writing workshop

Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop: A Book Review and Giveaway

Melanie Meehan

My daughter, Larkin, just came downstairs and interrupted my blog post writing to introduce me to a word game she has discovered. “Try this,” she said, and went on to explain the rules and the goals. 

Needless to say, I gave away five minutes to try out Wordle. (I got the word in five tries.)

And, because of the post I’m working on, my mind went straight to “How could this become a writing challenge,” a brain journey that I’m fairly sure would make Shelley Harwayne smile. 

Harwayne has gifted passionate writing teachers with Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop. Grounded in beliefs, experience, and passion, this book is a collection of writing challenges that are rooted in children’s literature and writing ideas that Harwayne has designed to be short, engaging, and fun. In a recent phone conversation with Shelley, she stated: “‘I wonder if  kids would love to do that,’ should be the question” that inspires any writing challenge.

After I read the book, I talked to one of our elementary principals. Since it was a snow day, we both had time and brain space to process and brainstorm, engaging in the kind of collaboration that Harwayne emphasizes both in the book and in our conversation, highlighting the importance of “having time and a place for teachers to get together and talk.” My principal hadn’t heard me this excited about writing in a while, and she asked about the challenges. I described a couple of them, and she was instantly on board. “What’s your vision?” she asked. The two of us continued the conversation, ending with an agreement to figure out how to involve some passionate, although overwhelmed teachers. We are both hopeful that there will be people who are excited enough to link arms and join in! Maybe some of you will, too! 

The book is organized into sections with 22 distinct writing challenges. When I asked Harwayne about the decisions behind what units went within what sections, she agreed with me that many of them could go anywhere. Her sections encompass the beliefs that she holds, that I hold, and that I am sure many of you reading this post hold as well. I share them here because I think they are indicative of the philosophical drumbeat that makes me admire this book so much.

The sections are:

  • Getting Up From Your Desk
  • Camaraderie Among Writers
  • Original and High Quality
  • More Than an Audience of One

While I don’t have a favorite (I love them all!), some of the standout challenges for me are:

Curiosity at the Core: a unit based around the questions students wonder. “In this challenge, we put curiosity on a pedestal, making it the driving force of students’ reading, writing, and researching” (72).

Just For a Day: Writers envision a day in the life of a person who interests them. The sample work included not only facts and information, but also a deep sense of empathy as children envisioned themselves living the experiences of someone else.

Would You Rather: We often play a version of Would You Rather on car rides or in long lines. In this challenge, writers are tasked with not only asking the question but providing enough information so readers can make informed decisions. What a fun take on opinion writing! 

Nonfiction Calendars: Even though I no longer purchase spiral-bound calendars, I appreciate their beauty and representation of a place. Nonfiction calendars offer writing opportunities for information, captions, and anecdotes, as well as artwork, a sense of time, and a need for planning. I know many people who would welcome a creative nonfiction calendar designed and written by a writer they love! 

Each writing challenge follows a structure and offers resources, making them accessible for  envisioning and implementation. 

These sections include:

  • Exploring the roots of the challenge- In this section, Harwayne explains the thinking and inspiration behind the idea. 
  • Engaging students in the challenge- Every challenge has an immersive quality, and Harwayne shares the authentic experiences and reactions of children. 
  • Continuing to support students’ efforts
    • Gathering information: What do children need in order to get started? Harwayne includes books for inspiration, as well as resources that could help guide the process.  
    • Sharing your own writing: Foundational to the book is Harwaynes belief that “teachers try to do what they ask students to do,” as stated in our phone conversation. Harwayne’s writing samples are engaging, as well as inspirational, sending the clear and repeated message that teachers who write are powerful teachers of writing. 
    • Lifting the quality of student writing: I instantly envision these sections as charts and teaching points. What can students do to make their writing stronger? What are the revision moves? 
    • Student writing samples: The authenticity and the high quality of the writing samples will inspire anyone who is considering trying out a challenge with their classroom! 
    • Carving out time for celebration: Although only one of the overall sections is entitled “More Than an Audience of One”, every suggested celebration feels genuine. 
  • Books noted- The specific books that are referenced in the preceding pages, most of which serve as mentor texts. One of Harwayne’s critical elements of any writing challenge is the availability of high-quality literature to inspire and support, and she generously and thoroughly provides powerful collections. 
  • A few titles to enrich your teaching- A few titles is an understatement. While there are titles listed within the text, there are also many more through the on-line companion guide, a guide that Harwayne is constantly adding to as more books are published. 

The picture on the cover of Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop is of Dalia, a third-grade student in New York City, and she is holding a piece of writing. She’s wearing glasses and a beaded necklace that she might have made, although you can only see a part of it. With her glasses, her stripes, and her plaid, she looks like a child who is excited to be in school. When you open the cover and read her writing, the words that are on the paper she’s holding, my guess is that you’d be excited to have her in school. My hope is that you win or order this book and take on a challenge or two– maybe even create your own. I may create one about the various word games available as daily challenges. 

The final chapter, Concluding Thoughts: On Inventing, Innovating, and Inspiring One Another, Harwayne emphasizes the excitement of trying something new and discovery. “In the day of overscheduled, overmandated lives, both in and out of the classroom, teachers find it energizing to design and try something brand new, and the joy that emanates from that experimentation shows on the faces of the students and on the drafts that fill their writing folders” (283). Additionally, she provides twelve elements to consider as you design your own writing challenges, including the importance of choice, interests, high-quality literature, and teachers writing alongside students. The final question is the one that drives me the most: Will the workshop be filled with a feeling of joy? 


