Writing Workshop

Writing workshop days are my favorite teaching days of the semester because the teachable moment just enforce itself out of students' writing. It creates a productive community of practice that develops a sense of belonging and sharing. I always believe that everyone's story matter and all of our stories has a unique lesson that can be transferable and meaningful to others. Those workshops create real life audience to the students' work where the author takes the responsibility to present and respond to those audience.

I usually schedule a day before the workshop starts to model the workshop procedures and expectations.

here is the sample of the w.w.instructions:

Dr. Samah Elbelazi

English 101 001/003 Assignment: workshop instructions.

Scheduled workshop

Day ……………………………………

Date ………………………...…………

Time……………………………………

If you are the author for the scheduled workshop:

1. Bring one-page draft typed single spaced from your memoir for everyone in class the day before your scheduled workshop. (23 copies). For example if your workshop day is on Monday, then you need to bring the draft Friday.

2. The workshop handout may be a draft, but it must be sufficiently developed that the class will enjoy working on it.

3. In that page make sure you spell your name clearly and you have a space on the top of the paper for the reviewer’s name. On your page header include:

Your name: e.g. John Smith Reviewer’s name……………………………………

1. On your workshop day, bring a folder to keep all of your classmates’ feedback. You will need to bring this folder on the revision day.

If you are the reviewer:

1. Your homework is to take back home four drafts from four authors.

2. At home, you provide comments on the author’s draft. Minimum four comments and one endnote. You can choose from:

• Explain what you liked about this piece of writing.

• Explain some things you would revise in this piece of writing to change its meaning.

• Discuss what points you’d want to see developed in more depth and why. (you can underline the sentence or highlight it with marker)

• Suggest some ways that the writer can differently approach their subject matter.

• React! Describe what was going through your mind when you read this piece of writing.

• List some ways that you, as a reader, relate to the subject matter and provide specific feedback that encourages the writer to explore certain points in more depth.

• Highlight/ underline any sentences that requires clarity and more explanation.

Sample Starting Points for the Feedback-Giver

· I’d like to know more about __________ because ___________.

· I was interested when I read ________ because it reminded me of ________.

· I felt ______ when I read about _______ because ________.

· If you moved _______ to _______, the meaning of your writing might change in the following ways: __________.

· How it clarifies the meaning if _________________________________

1. Write an endnote: after you finish reading, write short paragraph to help the author to move forward with their book project (memoir). You can include any ideas that may help the author to think about his/her memoir. For example, what do you want to read more about this experience?

1. Before coming to the class, make one copy of each of the four drafts you received and bring them to the class whenever the workshop is scheduled. Make sure to give one copy to the author and one copy to me (Dr. Elbelazi).

You will be graded on how much time, effort, and thought you put into giving feedback to your classmates. Take their writing seriously and think deeply about how you can help them along with their book projects.

NOTE:

All drafts are single spaced, Times New Roman, one page long

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