Readers Workshop

Readers' Workshop

During Readers' Workshop, reading instruction takes place with the whole class, small groups, partners, and individual students. Development of reading strategies is the focus of this time. Guided reading in small groups or with individual students utilizes leveled books. During the independent reading portion of the workshop, students read Just Right Books - books they select that can be read without help.

Structure of our Readers' Workshop

Minilesson

  • The teacher instructs the whole class on a skill, strategy, or habit that students need to learn and use during independent reading.

  • A mini-lesson connects to a previous lesson, ongoing unit of study, student work or student experience.

  • The teaching point is stated clearly and demonstrated or modeled. Students are actively engaged in trying out the skill or strategy, watching a demonstration, or planning work out loud.

Independent Reading

  • Students independently read Just-Right Books they have previously chosen from the classroom library.
  • A portion of the time also may be for partners to read together and/or discuss their reading.
  • The teacher has brief instructional conferences with a few individual students and guided reading with small group(s). The instructional conference between the teacher and student is the cornerstone of the workshop model.

Wrap up/share

  • This important time is used as a mini-lesson reinforcement, add-on, or to preview a coming lesson. A few students may share a strategy they used in their reading. Some teachers have volunteers sign up for sharing, others select students to share that day.

Shared Reading

Shared reading allows students to participate in reading material that may be beyond their reading levels. The teacher models a reading strategy to the whole class using enlarged text (ex. big books, basal anthology story, morning message on chart paper, Smartboard message). Students all have access to and can interact with the text.

Read Alouds

The teacher reads a selection to the class from a book, magazine, poem or other print material for a specific purpose. It's an opportunity for teachers to model reading fluency and reading/writing strategies. This can be done at any part of the school day:

  • To begin/end your day - intended for enjoyment
  • During a reading mini lesson - to model thinking aloud
  • During a writing mini lesson - to study an author's craft
  • During other content area subjects to support the content area, teach unique features of expository texts, teach children how to apply comprehension strategies when reading in the content areas.
  • During a genre study - read many examples of the genre being studied
  • To introduce an author study - read variety of books by same author
  • To encourage rich conversations about books - whole group share, Turn and Tell or Think/Pair/Share

4Small Group Reading

GUIDED READING is designed to help students learn how to problem solve increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.

  • The teacher works with small groups of students reading at similar levels, selects and introduces texts to readers, supports individual students as they read instructional level texts and engages the readers in a discussion after reading.
  • Students are grouped and regrouped according to ongoing observation and assessment by the teacher.
  • The amount of support given by the teacher varies with the reading skill of students in a group.
  • Each child is responsible for problem solving the entire text (or portion of it if reading a longer book) with support from the teacher as needed.

STRATEGY/SKILL GROUP: A group of students who are reading at the same or different levels may work with the teacher on a particular reading strategy or skill.

Reading Conferences:

While the children are reading independently, the teacher provides direct instruction to a group of students (guided reading) or to individual students (conferences). These conferences have a certain structure to be effective. The teacher:

  • Sits by the child, reviews notes of previous conference, and observes the child as he/she reads.
  • Begins conference with a comment about an observed strength the child shows - a compliment.
  • Teaches a skill or strategy that's needed to help improve the child's reading. Just as in a mini-lesson, it's best to decide on one teaching point for a reading conference.
  • Demonstrates and then has child try to do it.
  • Compliments the effort and restates the teaching point as a goal for student to work on.
  • Jots notes for each conference including strength mentioned and new goal.

(adapted from Growing Readers by Kathy Collins)

Small Group Reading

GUIDED READING is designed to help students learn how to problem solve increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.

  • The teacher works with small groups of students reading at similar levels, selects and introduces texts to readers, supports individual students as they read instructional level texts and engages the readers in a discussion after reading.
  • Students are grouped and regrouped according to ongoing observation and assessment by the teacher.
  • The amount of support given by the teacher varies with the reading skill of students in a group.
  • Each child is responsible for problem solving the entire text (or portion of it if reading a longer book) with support from the teacher as needed.

STRATEGY/SKILL GROUP: A group of students who are reading at the same or different levels may work with the teacher on a particular reading strategy or skill.

 

 

apple.gif (1124 bytes)  Reading "Just Right Books" apple.gif (1124 bytes)

      Goldilocks tried the Three Bears' porridge, chairs, and beds. She found the ones that were "just right" for her. The books your child reads can be thought of in the same way.  A book that is "just right" is one that your child can read independently. It is not too hard and it is not too easy. It's a good fit - it's "just right".

 Here is one way to help your child choose such a book. Teachers call it the

FIVE FINGER RULE

Go to the middle of a book, count the unknown words (using fingers to keep track is fine). If there are five or more, the book is too hard for now. That's a book to read with someone or save for a later time.



Ask your child lots of questions about the story in general and about specific pages to see if he really understands what was read. It also is important to monitor your child's choices for appropriate content.

STRATEGIES TO BECOME A BETTER READER

Here are important reading strategies students can use before, during and after reading:

apple.gif (1124 bytes) Before Reading

Predict what the book is about from the title. Set a purpose for reading. Ex. I am going to read this book because I want to learn more about animals. Take a picture walk through the book. Ask, What is happening in the pictures?

apple.gif (1124 bytes) During Reading

  • Visualize - make a movie in your head just like you do when listening to a story.

  • Question - think about the story, asking yourself who, what, when, where, why, how.

  • Clarify - understand new words - figure out words using print strategies

    • Use finger to point under each word to keep track of where you are reading

    • Use beginning sounds to figure out words

    • Use ending sounds to figure out words

    • Use pictures on the page to help figure out a word

    • Use word chunks (group of letters in a pattern like _ack, _ight)

    • Look for a smaller word within the word

    • Read to the end of the sentence. Sometimes the word that
      makes sense pops right up!

    • Reread the sentence or passage to increase understanding

  • Make predictions - "What happens next?"

  • Make connections

    • What other story is like this one? (Text to Text Connection)

    • Have you felt the same away as a character in the story? Did something similar happen to you? (Text to Self Connection)

    • Does it help you think about something in real life not directly connected to you? (Text to World Connection)

apple.gif (1124 bytes) After Reading

  • React - What did you think of the story?

    • How did it make you feel?

  • Summarize

    • What was most important in the story? One way to do this is to think:
      ~ Someone
      ~ Did something
      ~ But (there was a problem)
      ~ Then (the problem gets solved)
      ~ Finally (what happened at the end?)

 
Last Modified: Wednesday, Sep. 09, 2009
 
© 2009 TeacherWeb, Inc.
Content on this site is the responsibility of the Subscriber. Additional information is available in the TeacherWeb Terms & Conditions