Writing workshops are a great way to allow students to write about whatever they want. However, if you feel like a more structured approach would be beneficial, you can give a list of approved topics.  For elementary and middle school students, you could suggest writing about their family, a trip they would like to take, or their favorite sport or pet. High school and college students might enjoy writing about their emotions, a recent conflict that they had, or where they would like to live someday. Present a mini-lesson at the beginning of each workshop. This lesson will introduce a new writing skill for students. To begin, give students a refresher of what they learned in the previous lesson. This will help them connect the skills and build on previous knowledge.  For elementary school students you could say, “Writers, you have done a great job learning to write complete sentences. We are now going to use what we know about sentences to build a complete paragraph.” When you're working with college or high school students, you can be less structured. Allow them to write a short story or an essay on a topic of their choosing.  If you want to give students a prompt, consider topics like travels, hopes and dreams, conflicts, or social pressures. If you are teaching a new group of students or a stand-alone workshop, take a few minutes to discuss their previous experience. You can say, "What have you been working on recently?" If you assigned some work before the meeting, try, "Did everyone have a chance to look at the pre-writing assignment I emailed you?" Clearly explain what you are going to be working on that day. Sticking with the paragraph example, you could say, “Paragraphs need to have a topic sentence, 2-3 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.”  Give students a sample of a complete paragraph. It can be from a book or something you've written yourself. You can also try using a visual. Draw a sandwich to illustrate the paragraph. Label the top part of the bun “Topic Sentence”. Label the ingredients (cheese, lettuce, etc.) as “Supporting Detail 1, Supporting Detail 2, etc. Write “Concluding Sentence” on the bottom bun. Let the students have a few minutes to take notes on what they've learned. In their notebook, they could outline a paragraph, or work on coming up with a topic sentence. This is good to do before the independent portion of the workshop because it lets students get a feel for what they are supposed to be doing. When they're ready to free-write, they'll know what they should do. Let students know that this is a good time to ask questions. Students do best when writing about things that they are interested in. Use this time to let them choose the topic for their paragraphs. For college or high school students, allow them to choose any topic they are interested in. Give the students a specific example of how this skill will relate to a bigger project. You could say, “As you know, we're working on being able to write an informative paper by the end of the year. Paragraphs are going to make up the body of that paper, so it's important we learn to do them well.”  If you're teaching high school or college students, you can typically skip the mini-lessons. By that point, students should have a pretty good grasp of the basics of writing. In an upper-level or adult writing workshop, the students might already be working on a piece. Take a few minutes to go around the room and check in with what students are working on. This is a great time to ask if there are any problem areas they'd like to address. Have each student take a few seconds to let the class know how they're doing on their project. You might ask, “Okay, how many paragraphs were you able to write since our last session?” or “How's everyone doing on creating a character for their story?” You can skip this step for younger students, like K-5th graders. But it's a helpful tool for older students who are working on connecting these pieces for a larger project.

Summary: Make a list of topic or curriculum ideas. Remind students of their prior knowledge. Break down the new skill so that students can grasp it. Give the students a few minutes to practice the skill. Link the topic to the students' work. Ask students to give a status update on their work.


To get started, you should master the three basic sounds of beatboxing: the classic kick drum {b}, the hi-hat {t}, and the classic snare drum {p} or {pf}. Practice combining the sounds into an 8-beat rhythm like this: { b t pf t / b t pf t } or { b t pf t / b b pf t }. Make sure to get the timing right. Start off slowly and build up speed later. The simplest way to make the classic kick drum is to say the letter "b." To make it sound louder and punchier, you need to do what is called a lip oscillation. This is where you let air vibrate through your lips - a bit like "blowing a raspberry." Once you can do this, you make a very short lip oscillation.  Make the b sound as if you are saying b from the word bogus. This time, with your lips closed, let the pressure build up. You need to control the release of you lips just enough to let them vibrate for a short amount of time. Make a simple "ts" sound but have your teeth closed or lightly closed. Move the tip of your tongue forward behind your front teeth for a thin hat sound and to the traditional t position for a heavy hat sound. Breathe out for longer to create the open hat sound. You can also do successive hi-hats by making a "tktktktk" sound, using the mid-back of your tongue to make the "k" sound. You can make an open hi-hat sound by drawing out the breath in the "ts" hi-hat, so it's more like "tssss" for a more realistic open door sound. Another way of producing a realistic high-hat sound is to make a "ts" sound with your teeth clenched. The simplest way of making a classic snare sound is to say the letter 'p.' However, making a 'p' sound is too quiet. To make it louder you can do several things: the first is to make a lip oscillation. This is where you push the air out of your lips making them vibrate. The second is where you breathe out at the same time making a [ ph ] sound.  To make the 'p' sound more interesting and more snare-like, most beatboxers add a second fricative (continuous) sound to the initial 'p' sound: pf ps psh bk. The variation {pf} is similar to the bass drum, only you use the very front of your lips instead of the side, and you tighten them more. Pull your lips in a bit so that your lips are sort of hidden, as if you had no teeth. Build up a little air pressure behind the hidden lips. Swing your lips out (not literally swing) and just before they return to their normal position (un-hidden), release the air with a 'p' sound. Immediately after you release the air and get the 'p' sound out, tighten your bottom lip up against your bottom teeth to make a "fff" sound.
Summary: Understand that there are many sounds to master. Practice the classic kick drum {b}. Next, try to duplicate the hi-hat {t}. Try successive or advanced hi-hats. Try to tackle the classic snare drum {p}.