Now more than ever, I am celebrating joy in classrooms, and this is a book that inspires joy.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

  • This giveaway is for a copy of Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop by Shelley Harwayne. Many thanks to Stenhouse for donating a copy for one reader. The winner of this giveaway is Julie Young. Thank you to everyone who commented!
  • For a chance to win this copy, please leave a comment about this post by Monday, January 24, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner, whose names I will announce at the bottom of this post, by Thursday, January 27 . You must have a U.S. mailing address to enter the giveaway.
  • Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment, so I can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, my contact at Stenhouse will ship your book out to you.  (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)
  • If you are the winner of the book, I will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS – ABOVE AND BEYOND. Please respond to my e-mail with your mailing address within five days of receipt. Unfortunately, a new winner will be chosen if a response isn’t received within five days of the giveaway announcement.
  • The winner of this giveaway is Julie Young. Thank you to everyone who commented!

Published by Melanie Meehan

I am the Writing and Social Studies Coordinator in Simsbury, CT, and I love what I do. I get to write and inspire others to write! Additionally, I am the mom to four fabulous daughters and the wife of a great husband.

53 thoughts on “Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop: A Book Review and Giveaway”

  1. This book!! This book would be a JOY to have! I am finding my new JOY with with my first graders & Writing Workshop! Thank you for this post and insight!♥️

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  2. This inspiration came at just the right time. My students and I are losing steam in our traditional non-fiction writing and I am excited to offer some new choices to them. Thank you

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  3. I love how these ideas are easy to implement but will engage students in so many ways. A great resource for teachers for sure!

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  6. I love the line that says our question should always be, “I wonder if kids would love to do this.” This sounds like a great book to inspire thinking of ways to bring more joy into the classroom. I’m so glad to know about it!

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  7. My gifted students love a good challenge, as do I. This book seems to be full of ones you can use on the spot without much planning ahead (just my speed). Thanks for this post and the giveaway offer.

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  9. I love teaching writing workshop, and I am always looking for ways to make it more joyful for the students I teach. I think they would love these challenges and would love to try something new in writing workshop.

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  11. I think this book sounds like the perfect addition to our writer’s workshop! My second graders would love these challenges! Thanks so much for your blog and sharing this book!

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  15. This book sounds just like what I was looking for to spark not only my students but myself during these trying times. With all the hype about “learning loss” something that focuses on positivity, fun, and what students CAN do is much needed!

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  16. Wowza Melanie, thanks for highlighting this gem! I can see why you are so excited about Shelley’s ideas. These writing challenges will not only spark joy for students, but reignite overwhelmed writing teachers. Such spot on timing!

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  22. This would be the perfect book for our teacher collaboration day coming up in February. We are going to focus on writing!

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  25. I love the sound of this book – and I think it would be perfect for some collaborative planning work I’ll be facilitating with our staff at our next data talks!

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  27. I love that the writing activities in this book are framed as “challenges.” I think that in and of itself would make it engaging for students (and teachers!).

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  28. I am really excited to get my hands on a copy of this book! The “winter doldrums” are certainly here, and this would be the perfect thing to add some spice to writing workshop. It sounds like a simple way to add some joy to writing time!

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  30. I love learning about new professional books from Two Writing Teachers! As a literacy coach, I’m always looking for new ideas to try and to share.

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  34. So grateful for creative ideas. Sometimes students say, “We’ve already done this.” But I don’t think that will happen with these ideas!

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  35. This book sounds perfect for today’s writers. I don’t know many kids who aren’t watching YouTube videos and intrigued with challenges!
    And, as I read the descriptions, I thought, “Ooh, that sounds fun. I’d like to try that!” I’d love an opportunity to try to win this book, but since I’m not always the luckiest at winning things, I know I’ll definitely purchase it!

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  37. I love the idea of instilling the joy of writing to our students. The writing challenges listed in this book allows teachers in other content areas to incorporate the writing process into their curriculum. I am excited to share this book with the teachers during our professional learning time. During this time we can really dive into the challenges, implement it, and then provide feedback on how it worked in each of the classrooms.

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  38. I have found that challenges inspire me as a writer to step out of my normal writing comfort zone and try something new. I can’t wait to dig into this resource more. Thank you for sharing about this!

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  39. I used to play “Would You Rather” with my students as well. They absolutely loved the wacky choices I sometimes gave them to choose between. The other challenges you included in the post sound so fun! I will definitely be sharing these with the teachers I work with in my district!

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  43. Honestly I don’t devote as much time as I should to writing due to the state testing we do at the end of the year on reading. This sounds like a fun way to include different kinds of writing in my schedule.

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  44. Your blog post about this book has definitely left me wanting to order this book right away! Providing the opportunitiy to write each day, cultivating a love for writing, and inspiring a love for writing is a need in each and every classroom!

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  45. This book sounds wonderful. I think the Would You Rather be a great idea for diving into an opinion unit. Kids could come up with their own would you rathers, based on teacher ideas, and eventually whittle them down to a single topic for opinion writing.

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  50. I’ve recently retired and taken on several part-time initiatives as a literacy coach and consultant. The bulk of the work I’m doing is around writing and bringing the joy back to writing! This book sounds like a perfect addition to my resources. I’ll be sharing this post with a group of teachers TODAY! Thank you Melanie!

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