The whole-class share is the culminating activity of the Genre Practice writing (and reading) workshop.  It is a student-run activity that is “the heart of the workshop,” as I have often heard my principal proclaim.  In one of my personal classroom observation reports, my principal added, “…the healthier the share session in a classroom, the better the community and the quality of the writing.”  Let me explain what the share is before I tell you why I think my principal said this.

Walk into a writing workshop classroom at P.S. 126/M.A.T. during the last 15-20 minutes of class and you will see a “share” taking place.  Students gather together in one part of the classroom, and one (or more students, if there is a group writing project being shared) sits (or stands) above the others and shares the piece of writing that she is currently working on.  The writing students share is in various forms of completion.  Sometimes ideas are shared, and sometimes third drafts are shared, for example.  In many classrooms at our school, the share begins by the student author explaining a bit about his piece and letting classmates know what he would like feedback on before he reads it through. (“This is a memoir I wrote about my visit to a holocaust memorial in Berlin.  I want to know if my piece clearly explains how this experience impacted me or whether I need to add more details…”).  Many of our classrooms are now being equipped with document cameras.  These allow students to project their writing on the overhead screen so that their peers can see it as well as hear it.  Once the piece of writing has been read (sometimes twice), hands wanting to offer feedback pop up.  The student author calls on classmates to hear their feedback.  The feedback ranges from compliments to questions to suggestions.  A student might ask what the holocaust was or whether each brick of the memorial represented the loss of a human life, for example.  Another student might say that she liked how the author contrasted his response to the memorial with his cousin’s.  And another might express confusion on what impact the experience had on the author other than to make him feel sad.  All of the feedback is intended to help the author accomplish his personal writing objectives.  And, of course, some pieces of shared writing generate more responses than others.  As students give their feedback, many teachers record it on a post-it to later present to the author.  Since each class has its own personality and culture, each classroom’s share is conducted at a different level of sophistication.

As you can see, the main purpose of the share is to provide students with opportunities to receive feedback on their writing from a live audience.  It is then up to the authors to use that feedback to revise their writing.  Subsidiary purposes of the share include exposing all students to more writing possibilities; helping students develop oratory, listening, and critical thinking skills; and allowing students to see one another as writers as well as form their own identities as writers—those with particular strengths and interests.  I have observed one teacher at our school use the share as a venue to teach revision processes.  In her 5th grade classroom, students share their writing one week and she gives them an opportunity to share their writing again the next week so that the authors get additional feedback on the effectiveness of their revisions.  I believe that the share is a useful tool for the teacher, as well, as it allows him/her to gauge students’ literacy learning and understanding.  As the example below shows, student feedback reflects what students know and understand about good writing in many of its generic forms.

About a month ago, I observed a share in a colleague’s 6th grade writing workshop.  The student author sat in front of his peers and started the share by saying, “Yesterday I wrote a story about the movie Notorious.  I want feedback on where I can add details.”  (These are not the author’s exact words).  The student then read his piece, slowly and loudly.  When he was done, about five hands were raised.  As the feedback was given, more and more students contributed to the share.  Student responders said things like, “The beginning and ending were too different.  You need to stay on one topic.”  “What genre is this piece, a movie review or a personal narrative?  If it is a review, you need to research other reviews.”  “Your review is missing a blurb.”  “I don’t understand, is this about you and your mom going to hang out together or is it about the movie?  What is the purpose of your piece?”  “Do you want others to go see the movie?” and “Come talk to me tomorrow.  I saw the movie too.”  These comments illustrate the students’ understanding of the features (conventions) of personal narrative and movie reviews.  They show that students believe a piece of writing should be focused around one main purpose or topic.  They also show that students understand that a piece of writing can be revised to serve different purposes.  Each share reveals more about students’ literacy learning and understanding.

At the end of the share above, the teacher interrupted by asking the student, “So after hearing all this feedback, what do you want to do with this piece?  I hear an interesting narrative about your mom and your experience in going to see this movie…” 

The student responded, “Make it a review.”

To which the teacher replied, “Do you understand how to make it a review?”

And the student replied, “Yes.”  A round of applause ended the share.

Each teacher has his/her own way of setting-up and facilitating the share.  We all set up a share schedule that allows 2-3 students to share each class, but where I encourage students to introduce their piece and ask for specific feedback, others have students jump right into reading their pieces.  Students generate powerful insights about their peers’ writing, and they can often say to one another what teachers cannot (“All your writing is sappy, love poetry,” for example).  Teachers at P.S. 126 understand that it is our job to highlight, sharpen, and align writing concepts students reference with the language of writing curriculum.  The trick is doing so without taking any control away from the students. 

Skilled teachers spend time at the beginning of the year setting up their shares so that they are conducted in a respectful and constructive manner, and in most classrooms, the share enhances engagement, motivation, and builds group cohesion that strengthens the learning cultures. When my principal said, “…the healthier the share session in a classroom, the better the community and the quality of the writing,” I believe she was expressing her understanding of the potential of the share as a social and academic teaching and learning tool.  What do you think?