Last week we began writer's workshop, which is now a well established routine.  We began by reading the book Library Mouse, by Daniel Kirk, about a young mouse who lives in a hole in the wall of a library.  At night he comes out to read all of the wonderful books.  He decides to try writing and discovers that writing is quite fun and not all that hard, especially when you write about what you know.  As a class we have brainstormed ideas for writing.  We have also talked about the fact that our writing doesn't have to be about a big event.  It's okay to write about recess or playing with legos or walking to school.  Any experience can be a good story.

For now most children are using pictures to convey their stories, dictating words to me when they are ready.  Many children have been excited to create books by making at least three pages with pictures and words that are all about the same topic and adding a colorful cover.   An important concept that comes up almost each day during writing is the notion of "ish," which stems from the book by Peter Reynolds.  Our drawings and writing don't need to be perfect, they can be "ish."  I often model for children my own drawings which are very personish, butterflyish, mountainish (sometimes evoking giggles as I explain them). As we continue with writer's workshop, children will be encouraged to start writing their own words by writing pretend words or letters they know. We always end writer's workshop by sharing a few students' writing, which is a wonderful way to inspire each other and spread ideas and strategies.