All educators are aware that time is our enemy – there is never enough! Author’s Chair is an important component of Writing Workshop, but also the first part to be left off of a daily schedule. I am going to discuss some great tips and techniques that can help save time and make it a meaningful part of the day. But first, let me help you further understand what it is and why it is important.

 

WHAT IS IT?                                                                                                                                                                   Writing Workshop provides a predictable framework for teachers and students to teach and learn how to write. There are 4 parts:  Mini lesson, Independent or Guided Writing, Conferencing, and Sharing. During sharing, students read their writing in front of their classmates. However, there is more going on here than a reading/listening relationship.  After a student has shared their piece, their classmates analyze what they have just heard and provide positive feedback in order to help that writer. For example, “I really like the way Johnny used transition words to organize his story,” or “Johnny could add some more sensory details to make his piece paint a more vivid picture in my head.”

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?                                                                                                                                              It is very important for students to have an audience for their writing. When they know that others will be reading or listening to what they write, they tend to be more motivated and take ownership of what they are doing. Author’s Chair provides students with an important audience, their peers. In addition, it provides another time for the class to lead a student discussion about writing traits like I stated above. As a student reads, their classmates are instructed to be “listening with their writer’s ears.” This is a concept that is modeled and practiced throughout the year in multiple subjects:  read aloud, reading workshop, and even during social studies or science texts. By the end of the year, students will pick out writing traits on their own throughout the day with no prompting! Additionally, it is another way for students to realize that all the subjects are connected. When students understand that writing is in all areas of their life, unmotivated and discouraged writers almost always begin to “buy into the idea of writing.”

WHAT ARE SOME QUICK TIPS?                                                                                                                         Here are some great tips on how to manage your Author’s Chair that I have come across or created and used throughout the years:

1.  Have 2-3 students share per day, and let students know ahead of time so that they are prepared. I have used the above chart, which has my students’ numbers and a clothespin that says, “1st Author of the Day.” This allows me to not have to choose at random or miss any students who tend to be on the shy side. It is another great classroom job for a student to manage as well.
2. In order for students to understand feedback from me during conferences, and from their peers during Author’s Chair, I introduce “STAR and a WISH.” The “STAR” is what strategy they used well in order to make their piece stronger (ie. using bold beginnings, sensory details, transition words, etc.) The “WISH” is what strategy they could use to make their piece even better than it already is. This makes the negative feedback not so negative because they know to expect it and that all writer’s can always make their pieces better. After each student reads, they receive a “STAR and a WISH” from their peers.
3. Have a poster up in the classroom that helps students provide feedback. Use sentence starters like, “I like the way you….” or “My wish for you is that you could…” You also may want to keep a list of the writing strategies you have taught so they have a menu to choose from.
4. Provide students with a special stool or chair that is ONLY used to read aloud writing. This makes it special and more exciting for the students.  My chair is a blue stool from Walmart. They love to sit on a stool higher than the rest of their classmates.
5. If you have one, and the student wants to, have them put their writing under the ELMO or projector so that everyone can see the writing as well to further analyze it.

I hope this post has made lightbulbs go off in your mind!  I appreciate any feedback and/or reflections you may have because…if you give a teacher an idea…..

Warmly,                                                                                                                                                         Ashley Dearcop

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NOTE:  Top image by Scrappindoodles