It is essential that children are deeply involved in writing, that they share their texts with others, and that they perceive themselves as authors (Calkins, 1986).

Independent writing is the practice of writing by students. Since students learn to write by writing, independent writing is a crucial aspect of a balanced literacy program. In a balanced literacy classroom, students participate in a daily writing workshop during which students have opportunities to have long, uninterrupted blocks of time to write. Teachers assess students' writing by observing students during the act of writing as well as analyzing student work to note the strengths and needs of the writers. Using the collected data, teachers plan for targeted instruction that meets the varying needs of students and deliver the instruction by means of whole class minilessons, small group work (e.g., strategy groups, guided writing groups) and one on one conferences. The explicit writing instruction includes teaching strategies across the writing strands of structure, meaning/significance, craft, genre and the conventions.

The daily writing workshop also provides students with the opportunities to build their writing fluency and stamina as well as practice writing a variety of genres (e.g., personal narrative, poetry, nonfiction, realistic fiction). In writing workshop, students write for authentic purposes using the writing process. The writing process includes brainstorming/rehearsing, drafting, revising, editing and publshing. Leading educator Ralph Fletcher refers to the writing process as "the authoring cycle" to highlight how writers do not move through these stages in a linear fashion but rather move back and forth between the stages while crafting a writing piece.

The goal of independent writing is for students to develop the skills and habits of lifelong writers as well as the passion and joy for writing.

Writing Continuum

 

Anderson, C. (2005). Assessing Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Anderson, C. (2000). How's It Going? Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Calkins, L. (1986). The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.