Writer's Workshop: Chapters 7, 8, & 19

               At the begining of chapter 7 it discusses that teachers need to have a strong presence during writers workshop. The author made a strong connection between worksheets and writing. The author said the same consequence should be given when their writing is not completed as they do when their worksheets are not complteted. I'm not sure how much I agree with that statement however. I feel like if we punish students for not writing they will not like writing. If they are forced to stay in during recess and complete their writing they will see writing in a negative way as a punishment. I feel like as a teacher we need to tell the students that the due date of their paper is *blank* date. All papers must be turned in that day, and not a day later. If they want to waste their time in class not writing then they will just have to write at home if they want to submit their writing on time. Some days students just might not be in the mood to write or not be feelings very creative that day. Everyone has their days, they should not be punished for them but rather just reap the concequences if it's not turned in on the due date. As far as the space in the room goes I loved the idea of lapboards. I remember as a student how much I loved working on the floor. Working on the floor also gives the students plenty of room to spread out and have comfortable space. The students in my mentor teachers classroom have writing pads to use for their drafting. Just like the book said they are yellow and stand out differently than their final drafts on white paper.

               I was interested to read that their are such things as "writer's workshop kits." I agree with the book that I do not feel like they will be as beneficial. I feel like each year the Writer's Workshop will be different based on the children you have in your classroom and the level of writer's they are. If we try to use a kit to do these writers workshop it is almost like looking at the workshop closed mindedly and not allowing your self as a teacher and your students to step outside the box and get creative with writing.

            I can see opposing views on why giving students a date to publish too far in advance can be good and bad. On the good side nothing comes as a surprise to the students. The students are given the publishing dates at the begining of the school year and they know from that point on when their pieces of writing are supposed to be published. This can help students stay organized and plan ahead. On the flip side telling the students these dates this far in advance can overwhelm them and make them feel like they have so much due in that time frame. Depending on how your students seem to organize themselves and stress about subjects I feel like this decision should be made based on the class and not done the same every year. I liket the idea of having students do a refelection of their writing after they publish it. This allows them to look back at their writing process and to see what worked well for them and what did not work well for them. They can use these refelctions to decide what they will do differently next time. This can help them grow as a writer and learn to progress.