessons lesson on Popplet
(formative assessment)
(individual)

Week 3 -Participants will -Lucy Calkins- Read:

identify the A Guide to the Lucy Calkins- A Guide to the
-Topic: relationship between Common Core Common Core and Writer’s
Workshop
Common Common Core and Writing
-Chapter 2 (individual)
Core in writing Workshop Reflect:
Writer’s -Participants will (Chapter 2) Synchronous activity: Twitter Chat
Worksho identify three types -Video -Participants will participate in a
p of writing outlined in -Googledocs Twitter Chat to reflect on
common core for groups to successes/challenges of their videos
(group)
 -Participants will share lessons Display:
reflect on visual -Twitter Chat -Post video recording of
examples of a mini implementation of mini lesson
(individual)
lesson
Do:
-Write a mini lesson with Common
Core standards and objectives
included
(team-partners) (summative
assessment)

Week 4 -Participants will -Example Read:

collaborate on ways Pinterest Article
-Topic: to create a writer’s -VoiceThread -Classroom Writing Environments
and Children’s Early Writing Skills:
Resourc workshop friendly -Article
An Observational Study in Head
es for environment -Pinterest for Start Classrooms
Writer’s -Participants will sharing (individual)
Worksho create a visual resources) Reflect:
p resource for their -GoogleDoc -Voicethread post: 2 ideas to bring
own classroom for participants back to your classroom
environment to post links to -Respond to 2 others
(individual)
-Participants will Pinterest
Display:
share and create -View premade Pinterest Board on
one resource to be Writer’s Workshop
used in their (individual)
classroom Do:
-Create a Pinterest board with 3
classmates on Writer’s Workshop
topic of your choice (team)
-Share link to Pinterest on Google
Doc
(group) (formative assessment)

Week 5 -Participants will -Lucy Calkins- Read:

identify the A Guide to the Lucy Calkins- A Guide to the
-Topics: sequence in which Common Core Common Core and Writing
Workshop
-How to young writer’s Writing
-Chapter 3 (individual)
sequenc progress Workshop Reflect:
e student -Participants will (Chapter 3) -Use Popplet to create a graphic
writing create a graphic -Sequence organizer of main topics to use in
-Yearly organizer for main Chart Writer’s Workshop based on chapter
progressi topics in writing (resource for (individual)
ons -Participants will be sequencing Display:
-Review Sequence chart on next
able to identify the lessons)
steps for early writer’s
 next lesson based -Popplet (individual)
on student work (graphic Do:
organizer) -Create 3 sequenced lessons for a
student at the “sounds heard” stage
-Post lessons to hand-in on LMS
(individual) (summative assessment)

Week 6 -Participants will be -Lucy Calkins- Read:

able to identify how Writing Lucy Calkins- Writing Pathways Part
Topic: to correctly level Pathways Part 2
(read chapters based on participants
-How to student writing 2 (Read
grade level)
identify -Participants will chapters -Student writing samples
writing reflect on needs of based on your (individual)
levels their students grade level) Reflect:
-Participants will -Student -Make predictions for levels of each
identify the learning writing writing sample and explain why
progression for each samples -Post on discussion forum
(individual)
type of writing -Student
Display:
Writing -Look at student writing sample
Sample answers to check predictions
Answers (individual)
Do:
-Level students writing in your
classroom
-Upload 1 example of each stage to
hand-in on LMS
(individual) (summative assessment)

Week 7 -Participants will -Lesson for Read:

analyze key revision -Example lesson plan (individual)
-Topics: elements of a writing -Assignment Reflect:
-Analyze lesson for your class
Analyzin lesson hand-in on
(individual)
g and -Participants will LMS Display:
impleme revise a given -Revise lesson in correct mini lesson
nting lesson format and post to hand-in on LMS
Writer’s -Participants will (individual)
Worksho have a better Do:
p in understanding of -Teach revised mini lesson
-Post video to hand-in on LMS
Early implementation of
(individual) (formative assessment)
Childhoo writer’s workshop in -Participate in synchronous ZOOM
d Early Childhood meeting with whole class to share
successes/challenges/questions/con
cerns
 (group)

Week 8 -Participants will -Videos: Read:

view multiple ways Teacher- -Watch videos on different types of
-Topic: to conference in Student conferencing (individual)
Reflect:
Conferen writing Student-
-Post Voicethread on one thing you
cing -Participants will student want to try with conferencing and one
create success Whole class thing you are already doing
criteria for -Voicethread -Respond to two classmates
conferencing with -Assignment (individual)
young writers hand-in on Display:
-Participants will LMS -Find examples from Pinterest of
success criteria for conferencing to
apply their
use in your class
knowledge of (individual)
Writer’s Workshop in Do:
order to implement a Final Project:
mini lesson in their -Video entire mini lesson
Early Childhood Be sure to include in your upload:
classrooms -3 leveled student work examples
-what you will teach those students
next (and why)
-success criteria used for
conferencing (should be included in
video)
-successes and challenges for the
lesson
(individual) (summative assessment)

Add or remove rows to the table above as needed. Add columns above if desired, as well

Additional Resources
Session 1
● Zoom session for introductions
● VoiceThread- How would you define Writer’s Workshop, with options for video or
commenting.

Session 2
● Create a powerpoint on the elements of a mini lesson and what should be included in
each section
● Use different graphic organizer sites, (Mindmeisster, StoryboardThat)

Session 3
 ● Watch this Prezi, instead of reading the chapter. A Guide to the Common Core Writing
Workshop
● Synchronous Skype session with Maryland Writing Project Teacher Leaders for question
and answer session, instead of twitter chat.

Session 4
● Use Boords to create a storyboard of resources and ideas, instead of Pinterest
● Explore this blog about WW in Kindergarten instead of the premade Pinterest board

Session 5
● Review the Common Core Guidelines for Writing
● View the Kid Writing Power Point

Session 6
● Read this article on early childhood writing under Common Core
● Upload your student work, have a partner level them for you

Session 7
● Pick a lesson from this website, analyze it and adapt it to fit the needs of your class
● Use Google Docs to write a lesson with a partner for this imaginary class: (19 students
10 boys, 9 girls, 1 IEP for developmental delay, ages between 5-6, 2 IEPs for speech, 5
students writing on grade level, 5 students writing below grade level, 9 students writing
above grade level.) What other information would you need? Post that in the beginning
of your lesson.

Session 8
● Film or create a scenario on Google Docs of conferencing with a partner (teacher-
teacher or teacher-student)
● Find a video of conferencing on Youtube that you would like to use as a model for your
classroom, post it and explain why.

Resources

Zhang, C., Hur, J., Diamond, K. E., & Powell, D. (2014). Classroom Writing Environments and
Children’s Early Writing Skills: An Observational Study in Head Start Classrooms. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 43(4), 307-315. doi:10.1007/s10643-014-0655-4