I struggled for years to feel like I was providing valuable feedback to my young first grade writers during writers workshop. I’ve finally found a simple and great solution I wanted to share with you!
Years ago, I’d race around the classroom during writers workshop trying to check in on all my students and provide immediate feedback. You can imagine how that went… I maybe made it to 3 students and then the rest were left on their own.
We were always told in professional development sessions and resources for teaching writing that feedback is important and I knew my students needed it but I couldn’t figure out how to reach them all efficiently. If I read their writing and wrote a comment on their writing piece well… most can’t read it or even if they could -would they?
So I constantly asked myself “How could I keep track of the feedback I was giving students and deliver it to them quickly and effectively..?!”
Finally, I found a way I think works really well!
Here’s all you need: sticky notes, and a student class list/checklist.
My Favorite Way to Give Students Written/Direct Feedback During Writers Workshop:
Step 1: Have a grab and go class list like the freebie linked HERE!
Step 2: Choose 5 students from your list and collect those 5 students books at the end of the writing period.
Step 3: Time to grab your sticky notes! Read and comment on your students latest writing piece. Find 2 positive comments to make on your students writing. Make them specific and related to your class writing goals/mini lessons. Leave 1 constructive improvement comment. Place the sticky note in the student’s notebook. (This is great because now you haven’t altered the student’s writing or interfered with their final writing piece).
Step 4: Next writing period, call those same 5 students back to your small group table. Read them their sticky note and point out their goal for today’s writing piece.
Step 5: After reading all 5 students their sticky note feedback send them off to write independently. Check in with other students and work the room.
Step 6: Spend the last 5-10 minutes of your writing period checking in with the 5 you spoke with today and prompt for any corrections to their writing that aligns with their sticky note goal.
Step 7: Collect 5 new books from students not checked off on your list yet and repeat these steps! Grab a new class list when it’s time to cycle back through all your students!
Simple, yes! Effective, I think so!
If you are still trying to find a way to give your first or second grade students constructive feedback on their writing, give this a try and let me know if you liked it in the comments below!
Happy Teaching!
-C with Dizzy Ozzy
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