Writing Workshop Do's

I have a confession to make.  The first several weeks of school are typically not my favorite.  It's true.  All is well once we're all trained and acting like first graders, but until then, there are days.


Writing Workshop can especially be difficult.  Creating writing stamina, independence, and productivity in a group of first graders early in September is the ultimate test of one's patience.  On one particular day, I arrived at school with a few ideas for how I was going to help move this crew into first grade mode, but I still had questions about my Writing Workshop time.  Well, since this is my blog I can pretty much say whatever I want, right?  Here it is.  God gave me an idea.  I know it was Him, because I'm not that smart and it came to me out of nowhere.  Take their pictures while they're writing.  Catch every single writer doing something that you want to make sure they do today and everyday when they write.  So that's what I did.  I spent two Writing Workshop sessions taking pictures.  I especially tried to catch them doing exactly the opposite of what had not been going well.  I then put each picture and a description of what that writer was doing into a book.  Can I say that Writing Workshop time has been so much more pleasant since.  Perfect?  No, but much better.  Thank you God...literally.