Lucy Calkins

[Beagles]

So I really need advice from all of you! I would like to streamline our
Readers Workshop and Writers Workshop. But I'm having a hard time doing this. Our school uses UoS and our 3rd and 4th grade teachers use the mentor texts mentioned in the UoS. I want to have a different mentor texts for our 5th graders. Our district wants us to spend the first 6 weeks on literary essay. How can I plan my reading workshop around this concurrently? Does Lucy streamline her RW and WW? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Mz. L.]

From a second grade teacher...

I'm not sure what a literary essay is, but the idea of mentor texts is pretty basic. Find books, preferably shorter story books, that demonstrate what you want kids to write. First, study the text as readers, noticing what the author gets you thinking about. Then, focus on how the author writes. Chart the different techniques each author uses.
I've spent a lot of time checking out Library books this summer. Perhaps if you explain a literary essay, someone may suggest some mentor texts.
The whole combination of workshops idea is excellent, in my mind. What focus you can achieve!

 

[cvt]

literary essay

Wow! The only time I wrote literary essays was in my junior/senior year of high school and in college. We had to write a critical interpretation of a literary work. It is advanced writing, with a thesis and arguments.

Somehow I doubt that is what your school is doing. Perhaps your students are expected to provide their own opinion of the literary work and support that with evidence from the text?