Writer’s Workshop Kindergarten Classroom in Action at Hinsdale Central School

​If you walk into a kindergarten classroom during writer’s workshop at Hinsdale, you will see a classroom of 5-6 year olds talking and learning from one another about Polar Bears.  Over the past month, kindergarteners have been learning about Polar Bears and the Artic habitat.  The walls and the classroom is covered with Focus Charts titled; How Polar Bears Hunt?, How Polar Bears Survive in the Artic Region?, How Polar Bears stay warm?, and much more. 

At the start of the school year, the students were introduced to the process of writing, six traits and what great author’s do.  Students were given an opportunity to read authentic literature, practice writing, discuss literature and ideas with peers and their teacher and begin to tell their stories with journal writing. 
​
In regard to primary writing, Duke, Hall, Purcell-Gates, and Tower (2006) state, “Students, we believe, need to read authentic literature and to engage in authentic writing” (p.344). Using authentic literature as an example, students will develop an understanding of the components of writing. This also helps students to understand the different purposes for reading and writing. 

​After the Christmas holiday, kindergarteners at Hinsdale move into more writing, writing centers, writing books, researching, and independence.  The writer’s workshop structure in kindergarten is:
                     
Mini-lesson (15 minutes)

• Authentic Texts
• Grammar
• Generating ideas
• Modeling
• Shared Writing
• Much, Much More….

Centers

• Meet with the teacher
• 4 other Centers depending on Genre
• Labeling
• Finding Facts
• Editing Sentences
• Practice writing
• Literacy game
• Much, Much More…

 
During the mini-lessons in kindergarten writer’s workshop, students sit on the rug, and partake in a shared lesson, collaborate with peers, share ideas, watch the teacher ‘write’, unscramble sentences, work on grammar and much more.  While visiting, students were engaged, excited and enjoyed sharing their knowledge about Polar Bears and the Artic Region.  The kindergartener were using “fancy Nancy” words such as translucent, powerful and patiently.
 
Using writing centers in writer’s workshop, gives the classroom teacher an opportunity to meet with a small group of student’s and work on editing, writing, craft, grammar, spelling and ideas.  This small group/centers gives the teacher an opportunity to “conference” and check in with students in a small setting and meet with individual students where they are at within the writing process.  The writing centers give the students time to independently work on other skills within the writing genre.  The other centers were various skills that support the research/informative writing about Polar Bears.
 
Writing with our youngest students in important for them to make purposeful connections to reading and writing.  During our hour site visit at Hinsdale, we noticed our youngest students working independently, generating their own ideas, checking for errors, working with peers, staying on task, learning content and much more.  If you would like to learn more about writer’s workshop or six traits, please don’t hesitate to contact Tessa Levitt or Anne Cator or visit a classroom of kindergarteners making it happen at Hinsdale Elementary School.

By:  Tessa Levitt, CA BOCES and Whitesville Central School