6.6 Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop
Using a workshop approach to reading and writing allows the teacher to plan instruction based on student needs and interests. With a Reading Workshop approach, a lot of time is often given for students to read, discuss, and respond to books. Students are taught to use different comprehension strategies and given time to practice with these strategies. During small group instruction, teachers are able to implement mini-lessons that focus on skills to students who need extra support. Many important skills are also taught during Writing Workshop. In this approach, students typically have a writing journal or notebook and spend time writing daily. The teacher can use books or other pieces of writing to teach about writing strategies and elements of writing. Modeling can also be done to teach students about the writing process and strategies. The teacher conferences with each student and helps them focus on ways to improve their writing. An important part of Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop is that students share their work with others in the class. There are many discussions that take place focusing on the books that students are reading and time is given to students to share their writing with the class. Through these discussions, students are able to learn from each other, express their ideas, and expand their knowledge.
The first artifact is forms that can be used during Reader’s Workshop to help keep students engaged and learning. Students are expected to complete a lot of work independently and these forms give suggestions of things to do when students are not performing as expected. This is helpful because it’s a great resource that can easily be put to use in the classroom and can help the teacher solve problems quickly and easily. The second artifact is a handout of comprehension strategies that can also be easily used in the classroom. This would be good to use during Reader’s Workshop to help guide student discussions and help them focus on deep comprehension of the books they are reading. The third artifact is a writing assignment that I completed. I thought it was a good example of work that students might be expected to complete during Reader’s and Writer's Workshop to demonstrate comprehension and share their thoughts about a book. In this assignment, I had to think about a story from the perspective of three different characters. I used poetry to write my response and told what I thought each character was thinking and feeling. I can see this being used with students to encourage them to think deeply about a story. The last artifact is a Writer’s Workshop form that shows one way a teacher can organize conferences with students. It can be used to take notes about what the student is currently doing and goals to work toward with a student in the future. Using a form to document what was discussed during conferences is a great way to track students’ progress and use strengths and needs to plan for instruction.
Using a workshop approach to reading and writing allows the teacher to plan instruction based on student needs and interests. With a Reading Workshop approach, a lot of time is often given for students to read, discuss, and respond to books. Students are taught to use different comprehension strategies and given time to practice with these strategies. During small group instruction, teachers are able to implement mini-lessons that focus on skills to students who need extra support. Many important skills are also taught during Writing Workshop. In this approach, students typically have a writing journal or notebook and spend time writing daily. The teacher can use books or other pieces of writing to teach about writing strategies and elements of writing. Modeling can also be done to teach students about the writing process and strategies. The teacher conferences with each student and helps them focus on ways to improve their writing. An important part of Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop is that students share their work with others in the class. There are many discussions that take place focusing on the books that students are reading and time is given to students to share their writing with the class. Through these discussions, students are able to learn from each other, express their ideas, and expand their knowledge.
The first artifact is forms that can be used during Reader’s Workshop to help keep students engaged and learning. Students are expected to complete a lot of work independently and these forms give suggestions of things to do when students are not performing as expected. This is helpful because it’s a great resource that can easily be put to use in the classroom and can help the teacher solve problems quickly and easily. The second artifact is a handout of comprehension strategies that can also be easily used in the classroom. This would be good to use during Reader’s Workshop to help guide student discussions and help them focus on deep comprehension of the books they are reading. The third artifact is a writing assignment that I completed. I thought it was a good example of work that students might be expected to complete during Reader’s and Writer's Workshop to demonstrate comprehension and share their thoughts about a book. In this assignment, I had to think about a story from the perspective of three different characters. I used poetry to write my response and told what I thought each character was thinking and feeling. I can see this being used with students to encourage them to think deeply about a story. The last artifact is a Writer’s Workshop form that shows one way a teacher can organize conferences with students. It can be used to take notes about what the student is currently doing and goals to work toward with a student in the future. Using a form to document what was discussed during conferences is a great way to track students’ progress and use strengths and needs to plan for instruction.