There are moments in one’s life that alter them for the better and sometimes even for worse.  Being introduced to Cadbury Creme Eggs, for example, has altered my life – for better – can I get a yum? … and for worse — thankfully those calories only come around once a year.  As an educator, Fountas and Pinnell’s Guiding Readers and Writers (1st ed.) altered my literacy instruction.

I spent the summer of 2002 in London, alternating between shopping on the high street, reading Guiding Readers and Writers, playing solitaire on our laptop, and enjoying pub dinners – I know!  Who could ask for more?  The first time I read GR&W I read it from start to finish – for 2 reasons: 1) I was genuinely interested in drastically changing my literacy instruction (and GR&W was the latest rage); 2) There was no way I was lugging that book across the Atlantic and not reading it.  Each subsequent summer, I’ve browsed GW&W as a refresher referring to certain sections only.

Some of the changes I made that September were:

-all students (and myself) had a writer’s notebook

-Writing Workshop would operate in a 3 part structure (Mini Lesson, Writing, Sharing)

-drafts and final drafts would be done on Fountas and Pinnell’s paper (appendices in book)

Since my GR&W summer, I’ve expanded my literacy guru book selection (lucky for my instruction, not so lucky for my pocketbook):

After melding all of these authors, using classroom trial & error, and listening to student suggestions, I’ve found an organizational system that works best with my upper elementary students.  I acknowledge that it may not be the best system for you, however, I share it so that you may take and tweak any bit that works for you.

We each have a Writer’s Notebook:

The Writer’s Notebook is called the Ideas Notebook (thanks to Aimee Buckner) and is used for ideas, story mountains, daily pages, and other observations…anything that may be of use in a story at some point.  It’s the book we put in our handbag and take to the grocery store with us, I tell students.  More often than not, students will go through a few of these books a year.  I send a letter home after sharing my own notebook asking that families spend sometime during the upcoming weekend finding a notebook that speaks to the student, for it is a notebook of choice that will allow the student to fully embrace the Ideas Notebook.  If students cannot afford a notebook or wish to personalize their own notebook, I provide students with a spiral notebook that they cover with personal photos, etc. (like the examples above).

Each student has a Power Folder – a binder with tabbed sections – that is brought each day to the meeting area for Mini Lessons and which also houses drafts (still on GR&W paper):

The sections of the Power Folder are:

1) Forms – Daily Writing Record, a list of completed writing, and what I learned as an author reflections (see this post for more)

2) Tools – special word lists, editing charts, etc.

3) Mini Lessons – where students document each Mini Lesson’s teaching point, take notes, and add any handouts from Mini Lessons

4) Drafts (a 10 cent) folder from summer sales

5) Comments – where the student and I have a written dialogue once a week about their work

Source: Banks School Supply

-with a pencil pouch for revising and editing pens, post-its for revision, etc.

Each student has a Completed Writing file:

This is the folder which holds the artifacts of a piece (drafts, checklists, etc.) in backwards chronological order.  Students maintain a table of contents for the Completed Writing File.  This file is what ensures that a student’s drafts folder (in the Power Folder) does not become over-burdened.  Only current pieces (and there are typically several) stay in the drafts folder.

Each student has a spot on the Published Wall:

This is where each student’s latest published piece is posted until they finish their next piece.  Students write at different paces and typically have both a piece from our ‘official unit’ and a choice piece on the go, so what’s on the wall at a given time is a mixed bag.

Finally, all students have a Published Writing Binder which houses the published versions of their work.  Students are responsible for moving their published writing onto the wall and into their binders, maintaining their checklists in all locations (what I learned as an author, completed writing file, and published writing binder).

The Published Writing Binders are located on a rain gutter my husband installed under the front board.

I used to use fewer locations for writing but I found that adding specific tools and room sections actually helped my writers better organize themselves.   So that’s it!  My Writing Workshop Organization – Part 1.  Stay tuned for Part 2 soon.  I can’t wait to hear how others organize their Writing Workshop!

Happy Writing!

Related posts:

1. Mentor Texts
2. The Power of Reflection