Writer’s Workshop Jump Start is a Writer’s Workshop unit that gets you started writing. It is for all ages from beginning writers right up to Mom and Dad.
This is where you begin with the Writer’s Workshop program. Jump Start teaches both parents and kids to love writing, to use the writing process, and to re-learn what it means to be a writer.
This unit is specially designed with high-interest writing exercises and prompts to get you started filling your Writer’s Journal with interesting ideas so you can build a bank of jumping-off places to take further.
You can use Jump Start at the beginning of each school year to get back into the swing of writing.
Here’s how to use Writer’s Workshop Jump Start:
Step 1: Mini-Lesson
Your writing day will begin with a mini-lesson, a short lesson about grammar, punctuation, word choice, expository writing skills, and more. Mini-lessons appear in sidebars on every page so there are lots to choose from. You don’t need to do all of the mini-lessons in the unit, just pick and choose the ones that look interesting or are skills your kids need to hone!
Step 2: Exercises
All through the unit are exercises to warm your kids up to writing and teach them the skills they need for learning to love writing and get used to the writing process in small, easy bites. The exercises are fun and high interest.
The exercises mostly end up in your Journal. They are not graded and are private unless the writer wants to share them. Spelling, grammar, and mechanics don’t matter. This is about getting ideas down on paper!
Like the mini-lessons, you don’t need to do all the exercises. Pick and choose the ones you like. You’ll be coming back to this unit next year so be sure to save some good ideas for later.
Step 3: Writing Project
To finish off Jump Start, each writer will choose a piece of writing from his or her Journal to take through the writing process. That piece of writing will be expanded, corrected, revised, and then published for an audience (probably your family!) where it will get applauded.
Then Mom, Dad, or another mentor will carefully and thoughtfully evaluate the finished writing project with help from the Writer’s Workshop Jump Start guide. Kids and parents will talk together about what the writer learned and what the writer can make even better.
Printable Pack
This unit comes with a Printable Pack of printables that go with exercises and sidebar mini-lessons.
Supplemental Links, Videos, & Resources
There are Pinterest boards, weblinks, and a YouTube video playlist that go with this lesson on a separate page for Writer’s Workshop.
Jessica Brammer –
We used this study to help us get into writers workshop and it went great. It took us step by step through the writing process and made it easy and fun. The kids have all said they like the writers workshop style of writing better than the other writing programs we have tried. They are all enjoying writing now. I can’t wait to start the next unit. Thank you!
Helen Koenig –
This by far is my oldest grandson’s favorite – especially the “What If…” assignment. Add in the YouTube playlist for this study – and it’s a totall winner (no joke! Gkids come running when “Lolly, Lolly, Get your adverbs here” comes on!) They love the assignments, and the Word Work as well. Thank you, Karen and Michelle, for a great curricula.
Melissa Kirk –
We absolutely love WW it was added to our curriculum last year as we had already been doing LOL year 1 since October 2019. I wanted to help supplement our ELA and get my hesitant 13G & 9B writers excited about writing. This year I decided to jump in with everything after listening to so many podcasts that have given me the assurance & courage to say its ok to have that 1 curriculum that we love and not be spread out so thin and only use WW for ELA except a few grade level books to reinforce grammar concepts!!!! I have seen so much growth and so much more of a willingness to try new things because they think that we are having fun!!!!! It is so easily broken down into small fun steps that we all love !!! I have purchased and printed every unit and we plan on tackling them 1 at a time. We thank you so much Karen & Michelle for all your dedication and long hours to put together this awesome curriculum together & we love LoL for bring fun back into our homeschool learning!!!!!!
Michelle Smallegan –
We have used the Writer’s Workshop Jump Start since we started school at the beginning of September and I think it is such a FANTASTIC program. It’s a great guide for me and just absolutely full of great ideas to get my 4th and 5th graders writing and enjoying it!
Whitney Mortimer –
This unit was our first one with LoL! It was fun and laid back, great for getting my boys writing going. I have one reluctant writer and he has been asking to do Writers Workshop each day. The writing process is explained very well too. Its very easy to follow and implement without much planning at all! I can see this one becoming something we start every school year with to rejuvenate the imagination!