Patricia A. Gourley-Biggs

July 8, 2003

ENG 608

Book Report 3

Fletcher, R. & Portalupi, J. (2001).Writing workshop: the essential guide. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

The authors have assembled writing workshop book that covers the essential subjects needed for teachers to implement a writing workshop for their students. The focus of the book is on practical ideas with theory integrated when necessary to explain the origin or reason for a specific concept. The book is written in a clear, concise, and relevant style that provides any teacher with the basic ingredients to implement a writing workshop.

The chapters are broken into the necessary steps to assembling, implementing, and evaluating a writing workshop for juvenile writers. Fletcher & Portalupi (2001) discuss a number of illustrations to simulate the "feel" of a writing workshop. The succeeding chapters provide specific details on certain facets of the workshop such as time and space, writing conferences, the writing cycle, short-term goals, launching the workshop, conferring with writers, and assessment and evaluation (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001). The writing workshop book composed by Fletcher & Portalupi (2001) is compared to a watch that is disassembled then put back together again. The authors in each chapter entirely disassemble the writing workshop then reassemble the workshop so that it is ticking and humming and running smoothly (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001). Just in case your workshop begins to encounter problems Fletcher & Portalupi (2001) have included a chapter for troubleshooting to help remove "potential potholes" or "particular bugs or glitches." There are Appendixes that include forms such as topics to write about, conference notes, writing conference, table of contents, and an evaluation form to rate books. There is also an Appendix recommending books that should be read early in the year, and Appendix that contains strategies for teaching spelling, an Appendix listing skills to include on an editing checklist, and two Appendixes that include assessment of primary, elementary, and intermediate writers. These forms are very practical and provide a teacher with the essential tools to assemble a writing workshop and get it up and running.

Fletcher & Portalupi (2001) that the book provides all of the necessary tools but the most important tool is the teacher who contributes "passion, patience, humor, and their faith in the students’ skills as writers. The twenty-first century will demand that every student possess knowledge and skills in written communication. The authors believe that a writing workshop provides twenty-first century students with important writing tools to smooth their progress. The "central kernel" of the writing workshop is the student, "their voices, passions, imagination, and their original slant on the world." (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001) The student must be listened to, watched as they write to try to figure out what could be blocking their writing fluency or where the class energy soars or falters. Teachers are advised to be flexible in revising their teaching to respond to novice writers and their writing needs (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001). The book is very practical.