ABSTRACT
Some professional writers find writing to a background of noise conducive to their creative process, but many children need a quiet space in which to create. Many teachers use soft music such as tunes from Enya or Yo-Yo Ma to transition students from the meeting area to their focus spots. Once the music stops, many teachers require ten minutes of silent writing time. From there, the rest of independent writing time can include soft voices so that peers can confer with one another while those who need quiet have a reasonably peaceful environment in which to write. It’s necessary to build stamina in students so they’ll have the patience to write and revise every day during independent writing time. Students who are young or are new to writing workshop will have to build up to forty-five minutes of independent writing time.
