Teachers: primary/kindergarten

OK- I'm taking a shot:

Do you use the lucy calkins writer's workshop in your classes? Our district wants us to start the first day of school and is providing very little support. It seems complicated to begin right away with kindergarten!

If you do use it or know about it, does it work and is it as difficult as I think to begin?

Without much support it's very confusing!

thanks!

Lora

Logistically it's difficult to manage in the beginning, and your district needs to understand that. They say it takes teachers 3 years to feel comfortable with the program. Focus on the aspects of the program that work for you and don't try to do it all at once, that is the best advice I can give. I think the program works for some and not for others.

I teach older kids so I can't really say how it will work in kindergarten. I know the program is very controversial in my district. Some teachers really like it and others hate it. Many districts are REALLY pushing it and if that's the case for you, try to do it as best as you can.

I've been doing it now for about 6 years, so I've learned to improvise by adding elements to the workshop that I think are missing. If you have any questions FM me, but like I said, I know the program, but I'm not familiar with the primary grades.

one resource that is excellent is lucy calkins Units of Study Across the Year in a Primary Writing Workshop, k-2. It is basically an outline of how the workshop should go. You can get info on it at heinemann.com!

Thank you all! I appreciate any help I can get! I am in a collegial circle for it and it has met once. It was a complete waste of time and my colleges and I that are in it have a different opinion as how to spend our time learning about the program than the reading teacher who is directing the circle. She wasted our time the first meeting by talking about her summer and then disappearing to photo copy a bunch of handouts for us that basically repeated what the book says. No discussion and if anyone had a question- she would disappear! We don't think she read any of the books or knows what she is talking about. She is a very incompetent reading teacher to put it mildly!

Lora

HAHAHA! I've had the same experiences when it comes to having a collegue 'teach' us the workshop!

I was in K for four years using Calkins for some of the time. Ive seen her twice and been to Columbia for her workshop.
The Art of Teaching Writing is good, Ive sure you've read it. The other Calkins resource mentioned earlier is also supposed to be goo. There are always differing opinions about how to implement Writing Workshop, especially in K , where there is so much growth to be made in writing.
FM me if you have any questions, I might (?) be able to help....good luck!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions for using Reading and Writing Workshop in Third Grade?
Thanks so much

FM

finoflynn FM!