Workshop Help Desk

I thought I would link up with TBA today to talk about writing. I teach writing using the workshop model, and I totally lean on Lucy Calkins every step of the way! Last year, I discovered some very helpful, inexpensive books that supplement her units of study (although Lucy didn't write them, she edited them). The series is called "Workshop Help Desk" and I highly recommend them! Here are two I love:

This book really helped me plan my mini-lessons for my persuasive writing unit. I had never taught persuasive writing before using this book, and it gave me a clear idea of what I wanted my students to be able to produce by the end of the unit. 

This book gives a year-long plan (specifically for 2nd grade) for writer's workshop and offers great tips for mini-lessons and how to organize units. It's no more than 50 pages - so a very quick read that I refer back to a lot! She has these for all grade levels too!