I envision Reader's Workshop being used to encourage enthusiasm for reading. Giving students choice in what they read and allowing them to explore their interests through literature can not only lead to increased literacy skills and standardized tests scores but also help students view reading as enjoyable rather than simply mandatory.
For the beginning sessions of Reader's Workshop I would focus my mini-lessons on the layout of Reader's Workshop and my expectations for students. It may also be helpful to give a mini-lesson on helping students pick books that are appropriate for them, suiting their interests and reading abilities. After explaining to students the different workshop activities and establishing a routine, mini-lessons could be focused on theme, character conflict, similes/metaphors, connecting texts, ect...
Depending on the age of the students, different centers could have different Reader's Workshop activities or student's can log their reading and responses to varying topics in a notebook. I also think it is important to meet with students periodically on an individual basis to assess their progress in Reader's Workshop and their feelings towards it.
I really enjoyed your post and thought there were a lot of really good ideas brought up. I feel like that it is important for students to have a choice in what they read as well. I agree that it is a good idea to meet with your students periodically!
ReplyDeleteHello Amanda! I believe as well that letting students choose their own books to read is better than forcing them to read something that they do not want to read. I think you should add more to this, it is a little short. Explain to us exactly how you will set up readers workshop so that we can actually picture it in our mind!
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