The effects of a writing workshop on the writing abilities of kindergarten students

The purpose of this action research project was to examine the effects a writing workshop had on the writing abilities of kindergarteners. The participants in this study were in a self-contained half-day kindergarten class with 30 students. Students participated in a writing workshop for nine weeks during which they were given choice in their writing topics, time to write independently, and the opportunity to share their writing with peers. Students also participated in teacher modeled mini-lessons and teacher-student conferences where they received specific feedback focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of their writing. Students wrote independently three to five times a week and conferenced with the teacher one or two times a week. Writing samples were taken and scored as a pre-test and post-test in the areas of a) ideas and word choice; b) organization and sentence fluency; and c) language conventions and presentation. Mini-lessons and conferences focused on these areas and where students needed the most refinement or reinforcement. This class' pre-test and post-test scores were compared to identify areas of growth and were also compared to a control group to identify if the writing workshop was the cause for student achievement. Overall, students proved to be more proficient writers at the end of the study after participating in the writing workshop. KEY WORDS: action research, kindergarten, professional development, writing, writing processes, writing worksho