Writer's Workshop: A Family-Style Writing Program

Writer's Workshop engages young writers with high interest writing prompts and projects. The Writer's Workshop method creates a happy environment where kids are coached incrementally towards improved writing skills. 

"Layers of Learning Writer's Workshops are nothing short of amazing! My son struggled desperately with writing, and I, despite having an elementary education degree, struggled to teach it. However, while I find it hard to formulate my own teaching plans, I know a good curriculum when I see one, and this is the BEST writing curriculum I've come across in 10 years of homeschooling." - Amy, a customer

This book is a parent guide to help the adult plan daily writing lessons. It can be used to teach all ages from 6 years old to 18 years old and can be used simultaneously with different ages or abilities, family-style.

What's In This Book?

Writer's Workshop includes nine month-long units including:

1. Writer's Workshop Jump Start - to break free of old writing patterns, learn to have fun writing, and learn the writing process.
2. Sentences, Paragraphs, & Narrations - to teach well-crafted, powerful sentences and paragraphs plus how to retell information in your own words.
3. Descriptions & Instructions - to paint a picture in your reader's mind with vivid language plus write clear instructions.
4. Fanciful Stories - to write setting, characters, plot, and dialogue for fictional stories of all lengths.
5. Poetry - to write formula poems, free-verse poems, rhyme schemes, and spare figurative language.
6. True Stories - to write biographies, news articles, memoirs, and more.
7. Reports & Essays - to research and write book reports, science reports, history reports, essays and more.
8. Letters  - to write letters to friends and family, write business letters, fill out forms, craft a resume, and more.
9. Persuasive Writing - to get people to come around to your point of view through appeals to authority, emotion, and more.

You can read more about Writer's Workshop method of writing in the Guidebook: How to Create a Writer's Workshop, available at Layers-of-learning.com.  

A Writer's Workshop Lesson

Each daily writing lesson starts with a five-minute Mini-Lesson including grammar, mechanics, writing skills, and genre lessons. Next, choose from dozens of Exercises. 

Evaluating Writer's Workshop

One project per unit is taken all the way through the Writing Process. When the project is completed it should be shared in front of a cheering audience.

The Writing Project is evaluated with printable grading rubrics that assess each writer based on his or her growth during the unit, as opposed to an arbitrary standard.

Reusable and For All Ages

The units are repeatable so you can use the same Writer's Workshop book and program year after year with all of your children from beginning writers who sit on a lap and tell Mom what to write down, to high schoolers preparing for college writing.

The parent picks and chooses between mini-lessons that address the children's needs and then exercises that will engage the children's interests.

Printable Packs

Writer's Workshop also includes printables for every unit. The Printable Packs are available as a digital PDF download from Layers-of-Learning.com on the Writer's Workshop product page.

About the Authors

Writer's Workshop is from Layers of Learning, a homeschool curriculum company begun by two sisters in 2008 in Idaho, USA. We specialize in hands-on high-interest learning designed for families with multiple ages. You can find out more at Layers-of-Learning.com.