Stephanie Welte

Writers Workshop
Rationale
It is important to expand on writing and understanding how to begin to start a small
story, by connecting small moments. It is also important for students to include
more details in their writing
Standards:
W.2.3 Text Types and Purposes
Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of
events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal
words to signal order, and provide a sense of closure.
W.2.5 Production and Distribution of Writing
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen
writing as needed by revising and editing.
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate that they can understand writing a narrative by
using sequence words (First, Next, Last).
Students will add more details to their different small moments.
Students will use important aspects of a good, detailed story, discussed in
class, in their own stories.
Procedure:
1. Call students to the carpet, Writers it is time to gather on the carpet, please
go to your designated carpet spot
2. Remind students, In the past couple of days we have been working on
writing our own stories and you have been doing a great job! But today we
are going to make these stories come to life!
3. Now your stories so far are very good, but a great writer wants to keep
adding to their work, because the more detail there is the more the story will
come to life and make the person reading your story more connected to it.
4. Next show them your story (that you have previously written on the big
notepad). Remind them how you used first, next, and last. But again explain
how important it is to add details to every story.
5. Then, model how you can make details by explaining a section exactly as it
has happened. For example, My story started as first, my family and I went
to Disney World and our first stop was The Magic Kingdom Now what I can
do is add details to this section by thinking about what happened while we
were at Magic Kingdom I would go on to explain and write on the notepad in
detail what happened during the day at Magic Kingdom.
6. As I am writing I will pause and prompt the students about what else makes
a good story? Let them think pair share with each other to see what they

come up with. One example of an idea to encourage students to use is

dialogue. Another would be bringing emotion and feelings into the story.
7. Allow another think, pair, share and let the students share some details they
would like to add to their stories. Again take some volunteers and hear one
detail they would like to add to their stories.
8. Once it seems like the students understand the main ideas of adding details,
tell the students It is time for you to add details to your own story, when you
go off on your own, I want you to pick a part of your story that you want to
add details to and if you are having trouble or get stuck look to the board to
see the good ideas writers use when they use detail (dialogue and emotions).
Okay get to writing young writers!
9. At this point let students write on their own for five minutes and then once
that is over walk around and help students if needed.
10. Once all students have added details bring them back to the carpet and tell
them to bring their papers with them. Writers I want you to turn to your
partner and share your story with them and talk to each other about the
good details you used and the difference between what the story was before.
11. Take volunteers to talk about the details they added and how the stories
came more to life as they wrote these details. Basically let them share with
you what they shared with each other. Again just to reinforce the strategy
they used.
12. Writers we are going to continue to add more details to our story, so every
section of our stories come even more to life. It is important that readers are
excited about reading your story and these details will make your narratives
much more relevant to the reader. Now please put your papers in the in-bin
so I can also read and enjoy all of your stories.
Gradual Release:
Focused Instruction: Modeling how to write in more detail with my own
story.
Guided Instruction: Having the students come up with their own ideas and
taking ideas about what their own details could be.
Collaborative: Think, pair, sharing about the details and the different parts of
a good, detailed story.
Independent: Writing their own details to their stories, especially those first
five minutes.
Materials:
Notepad at carpet
Assessments:
I will know students can write their own details when I hear them share with
each other and me, also when I read all the stories on my own.
The students will use sequence words while continuing to write their details,
something they have already learned, and so it should be at 90%.

Finally, when students are writing details they add at least one dialogue
detail and one emotional detail.