When Writing Workshop Isn't Working

Answers to Ten Tough Questions Grades 2-5

Mark Overmeyer

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781040255124
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Elementary Education

Writing is hard work. Teaching it can be even harder. As most teachers know, writer's workshop doesn't always go as planned, and many find there are obstacles that they consistently struggle with. In his role as a literacy coordinator and teacher, Mark Overmeyer has heard the same issues raised again and again by both new and experienced colleagues.

When Writing Workshop Isn't Working: Answers to Ten Tough Questions, Grades 2–5 provides practical advice to overcome these common problems and get your writing workshop back on track. Acknowledging the process-based nature of the writing workshop, this book does not offer formulaic, program-based, one-size-fits-all answers, but presents multiple suggestions based on what works in real classrooms. This second edition includes updated ideas for common issues in the workshop and features new chapters on technology and resistant writers. Questions addressed in the new edition include:

• How can I reach resistant writers?
• How can I support students in their use of technology, including AI?
• How should I assess student writing?
• How do I manage writing conferences?
• How can I help my students revise and self-edit?

This book is a handy reference tool for answering specific questions as they pop up during the year. Overmeyer uses student examples throughout to help teachers envision these solutions in their own classes, and he includes an array of classroom-tested ideas for multilingual learners.

There may not be any easy answers to the complexities of writer's workshop, but by identifying and providing advice on common stumbling blocks, the second edition of When Writing Workshop Isn't Working provides a solid groundwork—freeing up time and creativity for teachers to address the specific needs of their students.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 How Do I Begin My Writing Instruction?
• Chapter 2 How Can I Reach Resistant Writers?
• Chapter 3 How Can I Help My Students Develop Better Vocabulary and Word Choice?
• Chapter 4 How Can I Help Students Write in Complete and More Interesting Sentences?
• Chapter 5 How Can I Help My Students Organize Their Writing?
• Chapter 6 How Can I Help My Students Revise and Self-Edit?
• Chapter 7 How Do I Effectively Manage Writing Conferences?
• Chapter 8 How Do I Assess My Students’ Writing?
• Chapter 9 How Can I Effectively Support Students in Their Intentional Use of Technology in the Writing Workshop?
• Chapter 10 How Do I Plan for Writing Instruction?
• Appendix A Mentor Texts and Resources to Support Genre Studies
• Appendix B Revising My Writing
• Appendix C Yearlong Plan Sample: Fifth-Grade Writing
• Appendix D Recommended Books and Resources by Topic
• References
• Index