According to Linda Simon, the literacy coordinator at F.W. Cook Elementary, teachers appreciate the extensive staff development that accompanies the workshop approach. In addition, teachers receive in-service training on New Jersey's new standards, which gives them a better understanding of how to assess students' work. By using a rubric to grade students' writing, for example, teachers know how many students do or do not understand organization and structure and can adjust lessons accordingly. Workshops at most schools last 80 minutes, allowing plenty of time for more individualized attention and small group instruction. There are no secrets.
Students are likely to be asked to discuss a book by a cook, custodian, or principal.
For example, after reading Arthur's Birthday by Marc Tolon Brown to her first graders, Simon encouraged them to model the writer's technique of drawing in readers to start their own stories. And they aren't as afraid to put something on paper. At the middle school level, students are keeping reading logs where they write about novels of their choice using terms and topics discussed in class. They also keep a portfolio of their writing to track their progress. So far, Marcinkiewicz is quite pleased with program results.