This paper describes how a few simple strategies can provide students with a variety of great writing ideas. Some of the ideas presented are: writing workshops, trading book lists, creating journals, writing poetry, and peer topic conferences.

The Presenters' Collaborative Network (PCN) was started in 2002 to support the creation of a corps of teacher-consultants who would lead workshops for the Rhode Island Writing Project (RIWP) at local schools and conferences. The PCN is a group of teachers, past participants from summer institutes or year-round embedded programs in schools that…

A writing workshop is a pedagogical tool that can create a more productive experience for teachers and students alike. Business students who have used this technique with experienced instructors agree that a well-planned writing workshop can be useful for dispelling writing fears, furthering understanding of business communication skills,…

This article presents a case study of a kindergarten girl from a Bangladeshi immigrant family who demonstrates her multiliteracies as she negotiates the multiple demands of the mandated literacy curriculum. The case is drawn from a year-long ethnographic inquiry of the literacy practices and cultural models in a balanced literacy curriculum where…

In essence, every educator is an ELL (English Language Learner) teacher, because every student---even native English speakers---is learning to master English. In this article, veteran ESL teacher Judie Haynes offers strategies for helping ELL students learn to write more effectively. While her advice is focused on ELL students, all teachers will…

This video workshop for elementary school teachers uses classroom footage to demonstrate how a writing workshop approach motivates intermediate students and helps them become proficient and independent writers. Ten teachers from across the country model teaching strategies and share reflections on their practice. Six nationally known experts in…

Teachers are hungry for strategies that will motivate their students to engage in reading and writing. One promising method is the Authoring With Video (AWV) approach, which encourages teachers to use captioning software and digital video in writing assignments. AWV builds on students' fascination with television and video but removes the audio…

The Poetry Generating Loop is a new kind of generative writing circle that offers concrete, creative ways to get students involved in and excited about poetry. By writing poems in groups, students are able to learn poetic terms and experiment with techniques through their writing--a process that can shed new light on the world of poetry. (Contains…

Writing Workshop is an interactive approach to teaching writing as students learn and practice the importance of rehearsal, drafting/revising, and editing their pieces of writing (Calkins, 1986; Graves, 1983). This study implemented a mixed methodology design incorporating qualitative and quantitative analysis (Mills, 2007) by administering a pre…

The acknowledged expert on the 6+1 traits of writing explains what the traits are and what they are not: The traits are not a curriculum; they are part and parcel of the writing process; they are a model, not a program; they are not a prepackaged replacement for teaching writing; and they are the language of the writing workshop. The author…

Describes a workshop on "slam poetry" and details how this form of performance poetry can lead students back to the written poem with a renewed sense of connection and understanding. Suggests a class exercise that can be adapted to either a creative writing or a literature unit. (SG)

Considers how the author has seen the best minds of his generation destroyed by faulty pedagogy. Argues that the traditional workshop model was designed as a method for teaching elite graduate students, but notes that many undergraduate poetry writing instructors still employ it. Presents and elaborates on an alternative "Five-Canon" approach to…

Considers whether dramatic play with toys would be as important for beginning readers and whether it could be used to support their story writing. Discusses the introduction of toys to the writers' workshop. Considers how to reflect on the physical world as a source for story ideas. (SG)

Describes Youth Speaks NY Fifth Annual Teen Poetry Slam. Considers how Youth Speaks offers free after school writing workshops for teens. Notes that this nonprofit spoken word program Youth Speaks plays host to an auditorium of teen poets who "bust at the seams with verse." (SG)

Desiring to communicate clearly, one principal found his writer's workshop a safe environment for clarifying his thoughts. Writing in reflection takes educators through professional dilemmas and helps them develop a position and a direction for their work with children. No other medium provides this growth and empowerment. (MLH)