Nancie knows best...

As usual, i really enjoyed reading the Nancie Atwell chapter.  She always seems to have the perfect method for teaching workshops.  She makes it seem so simple.  Although i'm sure she's struggled along the way, she makes the concept of writing workshop really easy to understand.  I especially enjoyed the list of questions that can be used to guide students in their writing.  She makes sure that the work and the ideas come from the students instead of just telling them what to do. I think this is a great way to teach writing.  Especially after watching and seeing some of the middle schoolers at the Youth Writing Conference last week, it's become very clear that young writers have something to say.  Atwell does job showing future teachers how to set students in the right direction. 

However, my one difficulty with the chapter, and the idea of writing workshop as a whole is that i worry some students need technical help first.  I had the chance to read several pieces of student writing from my field class and there is such a huge variation in capability.  I do think writing workshop could be helpful in such a wide ranged class, but i felt that so many students needed grammatical and structural guidance first.  Some of the papers i read were composed of one or two giant run-ons or used incorrect verb tenses.  I know we discussed grammar last week and many people think that it shouldn't be taught but i seriously think some of these students need it.  Maybe no one has ever showed them how to form sentences or conjugate verbs.  I think these points are incredibly important to know.  To me it seemed that the problem was not creativity or ideas, it was grammar.  What instructional path would be best in this situation?