Today I spoke at the Conference for Tennessee First Grade Teachers and had a great time talking about writer’s workshop. And as I told the teachers in my session, I used to believe that establishing a writing center in the classroom was simply an opportunity for me to indulge my love of office supplies, but I’ve come to understand that it is a key component in helping students to become independent writers.

Let me explain.

If we were to observe a traditional writing lesson (as opposed to a mini-lesson in writer’s workshop), we would no doubt see a writing lesson, followed by directions for completing an assignment that applies to the lesson. The teacher would then arm herself with paper and begin moving around the classroom, handing it out to students:

“Mrs. Wendall,” I don’t have a pencil.”

“What are we supposed to do again?”

“Do we need to put the date on the paper?”

The teacher responds as efficiently as she can, but nevertheless, the transition takes time. Lots of time. Those kids in the back of the room who are waiting for the teacher to arrive with paper (and are arguing over whose turn it will be to have the class mascot on their desk tomorrow) have long forgotten the lesson.

Rather than handing out paper, which makes you a distraction – an accomplice to the time-sink — consider allowing students (a few at once) to stop by the writing center, get their folders and anything else they need and settle into writing.

What will you do? You will write (yes you!) and then move into conferencing with students. Imagine no interruptions from students asking for another piece of paper.

So what’s in the center?

To begin, writing folders along with an assortment of paper. So are spare pencils – and blue pencils for editing (real-world editors don’t use red – they know those little red marks pierce the writer’s heart). There is scotch tape and scissors for revising, graphic organizers for prewriting, a “Name Your Baby” book for choosing characters’ names, and a date stamp and ink pad. (In my class it was the job of one student to move around the room and stamps students’ work. More on this in a later blog entry.)

When we free up our role as “keeper of the supplies,” students move through the workshop more independently.

What do you have in your writing center?