The beginning of the year is an overwhelming time because you know that you only get one shot to make a good first impression, set your expectations for learning, and begin building relationships with your students. Today, I will be sharing the one book I use to launch writing workshop. Our school usually goes back to school on a Wednesday so we have a 3 day week, followed by a 5 day week. The launching writing workshop plans that I share with you are ones I execute our first full week back. The first week of school we are still using a large portion of instructional time teaching classroom procedures, getting to know each other, etc. etc.
So, if you only have ONE mentor text to choose from that will serve the purpose of launching your writing workshop, this is the book that I recommend:
The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli
I’ve used this book to launch our writing workshop with every grade I have taught (2nd, 3rd, and 4th). The message is so powerful because it helps address the elephant in the classroom during writing time and that is that some of your students will come down with a bad case of writer’s block. This story is about a girl who can’t think of anything to write and she starts getting advice from different family members, all with what they think the best stories to write about are. In the end, she learns that the best stories come from the heart. This is the perfect segway into launching writing workshop since students know the most about *drumroll please* themselves! Go figure! That is why I strongly recommend starting your year off with personal narratives, stories about your students’ personal lives.
At the beginning of the year is when you will face the most reluctant writers. Students soon realize, after reading The Best Story, that they have a lost of stories that can come from their heart. My go-to lesson and our first week-long assignment in writing workshop is creating our very own heart map. A heart map is a model students create that is filled with words, symbols, and phrases that represent people, places, things, and experiences/memories that hold a large place in their heart. Heart maps eventually become quite literally a map of future stories they will write. They are the best way to collect seed ideas for personal narratives.
Here is how I roll out the heart map lesson in a 30-minute writing workshop 5 days per week setting:
Day 1: 15 minutes: Read The Best Story and discuss the lesson (that the best stories come from the heart and what that even means).
Day 1: 10 minutes: Show students your heart map that you created. Do this in advance or right there with them. Please don’t skip this part. Since this lesson is something you will do at the beginning of the school year, this is a great get to know the teacher moment because you will be sharing what’s in your heart. I always put my students so that they know I care for them. I also am sure to include personal things that will help my students go deep with their heart maps, such as the embarrassing time I tripped and fell off of my school bus, or when my pet died, or when I fell off my bike (we call these “ouch moments”).
Day 1
5 minutes: After sharing my heart map, I announce the great news that they too will be able to make their very own heart maps! During this time I just get them super excited. If I have time I have them turn and talk to orally rehearse some of the things they can’t wait to put in their heart map!
Day 2:
10 minutes: I model how to section off their heart map and how to put symbols instead of writing actual sentences in their heart map. For example, I just drew a picture of my bike to represent that time I fell of and fractured my wrist when I was in 2nd grade. I also talk about how I as their teacher do not need to know what everything in their heart map stands for since it’s personal. Then we turn and talk (even if we had time the day before) to brainstorm at least 5 things they are going to put into their heart map as soon as they go back to their seat.
15 minutes: Students excitedly get started on their heart maps in pencil (we will publish later). For students who are stuck, I have them think about the first day of school, what they did over summer break or even this past weekend.
5 minutes: Sharing- students who are willing to share do so by placing their heart map under our document camera and sharing 3 things from their heat map.
Day 3:
Day 3 10 minutes; Brainstorming session! Yesterday was an exciting time for most of the students, but by day 3 they will be running out of ideas, so I lead with a brainstorming session about moments we can write about. I choose three from our emoji writing center that I reveal.
Day 3: 15 minutes: students go back to their seats to add some of the types of moments we discussed.
Day 3: 5 minutes: share students share what they added in the same format as the previous day.
Day 4:
Day 4 is a repeat of day 3, only I share more types of moments they could put into their heart map. I like to read The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant to get them thinking about memorable family experiences that they could add to their heart map.
By now I am starting to really learn a lot about each student because of my one-on-one conferences that look more like check-ins. I keep it very conversational so that I can learn about them, sometimes I take notes on their interests.
Day 5:
Decision day- am I going to stretch this out because they are doing so well or is it time to wrap it up? If I am going to wrap it up I give students a brand new heart for them to recreate their heart map, but only now in a beautiful and colorful work of art similar to how they will publish their writing. Once they are done we put them on the cover or inside our writing notebook so that if we are ever stuck on what to write about, the students know exactly where to go.
If you are interested in using a heart map, I’m giving away my template for free. Just click the picture below:
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