The 2018-2019 school year is well under way. We have been hard at work learning the ins and outs of the writing workshop. We’ve had quite a few interruptions to our regular schedule (MAP testing, pen pal introductions, and Homecoming – to name a few), but we’re finally wrapping up our 1st unit: free-verse poetry. Students have been working on their free-verse poems since the beginning of the month, so we’re ready to move on to a new genre of writing.

We’ve learned many new procedures this month. We’ve analyzed great poems and will continue to examine author’s craft through poetry as the year continues. We’ve used writing from exemplary authors to generate ideas for our quickwrites. Students write for 3 minutes after reading a excerpt or short piece of literature to spur ideas. We also began Free-Write Fridays, where students get to write about whatever topics and ideas pop into their brains for 5 minutes each Friday.

Our writing notebooks have started to be a true reflection of who we are as writers and people. They are slowly filling up with great ideas, tips, and notes to turn us into great writers of literature. Each student’s notebook is a collection of things they love and want to explore. The notebooks are as unique as all of the students are.

October will bring new genres of writing: memoirs, 2-sentence horror stories, and responding to literature. Stay tuned for great work from our Student Blogs.