Nancie Atwell Lesson Plan

By Charles Martin

OBJECTIVE:

Students will create their vision of a secondary writing course, absent lectures, assignments, tests and worksheets. Reflected in the course they design will be the following principles: Regular chunks of time for students to write, time for teacher and peer response to student writing, access to a wide-ranging variety of writing, and a classroom setting that helps to facilitate these things.

RATIONALE:

In order to write well students need to write often. They need long periods of uninterrupted time to think, write, revise and write some more. Creating an environment in which this can happen is challenging, but crucial. This lesson will give the class the opportunity to take ownership of this task -- much like the students theyíll be teaching -- and use their existing knowledge of teaching methods to create an Atwell-style writing course.

PROCEDURE:

1. Outline for the class the Nancie Atwell philosophy using handouts detailing the seven principles that guide Atwell in carrying out her concept of a writing workshop.

2. Brief discussion about what factors the class should consider when developing their course, i.e. assessment, time, classroom management and the physical setting.

3. Brief discussion about what their hypothetical course will NOT include if it is to be true to the Atwell model, i.e. lectures, assignments, tests and worksheets.

4. Tell students they can design their course based on a traditional 45-50 minute class, or a 90-minute block schedule.

5. Divide the class into small groups, probably four groups of three. Give them roughly 20-30 minutes to create their courses.

6. I will move around the room observing and answering questions.

7. Reconvene as a large group and discuss the results of their work.

MATERIALS:

1. "In The Middle: Writing, Reading and Learning with Adolescents," by Nancie Atwell.

2. Handout of Atwellís 7 principles.

3. Handout of the various audiences for which students can write.

4. Handout of the kinds of writing that can emerge from a writing workshop.

5. Handout of sample writing and reading surveys.

6. Handout of circumstances that make a successful writing program.

EVALUATION:

Students will be assessed on how closely they adhere to Atwellís seven principles in developing their course. And they will be assessed on how adequately they provide for the following: Classroom management, assessment, conference time and the physical make-up of the classroom.

Go to Nancie Atwell Fact Sheet

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