Why Reading workshop?

1. Why Reading workshop? June 19, 2012

2. Is the sky falling? The Literacy crisis—engaging readers and writers with inquiry – J. Wilhelm pg. 17-20 • Read • Complete the Questioning Circle (Patricia Kelly and Leila Christenbury) • Emphasizes bringing different resources student need to bring to bar to understand, interpret, evaluate, and use messages in text

3. Pathways to the common corelucy Calkins, maryehrenworth, and chistopherlehman • 45 states have adopted the CCSS • This is the most sweeping reform of K-12 curriculum that has ever occurred in the US • Looking at the CCSS as curmudgeons (pg. 3 of Pathways to the Common Core) Obstacles and mixed messages turn and talk • Pg. 7: Queen Mother story • Looking at the CCSS as gold Standards as Gold turn and talk

4. Obstacles and mixed messages • Percentage of children living in poverty has risen from 16% in 200 to 21% in 2009 (US ranks second highest of industrialized nations) • Teaching conditions are getting worse: budgets are decreasing and class size is increasing • CCSS take college level skills and work them backward throughout all grades • Who wrote the standards anyway? No author but now two names have emerged (David Coleman and Sue Pimentel) • Standards were designed to leave the implementation up to school leaders and teachers but now documents are emerging that lay out specific implications for how to teach the content • Implementation will be expensive • Only 15% of America’s students would currently be considered proficient at all grades • The CCSS are a great hypothesis of the best way for K-12 teachers to prepare students for college and career success, but there is not enough research to declare them a one size fits all fix Pathways to the common core lucy Calkins, maryehrenworth,...

5. Standards as Gold • Urgently needed wake up call: The US went from providing students with world class education to ranking 14th on the PISA assessments for Reading: 25 years ago 95% of jobs required low skills-today only 10% • New levels of literacy are required for today’s job • From 1997-2002, the amount of new information produced was equal to the amount produced over the entire previous history of the world! • Students need a thinking curriculum, with writing workshops, reading clubs, research projects, debates, and think tanks

6. Standards as Gold • Higher level comprehension skills are required • NCLB defined comprehension as one small item in a list of five priorities: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension • Readers of today need to integrate information from several texts, explain relationships between ideas and author’s craft, analyze multiple accounts of an event, read lots of books and documents of all sorts, meet in groups and have conversations, take stances, and interact with others

7. Standards as Gold • CCSS place equal weight on reading and on writing: reading will be assessed through writing • CCSS stress critical citizenship!!! Yeah! We are bringing up students to ask who is saying this, what is their evidence, what other positions are there? • CCSS emphasize reading complex texts • CCSS has a clear design, with central goals and high standards • CCSS convey that intellectual growth occurs through time, across years, and across disciplines • CCSS calls for proficiency, complexity, and independence • CCSS calls for cross-curricular literacy teaching • CCSS requires that all students be given access to this work • CCSS puts every state on the same measuring stick • CCSS respect the professional judgment of classroom teachers

8. Implementation of ccss: what should it look like? • Not outlined in the standards • Calls for accelerating students’ literacy development • Must create systems of continuous improvement that result in teaching toward clearer and higher expectations with teachers working together in and between grade levels to ensure observable progress along the trajectories of skill development

9. What is Reading workshop? • Go to and create Reading Response Journals • Take a 3 minutes to write down your definition of Reading Workshop in journal • What is it? • What are the components of it? • Time frame? • What should it cover? • What does the classroom look like? • What procedures/practices need to be in place?

10. What is Reading workshop? • Reader’s Workshop Overview in Packet • Reader's Workshop is the only, truly differentiated approach to teaching and learning. Here, students act as and are known as individuals. Here, teachers recognize and support the needs and growth of individual students. (FrankiSibberson, and Karen Szymusiak) • Reading Workshop is an organized set of language and literacy experiences (minilesson, individualized reading, one-on-one conferences and sharing) designed to help students become more effective readers. Students become more active in their own learning and are exposed to a greater variety of texts. Daily conferences allow the teacher to tailor instruction to the individual needs of the student.(Fountas & Pinell, 2001)

