Having just completed their Writer’s Workshop unit on fiction, students in Nicole Schoentag’s first grade class celebrated with an author celebration. “In this unit, students focused on developing characters, settings, problems, and solutions,” says Ms. Schoentag. “We learned that most fiction is written to teach a reader a lesson, which we defined as something you learn that grows your heart and your brain.” The author celebration had students proudly reading their newly published hardcover books to their families, while drinking tea made with the mint leaves picked from the class garden.

 

Adds Ms. Schoentag, “As the year has progressed, our first graders’ spelling has gotten better and their writing has gotten neater. More importantly, however, is the way they have learned to see themselves as authors. The writer’s workshop model of teaching writing has empowered students to realize their life is full of stories and they have the skills to tell those stories.” MORE PHOTOS