Ridley School District
Architecture of a Typical Reading Workshop
Effective reading workshops tend to be similar in format. While the content of the reading workshop lessons change from day to day, the structure often remains the same. Even though the purpose of this document is to create unity within our Language Arts curriculum and comfort for our Language Arts teachers, sometimes student needs arise that will require a different structure. This document serves to accommodate the unity and individual needs of our student population.
The model below is based on an 80 minute class period
Welcome Message
As the students arrive to class, they should be able to locate, read and perform the task via Welcome Message. The task of the welcome message can serve many purposes, but always connects to desired learning. It is recommended that minimally, 3X/ week, “literacy links” are used and focused on in the Welcome Message. This is also an excellent tool to incorporate word study.
Read Aloud
Read Aloud/Think Aloud should occur on a daily basis, not just on Reading Workshop days. Read Aloud includes: Think Aloud, Turn and Talk, and Stop and Jot. This can occur at any time within the 80 minute block. The read aloud is a separate entity of the reading workshop. It is an opportunity for teacher modeling of what good readers do by thinking aloud, telling students what is going on in the teacher’s brain or making reading visible. Many skills and strategies may be practiced during a read aloud. Students should also be given an opportunity to talk to partners about the read aloud (turn and talk) and/or write short notes (stop and jot). The read aloud text can be used as the familiar text for the mini lesson.
Mini-Lesson
Connection: Each mini-lesson should begin with a connection made to previous lesson. Students will need to be given explicit information about how the lesson for this day will “connect” to their work as readers. Next, students should be told exactly what they will be learning during the mini-lesson. This is termed the teaching/key point.
Teaching (I Do)- Mini-lesson topics will include process strategies we use to read with greater accuracy, fluency and comprehension. In addition to this, mini-lesson topics will include content knowledge of literary devices and elements that are connected to the eligible content of the state standards.
Usually, the format of the minilesson is structured similarly to a “how-to” via a teacher model and mentor text. This mentor text should be a familiar one that has already been read either through a read aloud or by students during a previous lesson.
Active Engagement (We Do) – Students are given an opportunity to practice what has been taught in the minilesson with teacher support. This practice should occur within the same text used for the teacher think aloud in the teaching portion of the mini lesson. Practice may be done using a variety of independent and shared processing strategies. Also, during this time, students should be given the opportunity to have accountable talk with other students. Teachers rotate throughout the room to assess, reteach, enrich, and/or guide students during their practice.
Link - (Mid Workshop Teaching Point)- In ending the minilesson, teachers should link the newly acquired knowledge to each of the following:
o What was learned previously
o The independent worktime coming up
o Students’ lives as readers
Note: Teachers should encourage students to consciously practice the new skill by asking, “How many of you will do this today?” or by stating, “I’d like everyone to try out this strategy today to see how it helps you as you read.” This link will increase the likelihood that students will transfer the minilesson to the day’s independent work and that it will become part of their reading lives.
Independent Reading
Application -(You Do) Students read their book of choice independently.
Student’s book of choice will be guided by the unit of study as determined by the curriculum. During this independent reading time, teachers confer with students and continue to assess, re-teach, enrich and/or guide students.
Also during this time, students may be given the opportunity to have accountable talk with other students.
Response/Reflection
Final Reflection- Students are asked to reflect upon their learning using a variety of strategies.
Note:
The times allotted to each section of the reading workshop format serve as a guideline to your daily structure and may be adjusted as student needs warrant.
Draft 4/30/07