Once the Writers Workshop program is in full swing in the classroom a teacher may find the need to keep track of all the wonderful modeling they are doing as they proceed through the year so that children can refer to these modeled activities when they need extra support. These models, if kept on record, also serve to show parents how you have guided children in their writing endeavors.
Writers Workshop is an independent writing time for children each day, but it's also a time for teachers to frequently model various writing pieces and brainstorming methods so that children understand how to approach various projects they are interested in doing. A teacher can't simply expect all children to whip off a book review or write a nonfiction story about a topic they have researched. Children, even at the intermediate level, need a lot of hand holding to become confident writers. This is even the case, I believe, at junior and high school levels where I feel often too much is assumed as to what children are able to do on their own. In many cases, teachers at this level aren't even concerned with what children can and can't do; they simply expect them to do it.
I personally model project after project in my fifth grade class. When I model the creation of a fiction story it may take a few sessions, but other models such as a book review, friendly letter, poem, biographical sketch, compare/contrast, persuasive....can be completed in one session. The teacher writes, sometimes with and sometimes without student help, thinking out loud as he writes, demonstrating his thoughts and composing the piece that is to be modeled. Children copy this modeled project into their writing notebooks so they have it for a reference. Through the course of the year there is no reason why a teacher can't model dozens of different writing formats.
Once a model is completed, the teacher should photocopy it and add it to a binder that is labeled "writing models." This binder is for students when they need to glance back at how a project was written, and it is also used by the teacher as a testimony of the guidance that was given in support of the program. Parents who may wonder how their child is supposed to simply pick up a pencil and write will be surprised to glance at all the projects that were presented in teaching the children how to write. They'll quickly see that Writers Workshop is not simply a do-as-you-please-and-good-luck time each day, but an intensely supported program where the children are constantly encouraged to take new risks, try new things, and learn from teacher modeling, editing, and individual support.