11. Components of reading workshop • Reading Workshop: Essential Reading Experiences • By Laura Robb Scholastic Instructor Magazine • As you conduct a workshop, choose reading experiences that enable you to interact with students and monitor their progress. The reading experiences that drive my workshop are: • Teacher Read-Alouds: daily read-alouds introduce students to a variety of genres, improve listening and recall skills, and enable the teacher to think aloud and model reading strategies. • Strategy Mini-Lessons: demonstrate reading strategies and how they can help solve reading problems. These can be whole or small group or for the one student who needs more explanation. • Guided Practice: the whole class practices a strategy with the teacher after a mini-lesson. Students who require extra support continue to practice in small groups on other days. • Independent Free-Choice Reading While students read, teachers can hold short one-on-one conferences, giving students individualized support on selecting readable and interesting books. • Strategic-Reading Groups Pairs or small groups of students with similar needs work with the teacher on understanding and applying reading strategies. • Literature Discussion Groups Small heterogeneous groups talk about books they've read that relate to a theme and/ or author study. • Vocabulary-Building and Word Study: vocabulary instruction occurs before, during, and after reading. Students study the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and roots. • Conferring: teachers hold brief one-on-one meetings with students to observe and support how they apply strategies to reading.

12. Reading workshop routines: Day to Day assessment in the reading workshop • Read-Aloud • Whole-Class Instruction- Mini-lessons • Independent Reading • Small-Group Instruction During Independent Reading • Individual Conferences During Independent Reading • Share Time

13. Benefits of reading workshop • In Teaching the Best Practice Way: Methods That Matter, K-12, Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar remind us of the value of reading workshop: “In this model, elementary and secondary classrooms are no longer merely locations where information is transmitted. Instead, they become working laboratories or studios, where genuine knowledge is created, real products are made, and authentic inquiry is pursued. The classroom workshop is the pedagogical embodiment of constructivist learning theory” (2004, p. 153)

14. Benefits of reading workshop • Time: extended blocks of time to read independently and with others • Predictable Structure: daily mini-lessons, independent reading time, read-alouds and sharing allow students to develop responsibility for their learning each day • Ownership of Learning: students can define and redefine themselves as readers • Response to Reading: thinking about the books they are reading, the strategies they are using, and they behaviors they are learning are all a part (places and routines to share are necessary part) • These 4 characteristics cannot be sacrificed!!! • Take Quick Quiz pg. 25 Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry- Wilhelm

15. Sample daily schedule • DAILY SCHEDULE FOR WORKSHOP APPROACH I really make it a point to keep the schedule the same each day in my room for consistency. I find that the kids do very well with the predictable schedule on a regular basis. • 8:00-8:15 Readers' Workshop: Short read aloud with a mini lesson • 8:15-8:25 Independent Reading/ Teacher Confers with students one on one ( I do not get to all of my students in one day, but will confer with all sometime during the week). • 8:25-9:05 Independent Reading with Independent Work/ Teacher meets with three different guided reading groups. One group goes from 8:25-8:40, Second from 8:40-8:55, Third from 8:55-9:05~9:10 • 9:10-9:15 Share Out with the whole class • 9:15-9:35 Recess • 9:35-10:00 Word Study (Focus here is on grammar, high frequency words, punctuation, word groups) • 10:00-10:15 Writers Workshop Mini Lesson • 10:15-10:50 Independent Writing with one on one teacher conferring • 10:50-11:00 Share out whole class • 11-11:45 Lunch

16. Another Sample daily schedule • 8:50-9:15 Nonfiction Reading Time, Poetry Friday!, Discovery Time (alternating days) • 9:15-10:30 Math • 10:30-11:30 Content Areas: Science, Social Studies, Health • 11:30-12:15 Writing Workshop • 12:15-1:00 Lunch and Recess • 1:00-2:20 Reading Workshop • Read Aloud (1:00-1:25) • Mini-Lesson (1:25-1:35 • Independent Reading, Small Group Instruction, and Individual Conferences (1:35-2:15) • Share Time (2:15-2:20) • 2:20-2:40 Content Reading and/or Word Study • 2:40-3:30 Art, Much, P.E. • To Do List: Create a tentative schedule

17. Classroom environment • Provisioning a Reading Workshop: Overview, Classroom Environment, and Tools • Watch video: Look for how the classrooms are set up and what a mini-lesson looks like • Looking at Reader's Workshop Part 1 • Suggestion: Support independence in finding books of varying genres by dividing the library into fiction, nonfiction, and poetry sections • To Do List: What do I need to do to set up my classroom?

