Writing Instruction Workshops
Functional Grammar and Writing Workshop, K–6
The purpose of this workshop is to provide teachers with knowledge and strategies for teaching beginning grammar and writing to elementary-aged students. It is designed for the novice writer.
Participant Outcomes:
- Become familiar with best practices in teaching novice writers in elementary grades.
- Learn concrete instructional techniques for teaching the sentence, the paragraph, and basic conventions to novice writers in elementary grades.
- Learn a functional approach to grammar instruction in order to develop basic writing competence.
- Understand the dual roles of a writer: the secretary role and the author role.
- Know how to teach writing processes explicitly.
- Leave with tools for assessing student writing.
Day 1 focuses on
- Research on best practices in writing
- Understanding and teaching children about the dual writing roles of writer as secretary and writer as author
- Techniques for teaching the sentence to a level of grammatical complexity appropriate for novice writers in elementary grades
- Information on teaching, within instruction on the sentence, basic language conventions, pronoun usage, subject-verb agreement, and other word and syntax issues appropriate for elementary students
Day 2 focuses on
- Paragraph development, revising, assessment, and rubrics
Levels: K–6
Audience: Classroom teachers, resource teachers, and school administrators who are implementing writing instruction to writing novices in grades K–6
Format: Two days
Materials: Participant Resource Packet
Functional Grammar and Writing Workshop, 6–12
The purpose of this workshop is to provide teachers with knowledge and strategies for teaching functional grammar and writing to secondary students.
Participant Outcomes:
- Become familiar with best practices in teaching writing to older students.
- Learn concrete instructional techniques for teaching the sentence, the paragraph, and basic conventions to older students.
- Learn techniques for teaching grammar from a functional approach to a level needed by older struggling writers.
- Understand the dual roles of a writer: the secretary role and the author role.
- Know how to teach writing processes to students.
- Leave with tools for assessing student writing.
Day 1 focuses on
- Research on best practices in writing instruction
- Understanding and teaching students about the dual writing roles of writer as secretary and writer as author
- Techniques for teaching the sentence to a level of grammatical complexity appropriate for older students
- Information on teaching the sentence, basic language conventions, pronoun usage, subject-verb agreement, and other word and syntax issues appropriate for older students
Day 2 focuses on
- Paragraph development
- Development of longer expository compositions
- Characteristics of various expository organizational structures
- Developing writing rubrics and how to use them to improve student writing
- Information on teaching individual writing traits
Levels: 6–12
Audience: Classroom teachers, resource teachers, and school administrators who are implementing writing instruction in grades 6–12
Format: Two days
Materials: Participant Resource Packet
Writing Instruction Workshop: Houghton Mifflin Reading
This one-day session supports educators in the use of Houghton Mifflin Reading writing components. The workshop has two grade-level versions: K–3 and 3–6.
Participant Outcomes:
- Quickly locate Houghton Mifflin’s writing and language resources.
- Use explicit instruction to teach writing and language.
- Use the Daily Language Practice and the Journal Prompts effectively.
- Use assessment information to plan differentiated instruction.
- Use graphic organizers effectively in the writing process.
- Teach the five-phase writing process effectively.
- Teach the Reading-Writing Workshop effectively.
- Use evaluation tools, rubrics, benchmark papers, and checklists effectively.
Levels: K–3, 3–6
Audience: Elementary classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators
Format: One day
Materials: Participant Resource Packet