Writing Work Station: Giving Students a Voice!

Many say that writing, like music, soothes the soul. It gives us a voice in the world, a medium for expression, and a chance to be heard. Like so many students in the inner-city, the 5th grade students in my upcoming class this fall have a voice that has not been cultivated, has not had a chance to be heard. I believe that teaching writing in the classroom, beyond what is needed for standardized testing, is crucial for balanced literacy development in each and every student. As students get older, many feel that they don’t need the practice with writing skills. But this is far from the truth! Intermediate grade students need to learn more than the simple spelling and grammar conventions, they need to learn how to write for different purposes and audiences and use different styles and devices. We as educators must teach them the most effective ways to make their voices heard! Inspired by these factors and many more, I would like to create a writing work station with a publishing center in my 5th grade classroom. I believe that literacy learning centers/stations are a vital component of any classroom, not just primary classrooms! This writing work station will be a place where students can utilize resources, practice previously taught skills independently, or find inspiration for their pieces. This station will enhance mini-lessons taught during our Writer’s Workshop and provide a separate, quiet space for my students to write. While at the writing work station, students can brainstorm for their writing, confer with peers about their pieces, use reference materials such as dictionaries and thesauri to help them find precise and descriptive language, or publish finished work. One of the most important and most celebrated parts of the writing process is the act of publishing final pieces. Research shows that sharing writing helps boost students’ self-esteem and self-efficacy and increases their motivation and a favorable attitude toward writing. A large component of the writing work station will be dedicated to the publishing process, providing students with unique, yet professional looking, materials to make their work permanent. Students will have the opportunity to laminate and/or bind some of their best pieces, which will be placed in our classroom library for other students to read. These pieces will also be featured as read alouds or for use with our primary-aged Reading Buddies as well as in our "Author's Circle" literary share time. In addition to publishing personal pieces, the publishing center will be used to work on our class newspaper, a newsletter communication written 100% by students, which will be available to family members, school administration, and friends, providing more opportunities for my students’ voices to be heard in their community. The writing work station will be used by all students in the classroom to provide a fun, unique, writing environment that appeals to many different learning styles. Students will be able to practice previously taught writing skills and strategies while further reinforcing the crucial skills of self-management, cooperation, and independent work ethic. But most importantly, the station will provide a path for students to find their voice.