The Workshop Model: Optimizing the Mini-lesson

1. The Workshop Model:Optimizing the Mini-lesson By: Lori Grabel & Klarisa Konstantinovsky Education 702.22 – Fall 2008 Dr. O’Connor- Petruso

2. Table of Contents • Introduction • Statement of the Problem • Review of Related Literature • Statement of the Hypothesis

3. Statement of the Problem •    Due to grades falling and illiteracy rising, this research is based primarily on the “Workshop Model”; more exact the reading and writing workshop as described in www.tqnyc.org: “The workshop model intends for the students to learn reading and writing skills through much participation amongst themselves and their peers”, which follows whole word learning and is in direct opposition of the phonics methodology.

4. The Teacher’s College format of the model itself is a scripted and timed method of teaching or facilitating learning: Each reading and writing workshop must consist of: • Teaching Point:  Address the standards. • Connection:  Activate prior knowledge and focus attention on the lesson for 1 minute. • Mini-lesson:  Demonstrates the teaching point as if you were working independently for 10-15 minutes. • Link:  Review and clarify key points before sending them to work independently or in a group. • Active Engagement:  Students work independently or in groups while you are conferring or assessing individual or small groups of student readers or writers for 20-30 minutes based on your mini-lesson. • Mid-Workshop Interruption:  Remind the students of the Teaching Point and compliment for no more than 1 minute. • Share:  Two or three students get to share what they wrote or read, linked to the day's lesson for 1- 2 minutes. • Closure / Link:  Review and clarify key points for 1 minute. • Homework:  Should be based on the teaching point of the day's lesson.

5. Purpose of the thesis •   Through this research the hope is to find out if such a rigorous structure of teaching is most beneficial for students or if more could be learned and retained without a time limitation and other restraints. Bibliography Workshop Model.  (n.d.).  Retrieved September 30, 2008, from http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC052376/whatisworkshop_new.html

6. Literature Review • Adriana, L.M. (2006). Where the beginning ends: Studying leads in literature in order to write attention-getting introductions. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 50(3), 190-193. The workshop model gives teachers the opportunity to model the skill or strategy they are expected to learn. After the teacher models, the students have the opportunity to work individually, in pairs, or in groups to practice what they learned. • Lause, J. (2004). Using Reading Workshop to Inspire Lifelong Readers. English Journal (93)5, 24-30. According to data collected over four years on ninth-grade and tenth-grade classes, by the end of the year using the reading workshop model 95 percent of students saw themselves as readers as opposed to only 35 percent at the beginning of the year. Seventy-six percent of them were still reading for pleasure the following year as opposed to 40 percent who did not have the workshop curriculum. • Popham, J.W. (1972). The New World of Accountability: In the Classroom. NASSP Bulletin, (56)364, 25-31. Popham believes in accountability, not just from our students, but from us as educators, one of the tools for us to succeed is the instructional mini-lesson.

7. Literature Review • Robb, L. (n.d.). Teaching a Reading and Writing Workshop. Great Source, 1-4. The workshop model enables teachers to teach the strategy the students are required to learn, and then conference with students during the time allotted for an activity. At this time, the teacher can also provide extra support to any students who may need it. Students can then be evaluated. • Barton, M.L. (1997). Addressing the Literacy Crisis: Teaching Reading in the Content Areas. NASSP Bulletin, 81(587), 22-30. In this article Mary Lee Barton examines the growing literacy problem in our nation. The author also pays close attention to whether or not reading in all the content areas as a strategy will help the literacy. Through his reading strategies and guide for high school teachers, one can see a remarkable link between Barton’s guide and the Teacher’s College reading workshop teaching points.

8. Statement of the Hypothesis • The workshop model’s rigorous time schedule will enhance the discipline to provide the optimum opportunity for third and fifth grade readers and writers (students) in a title one school to gain knowledge and higher test scores.

9. To TC or not to TC? That is the question!