Writer’s Workshop for Differentiation 

and Formative Assessment 

Arguably, two of the most important aspects of 
modern education are differentiation of instruction and 
assessment. Effective teaching includes differentiation 
throughout learning activities, and the writer’s workshop 
allows for that--especially for ELLs. According to Finley 
(2010), “T​he writer's workshop advocates a fundamental 
framework: we should think of students as writers who 
read and compose daily. The model encourages 
flexibility and differentiation in product, processes, 
content, and environment.” Teachers can differentiate 
mentor texts that they share with students according to 
level. They can also pull small groups based on ability. 
Students can also share their differentiated pieces with 
pride. 
In order to move forward with instruction, teachers 
must always be mindful of assessment and strategies that 
provide room for it. Teachers can informally assess 
students during individual and small-group conferences. 
Teachers take anecdotal notes during conferring, 
through which they can analyze data for who needs to be 
retaught a skill during small group. They can also 
informally assess through the share-out aspect of writer’s 
workshop. This model allows for constant assessment 
that the teacher can use as a great advantage (Finley, 
2010).