Reading Workshop: What It Looks Like in a Classroom

1. Reading Workshop:What It Looks Like in a Classroom Dr. Sheila T. Ward, ELA Coordinator

2. Six Common Features • Time • Texts • Teaching • Talk • Tasks • Testing

3. Components of Reading Workshop • The Mini-Lesson • Each Reading Workshop session begins with a mini-lesson that lasts approximately 7-12 minutes. During each mini-lesson, the teacher introduces a specific concept, also known as the teaching point. Most often, the teaching point focuses on a reading strategy or skill.  The teacher will explicitly model or demonstrate the skill for the students. • Students then get a chance to practice the skill or strategy on their own or with a partner.  This part of the mini-lesson is called the active engagement.

4. Teaching Tools Chart paper is great to use when recording or keeping track of student ideas and when modeling tasks for students during the mini-lesson

5. Talking Partners Students talking partners are selected at the beginning of the year.  These students always sit next to each other on the carpet during reading mini-lessons and class read-alouds. When students are asked to "turn and talk" during the active engagement part of a mini-lesson, they can quickly position themselves knee-to-knee with this person and have a quick conversation about whatever I ask them to discuss.  Unlike reading partners who need to be at a similar reading level in order to actually read common texts, talking partners can be at different levels of reading ability. 

6. Mentor Texts Use mentor texts when modeling reading strategies or when teaching students to notice literary devices and story elements.  Plan your Read-Alouds strategically so that you have previously read aloud any book that you want to refer to during a mini-lesson

7. Mini-Lesson Ideas • Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days by Frank Serafini • Lessons in Comprehension by Frank Serafini • Growing Readers by Kathy Collins  • The First 30 Days of School by Shook and Brinkman

8. Individualized Daily Reading During this time students are engaged in self-selected texts at their independent level.  They use this time to practice the skills that are taught during the mini-lessons.  Students read in book nooks around the room while the teacher holds individual reading conferences or meets with small groups of students for guided reading, strategy lessons, or book clubs.

9. Book Nook Rotation Chart Students are allowed to read in different places around the classroom rather than being confined to their desks.  The place they choose to read is called their "book nook."  There are many comfy places to read in our classroom including a couch, dish chairs, dice stools, and beanbags.  While it is great to have so many comfortable options for independent reading, it can also lead to arguments over who gets to read in the extra special pieces of furniture.

10. Talking Back to Books Provide students with a specific handout on which to record their thinking, there are many other times when I just want them to write about their reading on sticky notes as they make their way through their books.

11. Guided Reading Groups Guided reading groups contain students who are all reading at the same level.  The teacher provides them with a common text at their instructional level, introduces the book, and points out important text features, tricky vocabulary, or essential story elements.  She then listens in as students read the book to themselves.  The lesson is followed up with a teaching point and some additional modeling of a strategy that the teacher feel is necessary.

12. Closing This is a 5–10 minute time period in which students gather back on my reading carpet to reflect on their work as readers.  Make sure to reinforce your teaching point for the day and emphasize the importance of continuing to use the strategy that you taught whenever they read. Give students a chance to share their reading work.  You will not have time every day for every reader to share, so vary the way you allow your students to share.