About the Author: Liz Shockey, a freelance author and editor, is a Writing Workshop aide at Upland Elementary in Upland, Indiana. She can be reached at jhubbard@bpsinet.com.

Jay couldn't read. Somehow he'd made it to third grade, but he couldn't read. Brad could not spell the same word wrong the same way twice. Josh didn't think he had anything to say. He didn't speak; he didn't write. Katie's writing level exceeded her grade by several years. She needed a challenge. Steve wrote one story and thought he was done.

What connection do these five children share? Writing Workshop (WW) improved their reading, writing, and communication skills. Provided inclusively in second through sixth grade classes in our school, WW meets the diverse needs found in every classroom. I have watched the program transform children. Each child is met at his or her own level and encouraged to grow and learn at his or her own speed.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card, the majority of students assessed are basic to low in their writing abilities. Boys rank almost 15 percentile points lower overall in writing proficiency. Almost 20% of all students nationally rank below basic ability and a little more than 20% ranked at or above proficiency. Only 1% of the students nationally ranks as advanced in writing. The NAEP Report Card clearly points to the desperate need for good writing programs in our schools; students need a connection to literature and the written word.

What connects a student to literacy? How can we help a non-reading third grader like Jay want to read when the words on the page in his literature book have no meaning to him? Writing Workshop gave Jay the opportunity to write his own words. Words with meaning. At first, no one else could pick up his paper and read it aloud, but he could. And he did. When it was time for sharing at the end of the writing time each day, Jay would volunteer to stand in front of his peers and read his work out loud. Watching him read was a wonderful experience in itself. But watching his self-esteem develop as his peers responded to his stories and ideas was priceless. Jay was connected to literacy. He could read. His spelling needed work and capital letters and punctuation took time to develop, but he was connected. He cared.

Brad couldn't spell, and he knew it. So he didn't enjoy writing because it was painful. He was afraid that he didn't have anything good to say because he couldn't spell it. Allowing him the freedom to write a rough draft without the constraints of perfect spelling let us hear his voice. He had such unique wording. Simple things like the wind took on poetic force as he used metaphors and similes naturally. He still couldn't spell, but it didn't matter in the rough draft part of the writing process. A rough draft is simply that--rough. Once he had completed a story, he would carefully self-edit, circling many of the words he wasn't sure how to spell. Teacher conferencing with Brad did take time, but it was worth every moment. Responding to his writing, not his spelling, affirmed his ability. I still corrected all his spelling and helped him with memorization techniques for some words, but I didn't change the tone of his work. He published several very poetic stories during his sixth grade year.

Josh came to us from another school system. He was quiet, actually sullen. He didn't speak even when spoken to. He arrived at our school in the middle of October while the other sixth graders were working on a report. He didn't know what to write. Other students wrote four to six pages; he wrote half a page.

Within the first weeks of getting to know Josh, one of the WW aides sat down and spoke with him. She offered to act as his secretary to get some of his words on paper. He did open up and began talking a little. He wrote a little, but didn't feel he had anything to say. One day we asked him what he liked to do. He liked hunting. I know nothing about hunting and told him that. Would he write about it and educate me? He thought for awhile and then wrote two full pages all about his father taking him hunting. I learned about what rifles work best for specific animals. I found out how to track and skin a coon. It was very enlightening. Through time, Josh discovered he had a lot to say. He knew we were interested in what he knew and enjoyed. He also found a sense of humor in his writing. It just happened because he was finally comfortable and connected with the process of taking thoughts and putting them down on paper.

For some children putting thoughts on paper just seems to happen. Katie was like that from the start. From third grade on I was aware of her and worked with her in class for WW. It was interesting to watch her grow. She didn't like her own writing, and yet she was gifted. Working with her on her own level required challenges individualized just for her. She won two different writing contests. WW gave her the consistent time to keep on writing.

Consistent time does not guarantee consistent work from all students. Whereas Katie met deadlines and received good grades in WW, Steve found it difficult to write more than one story during his fourth grade year. Throughout the year he made reference to the one book he had completed. It was less than one typed page in length. He made multiple copies of it. He colored a picture to go with it, stretching these activities out for weeks. But he did not want to write anything else. His fifth grade WW teacher continued to prod and encourage but did not see a great deal of success during that year, either. When he started sixth grade this past fall, he wrote at less than a sixth-grade level and had difficulty with basic skills, but he wrote. He met almost every deadline for his sixth grade first semester. His work has improved little by little. And his attitude toward writing improved as well. He grumbled occasionally when asked to stretch his work in length, but he accomplished what was requested every time to the best of his ability. WW provided time to write, and after several years it's becoming a habit for Steve.

How can we help students make writing a habit? A simple answer marks the very core of the WW model. Time. Consistently offered and just for writing.

Every day teachers present a math lesson. First graders learn to count and practice it every day. Every year new skills are added and drills and flashcards reinforce the learning on a daily basis. Reading is handled in much the same way. Letters, phonics, and words are imploded on children in K-I throughout their day. Special time is held sacred as teachers work each day to encourage improved letter recognition and reading. Literacy depends on a student's ability to read. Writing begins as students learn to form letters and place them carefully into words. Once basic skills are in place, writing expands into other content areas. As children write, they develop a sense of worth based on how they view their writing and how their peers and teachers view their writing.

