Reader's Workshop

A reading workshop is strongly similar to a writing workshop, except for a few points. In a reading workshop, a connection starts off the mini lesson. The teacher explains the reading strategy to be integrated into the mini lesson and independent work time. As a model, the teacher may read aloud a short piece, preferably an excerpt from a novel or short story, where they then will explain how the strategy fits into the excerpt. The students will have a chance to discuss the specific skill before the teacher moves onto the link in which they will clarify what it is that the students will do during the independent work time. An alternative to the read aloud is a shared reading, in which students visually see the piece that the teacher is addressing.

The work time follows. The students read from their own texts for 20-30 minutes while the teacher walks around and confers with some of the students. While reading, the students may record sections of the novel into a notebook to keep a reminder of where the current strategy was being used. Some students may break off into groups to address other strategies needed to improve comprehension.

Following up the work time, the students then have a discussion with the teacher about their own novels. They speak about where it is that they could locate the strategy learned, in their texts. This final piece of the workshop is called the closing.