What is Reader's Workshop? 

Readers' Workshop is a teaching method that has been around for many years. Its main focus is to foster a love for reading within students, and to differentiate, or personalize, instruction in order to accomodate the learning needs of each student.  Comprehension strategies are taught and modeled by the teacher then practiced by the students during an independent reading time.

What are Reading Comprehension Strategies?

  • Activating Prior Knowledge/Schema
  • Making Connections
  • Visualizing/Making Mental Images
  • Asking Questions
  • Making Inferences
  • Determining Importance in Non-Fiction
  • Text Structure of Fiction
  • Synthesizing Prior Learning with New Learning

 

What are the components of Reader's Workshop?

1. Focus Lesson (5-10minutes)

Teacher introduces skill and often models with a text.

2. Independent Practice (25-30 minutes)

Students read by themselves and with partners and practice specific skill or strategy.

3. Share/wrap up (5-10 Minutes)

Class meets again and shares how they used the specific strategy.

 

 

Five Basic Principles For Readers' Workshop

Taken From Atwell, 1987

1. TIME:

  • Students need time to both look through books and also read independently. As the year goes on you can gradually increase the amount of independent reading time.

2. CHOICE:

  • Students must have the opportunity to choose the books they want to read. As the year progresses the students will begin to choose books that appeal to them and also challenge them.

3. RESPONSE:

  • It is important that we give our students the opportunity to respond to the literature they are reading. This can be done though response journals, class discussions, book talks, or projects.

4. COMMUNITY:

  • It is also important for the students to realize that they are part of a classroom community. Each student is both a learner and a teacher.

5. STRUCTURE:

  • During Readers' Workshop it is necessary that a great deal of structure exists. Students need to understand the value of silent reading and the importance of sharing and listening during discussions.