Reader's Workshop Information
Reader's Workshop
Students are expected to always be reading a book of their choice. Every time Reader's Workshop meets, they will be given time to read independently, and the expectation is that they will bring a book that they are reading.
Students should be reading for two hours (or about 150 pages) outside of class every week. Rather than writing a response, students will meet with their workshop teacher for a bi-weekly conference, based on their choice books. These discussions should clearly show progress in reading. The expectation is that students will read for 2 hours (about 150 pages) outside of class EVERY week, even weeks when there is no school.
Students will also use part of this Reader's workshop time to work on other literacy skills.
Regular Reader's Workshop Assignments
WEEKLY VOCABULARY - Students will work on vocabulary each week. There will be options for them to choose from. This will be a balance between teacher-selected words and student-selected words from their reading.
"DAILY" READING RESPONSE - Students will complete a reading response during each reader's workshop class, as well as outside of class, for a total of 3 per week.
MONTHLY BIG IDEA PAPER - Students will work on the Big Idea paper throughout the month, dividing the task up over four weeks. At the end of the trimester, students will use feedback to improve one of these.
Essential Questions
How do readers use strategies to draw meaning from a text? How do authors use text structure and literary elements to create meaning and style? What is the relationship between theme and literary elements such as characters, setting and plot?
How does group discussion of a text improve the overall understanding of it?
Standards Addressed
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
CCSS - 6-8.SL.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 6-8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Course Strands:
1) How do authors use various strategies to help readers better understand character choices and story developments?
2) How do authors write texts to convey universal messages called themes or central ideas? How can setting, character development, and other literary devices impact theme?
3) How do readers analyze a text to determine the meaning/theme?
4) How do readers uncover themes by examining problems and resolutions in stories and how do they use details and word choice to convey central ideas?
5) How can settings and events in a problem/solution format change characters and how do the changes impact characters positively or negatively?
6) How does engaging with a story by using what I know about a topic and allowing myself to feel a certain way improve my overall reading experience?