Into Writing: The Primary Teacher's Guide to Writing Workshop

For me, there was enormous satisfaction in seeing how Megan Sloan interweaves process, workshop, and traits in this book. I have struggled all my professional life to help teachers see that the 6 traits are not a silver bullet, not even a curriculum, but a way of thinking and talking about writing that enormously empowers revision―and therefore, both process and workshop. It is so gratifying to hear from a teacher who really understands this relationship, and sees how things work in harmony, rather than trying to replace one with the other.
Vicki Spandel
Author of Creating Young Writers

 “I want to set up a writing workshop in my classroom―now what?”

“What should my teaching look like day to day?”

“What about minilessons? Conferences and assessment? Share time?”

These are just a few of the many questions about writing workshop that teacher and nationally known staff developer Megan Sloan has been asked. With Into Writing this workshop veteran sets out to answer these and the other most commonly asked questions about teaching writing well.

From September to June, Sloan’s answers break down the workshop piece by piece so you can make the most of it. She examines the ins and outs of writing workshop through four overarching principles of practice:

1. Differentiate to address each writer’s unique needs.
2. Make every minute count by designing instruction that sticks.
3. Share your experiences with students to build trust, encourage choice and community, and model how real writers work.
4. Emphasize writing to support reading.

If you’re new to writing workshop, Into Writing will be a handy, inspirational guide for implementing and sustaining it. If you want to improve your workshop, you’ll have a troubleshooting manual that’s easy to use and that’s as focused on helping writers reach their potential as you are.

Into Writing answers your questions with all the practical savvy, student-sample guideposts, and specific, actionable advice you’d expect from a veteran teacher. And with her warmth and can-do spirit, Megan Sloan will win you over and lead you to teaching that your young writers will find as satisfying as you will.

Vicki Spandel has spent her professional life working with students and teachers of writing—as a classroom instructor, online writing coach, journalist, editor, technical writer, and curriculum developer. She is the author of multiple books on writing, including Creating Writers, Creating Young Writers, and The 9 Rights of Every Writer. Visit Vicki online at http://sixtraitgurus.wordpress.com to see writing lessons based on contemporary literature.

Megan S. Sloan is the author of Into Writing. She teaches at Cathcart Elementary School in Snohomish, Washington. She has been teaching for more than twenty years. Megan has been a presenter through the Bureau of Education and Research. She is the author of Teaching Young Writers to Elaborate and Trait-Based Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing.