Reader’s Workshop

This year in third grade your child will be participating in Reader’s Workshop. The workshop format allows for students to work at their own individual levels and most importantly gives them the opportunity to engage in real reading every single day.

What does Reader’s Workshop consist of?

  • Daily mini lesson(s) will provide explicit skill and strategy instruction based on the Revised Ohio Standards for 3rd grade, as well as student needs. These reading skills and strategies will be in the areas of comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary.
  • Independent reading time will be given each day. Students will be reading self-selected “good-fit” books, while applying the skills and strategies covered during the mini lesson. During this time, I will be holding reading conferences with individual students. During these conferences, I will be assessing reading progress, providing one-on-one instruction, and helping students set and work towards reading goals.
  • Each student will be responsible for keeping their own reading notebook to help them keep track of what they are reading, the progress they are making, and goals they are working towards.
  • Stories from the 3rd grade reading textbook will also be used in class to help students learn and practice strategies and skills.
  • Partner work will allow students to practice oral reading skills as well as give them opportunities to discuss books and work together on strategies and skills learned in class.

Why Reader’s Workshop?

  • The best way to become a better reader is to READ! During Reader’s Workshop, students are actively engaged in authentic reading each and every day. You may notice your child is not bringing home a large amount of worksheets, particularly in the area of reading. While worksheets will be used to help assign grades at the end of each week, I want students to spend the majority of their “reading class” actually reading.
  • Giving children the opportunity to choose what they read is a powerful way to motivate and foster a love of reading. At the beginning of the year, your child will learn how to pick “good-fit” books that are just right for him/her (not too easy, not too hard). Students will be choosing books that they understand, have interest in, and are at their own individual reading level. Most of your child’s reading time at school will be spent working on his/her “good-fit” books, as these will be the most effective in helping your child grow as a reader.
  • While students are engaged in independent reading, I will have the ability to meet one-on-one with students on a daily basis. This will allow me to provide feedback and coaching tailored to your child’s specific strengths and weaknesses.

How will reading grades be taken?

  • Weekly Quiz: Every five days, students will be assessed on the skill we worked on that week. There is no studying required for this.
  • Reading Notebook and Responses: Students will be graded on various responses in his/her reading notebook. They will also be graded on the actual information that they compile in the notebook (charts, graphs, books being read).
  • Weekly Vocabulary: We will do a “Definition Detective” each week in class. This sheet will introduce 6 vocabulary words for the week. Your child will use reference skills to match these words up to their meaning. We will also discuss the words and work on using context clues to write complete sentences. Every five days, your child will be assessed by a quiz in which they will use the word in a complete sentence. Your child does not have to memorize the meanings word for word, but should understand what each word means and how to use it correctly in a sentence. Please use the “Definition Detective” sheet to review throughout the week and practice forming complete sentences.
  • Unit Reading Test: We will have a unit reading test once or twice every nine weeks period. This test will contain its own story passages.
  • Nine Weeks Project: Students will be able to pick a project to complete based on a book that was read during the nine weeks. More information will be sent home about this project towards the end of each nine-week period.

I hope that Reader’s Workshop will help your child develop a love for reading, as well as strategies and skills that will extend beyond 3rd grade.