The WW model developed in the 1980's by Donald Graves allows students the time they need to work on writing skills. The model promotes an in-process style of writing that gives children time to work through their writing step by step.

All WW programs must begin with the premise that students need the freedom to write a rough draft and continue improving that draft beyond a one-day deadline. Remember Creative Writing Day? The teacher would assign a topic, require that you complete the work in a class period, and then mark the paper with all of your mistakes and shortcomings. Jay's paper would have been an instant "F." Who could decipher it? Brad's writing would have been difficult to see under the heavy red marks showing all his misspelled words. What did Creative Writing Day accomplish? Nothing more than convincing Jay and Brad that they were not writers. This type of writing marked the end of many writing careers. Children naturally good in English and writing felt affirmed. Children struggling with language and motor skills felt defeated. Rather than encouraging students to write, the Creative Writing Day left the majority of students feeling deficient.

In-process writing (WW) allows children to work independently putting their thoughts on paper in a rough draft. With rough drafts, students use pencils and double space their work, skipping a line to allow space for editing and revision. Spelling is not a focus at this point in the process. Students are encouraged to write phonetically and to do their best. If they know a word is incorrect, they will simply circle it later when they self edit. The rough draft, depending on length and grade level, may take several days to complete. Students all work independently in the traditional WW model. Katie might publish several books while Brad only completes one. Teachers may wish for a more controlled deadline oriented workshop. As long as ample time is given for each assignment, deadlines work. Set deadlines based on the meat of the class, then allow students who finish early to begin a new story.

After children complete a story or piece, they are required to edit their own work. International proofreading marks are introduced and used at age appropriate levels. Primary grades learn how to circle words for spelling help, place three lines under letters needing capitalization, and how to add a period or punctuation at the end of each sentence. By sixth grade students use basically all the international proofreading marks in their manuscripts. Students are also encouraged to revise and improve their writing beyond simple proofreading corrections. Students use green pens to edit. Teachers can easily identify whether or not editing has taken place by the visible presence of green marks. In lower grades, teachers may assist children in editing during the teacher conference (a later step). Many students say that they looked and couldn't find any mistakes. I use those moments as windows of learning. I explain how any written work can be improved--even published works! All the writers published in this journal used this step carefully before submitting their work. No writer would dream of sending work to a publisher without first proofreading. That would be a nightmare. Students deserve the same consideration we give ourselves. They need to be taught how to silently read, rethink, and revise their writing. Self-editing is a life skill.

Once editing is complete, students choose a friend for a peer conference. This provides another connection to literacy as children are reading and listening to the written word. It's a win-win situation. Upper grade level peer conferencing can provide opportunities for students to learn how to offer constructive feedback and suggested improvements for the writer. Peer conferencing can be difficult if the classroom is small or overcrowded. One way to solve this problem is to have a sign-up for conferences. If only one or two are allowed at a time, peace and quiet are maintained.

As students complete their editing and peer conferencing, they are ready for a teacher conference. This is my favorite step because it gives the teacher a chance to spend one-on-one time with a child without inconveniencing or neglecting the rest of the class. Because WW is a process, students are actively involved in different stages of the process every day. Josh may still be working on a rough draft while Steve is waiting to meet with me for a Teacher Conference. While I meet with Steve, the other students ready for a conference start working on their next publications. No one is left waiting. Teachers then have the freedom to work with a student on specific areas of need. Steve and I might look at run-on sentences. When I meet with Katie, she and I might discuss character motivation or foreshadowing. Neither student is privy to the other's conference. Each student advances at his or her own speed. Each student is met at his or her own level.

After a student has met with a teacher, a final draft is the next and final step. Students choose how they will publish their works. Posters, picture books, mobiles, or bound manuscripts are all options. Children are encouraged to use their best handwriting or printing. Some students type their works. Classrooms set up with WW in mind often have a special publishing center with creative papers and options for making students' books beautiful. Once the book is complete some of our teachers have a shelf for the published authors of the classroom. The books then become an option for reading for the entire class. After a semester, students can choose to take their books home. If a manuscript is completed and not wanted, it is placed in the student's portfolio. When the children graduate from sixth grade they are given their portfolios during the last week of WW. It's a joy to see their eyes as they look over work from way back and smile!

Writing Workshop works. I know this because I have witnessed it for the past four years. As a freelance writer and editor, I came into this program with no prior knowledge or understanding of WW. I had never heard of Donald Graves. In-process writing was simply the only way I knew how to write. The transition was an easy one. Writing Workshop just makes sense. It is easy to implement and flexible enough to fit any school or classroom. Visitors often come to our school to learn about our Maximum Achievement Learning Lab and our Writing Workshop program. Many teachers love the concept until they think of all those extra papers that they would have to read and grade. My comment is always the same: Even if they never grade the papers, even if they never read the stories, even if they don't intervene, if all they do is let the children write four days a week for at least half-an-hour a day, the students' writing will improve. You don't have to take my word for it, try it and see. What do you have to lose? Think what the children will gain!

Connecting Jay to reading began with his own written words. Allowing Brad to write a truly "rough" draft opened the door. Finding Josh's interests and skills gave him a voice. Talk about connections. And isn't that what learning is all about? Getting connected.

References

Graves, D. (1991). Writing: Teachers and children at work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

National Assessment of Educational Progress. (1998). NAEP 1998 writing report card. (NCES 1999464). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office.