Dear Language Arts Families,
As most of you know, we are in a transitional phase in our Language Arts class; next week, we will start our Writing and Reading Workshop, and the style of our class periods will change. With my support through reading and writing mini-lessons, vocabulary and grammar work, regular conferences, editing, and book talks, students will embark with me on a literary journey; we will discover ourselves anew as readers and writers. Students will read novels of their choice and write about topics they choose.
With guidance from me and their classmates, students will work through the stages of writing, and complete a certain number of genres using their choice topics. We will explore poetry, short stories, memoir, essays, advocacy journalism, and other writing styles. Students will also find opportunities to publish their writing in the world and use it to make a difference. The 40 years of tried and true research into Reading and Writing Workshop are impressive; instead of reading a few novels per year, assigned by teachers (and research says kids rarely even read those!), most students in the workshop read over 20 books a year. As they read, they become better writers. And, it turns out, students who read novels regularly score much higher on tests overall, in every subject. Reading literature also builds empathy, one of the most important traits for adolescents to develop.
Over the next few school days, students will set up their Reading/Writing Handbook and 4 folders for Reading, Current Writing, Poetry/Short Texts, and Vocabulary/Other Documents respectively. I have created a “Workshop in a Nutshell” document for those who want more details about the class structure. Specifics about expectations and assignments will be given out next week, and students will select their first novels on Tuesday in the library.
Here is a link to the "Workshop in a Nutshell" document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13DcuzEG_emvKZu6lY1pzQpEaFoIgY8KC9zLNpIEdxHM/edit?usp=sharing this document can also be found on my website in the Links & Documents page.
I will provide students with 4 folders each, but students will also need to purchase a notebook (composition or spiral) that is college ruled and has at least 100 pages.
Students can purchase a composition book from me for $1. Please acquire a notebook or send your student to school with $1 by this coming Monday, September 25th. I want us to set up our notebooks on that day, so that we can dive right into the new workshop model.
Thank you for your support; I look forward to seeing our students grow as readers and writers this year!
Jasmine Spiegel
da Vinci Arts Middle School
English Language Arts
[email protected]