The Advantages and Challenges of Using Interactive Writing in a Writers' Workshop

In the fall of the 2013 school year I started teaching first grade at a new school. I had the freedom to use any writing curriculum that I chose. I had done some teaching using a Writers' Workshop in my classroom but felt that this approach alone left gaps in my curriculum. I had learned about an approach called interactive writing. I wanted to see if and how I could implement the two writing approaches in my first grade Title I classroom. Throughout the 2013-2014 school year I implemented Writers' Workshop and interactive writing in my classroom. I discovered many challenges and advantages to using the combined approaches. I taught four different interactive writing lessons. I collected data using a teacher journal, student observation log, and student work samples. Through my research I found that interactive writing and Writers' Workshop combine well together. The two approaches make for a thorough and comprehensive approach to writing instruction. Some of the challenges that I faced were managing lesson time and content, and keeping my students engaged in the lessons. I also found many advantages. My struggling students showed great growth in their independent writing ability. I found that the use of personal white boards enabled strong student engagement in the interactive writing lessons. I also found that many of my students showed growth in the use of writing conventions, spelling, and grammar