Reading Workshop

Reading workshop is an important part of the literacy program. It helps build a community of readers by providing explicit instruction, teacher support, collaboration with peers, and opportunities for independent reading.

Teachers provide reading instruction through whole class or group lessons and provide opportunities for students to read and practice skills, with books selected for their independent level. Teachers increase independence through gradual release of responsibility, using partnerships and clubs, and finally independence.

Reading workshop provides students with good literacy habits by engaging them in meaningful literacy activities that help to develop their reading process, reading skills and comprehension. Readers improve by reading daily -- in school and at home.  Students should have their choice of reading materials and should be encouraged to read across a variety of genres and formats.  Reading is taught through the workshop model which has the following parts:

Mini Lesson

• Whole class instruction

• Approximately 10 minutes

• Follows a predictable format:

  • Connection

  • Teach

  • Active Engagement

  • Link

Independent Reading

• Students read for 20-30 min

• Books are chosen by the student

• Students read/talk with peers about books 

• Teachers work with individual students or small groups of students

Share/ Reflection

• Whole class

• Students reflect on process, work, or share

TOTAL TIME: approximately 40-60 minutes depending upon the grade level

Writing Workshop

Writing is most often taught through a daily workshop that includes three parts:  a mini lesson, independent practice and sharing time.  In a mini lesson, the teacher gives direct, explicit instruction to students.  After the mini lesson, students have the chance to write independently.  Independent writing is the time provided each day for students to engage in authentic, purposeful writing at their independent level without teacher intervention or evaluation.  This is a time when students consciously apply and explore the skills and strategies they have learned.

During independent writing time, the teacher confers with students about their writing or meets in small groups for strategy lessons.  In most cases, students write about topics of their own choosing.  These topics come from their life experiences, interests and passions.  Topics emerge from students’ noticing, questioning, wondering and remembering. 

Mini Lesson

• Approximately 10-15 minutes

• Teacher describes and models one specific teaching point to the whole class.

Independent Writing  

• Students write for 20 - 40 minutes (depending on age and stage of students): 

• Conference with teacher/peer

• Strategy group

Share/Reflection

• 5-10 minutes

• Can happen in a variety of ways:

  • Whole class convenes to close the lesson by reinforcing an idea already taught

  • Introducing a new idea

  • Celebrating student work

  • Reflecting on the writing process

Conventions: Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation

Grammar and punctuation is addressed during all stages of the writing process.  

Phonics

Learning about words in terms of sounds, letters and meaning is vital to any literacy program.  Our explicit instruction provides students an opportunity to manipulate words and parts of words and provides them with explicit opportunities to transfer this knowledge to reading and writing. 

Phonics First is taught to all students in grades K-2.

Benchmark Phonics is taught to all students in grade 3-5.

Handwriting

Writing workshop is based on the belief that students should see themselves as writers and be deeply involved. Handwriting, on the other hand, focuses on letter formation in isolation to support students in legible writing. Handwriting Without Tears is taught to all students in grades K-2.