18. Rituals and routines to build in reading workshop • What is a just-right book? (Silent Discussion strategy) • Samples • How do you use a classroom library? • How do you come to the carpet? • How can you be an active listener? • What should student behavior be like in a one-on-one conference? • Article: Establishing Routines and Expectations • Classroom Management Classroom Management Wiki Resource • To Do List: What will the rituals and routines in my classroom be?

19. Big messages we send during read aloud • Talking and writing are important ways to refine your thinking about reading • Everyone has something different to bring to the read-aloud and we can combine our thinking to gain new insights • There are many ways to respond to a book • We can chart our thinking to develop our understanding about how and what we read • We can use features in the text to boost our understanding • Putting our ideas together creates new thinking

20. Read aloud notebooks • Tools for thinking: writing to clarify thoughts • Students jot thinking in notebook at key stopping points • Group can talk to help students put their thinking down • Write down whatever they are thinking • Use them to learn about your students • Read Aloud Notebook Blogspot • To do: What will I use for a read-aloud notebook?

21. Big messages we send during whole-Class instruction (mini-lesson) • Knowing who you are as a reader helps you move forward • There are many ways to think about a text as you are reading it • Paying attention to your thinking during reading is important • You can do many things to help yourself when you are stuck • A text may be hard or easy, depending on the reader • All readers struggle with some kind of text • Mini-Lessons 2009: A Year with Teachers, A Year with Students • Wachusetts Lessons

22. Determining topics for mini-lessons • Base them upon: • State standards • Day-to-day observations • Results of formal assessments

23. 12 Typical mini-lesson topics • Using the text to support your thinking and opinions • Supporting predictions with evidence in the text • Noticing things you wonder as you read • The importance of changing your thinking when new evidence is presented • Using text features to support understanding • Ways to build on someone else’s thinking in a conversation • Strategies to help you when you find your mind wandering • Paying attention to ways characters change over the course of a story • Finding a place and time to read at home • Choosing appropriate books • Reading a variety of genres • Talking to others when choosing new books To Do: Create your launch lessons/sequence

24. Big messages to send during independent reading • People choose books for various reasons • An individual’s tastes and moods are important when choosing books • There are people in the classroom who can recommend books for you • Knowing others as readers can help you grow as a reader • Finding books that you can read and enjoy from start to finish is important • People sometimes choose a book because they’ve read others like it • Keeping track of what you read helps with future reading • People have a variety of thoughts while reading • Reflecting on your own reading is important to your growth as a reader (Reader’s Notebook or Reading Response Journals?) • Independent Reading Checklist

25. Sample reading logs and what to look for in them • Sample reading log (hard copies too) • What to look for: • What kinds of comments are students making about the book? • Are they finishing books? • Are they reading a single book over several days or bouncing around? • Which genre do they seem to be reading? • Are they thoughtful about their book choice? • Do they set goals? What kind? • How do they see themselves as readers? • Sample: Student reflection on reading log • To do: What will I use for a reading log/notebook/journal?

26. Big messages we send during small group instruction • We can learn from one another • Discussing our thinking with others helps us understand it better • Lots of people in the class can help us reach our goals • We can always find a group to support us • Make a poster for upcoming groups that students can sign up for: I would like to read ___series, I would like to work on reading more fluently, I would like to begin reading different genres, book clubs etc. pg. 128 • Places to meet: • By the easel • On the carpet • Small table

27. Big messages we send during individual reading conferences and share time • We are interested in your history and preferences as a reader • Talking and thinking about reading helps you reflect on your reading and set goals based on your reflections • We are more interested in what you are doing as a reader than in what the book you are reading contains • It helps others when you share things that you notice about your own reading

28. Types of conferences • Comprehension • Text features • Fluency • Vocabulary • Theme • Characters • Nonfiction • Students teach us • Literary chitchat (outside of conference time) • Conferences between students • Extending the conference through class share time

29. Questions to ask at the start of share time • Is anyone at a point in their book where they feel totally lost? • Is anyone at a point in their book that makes them want to quit? • Did anyone start a new book today? How do you read differently when you are starting a new book? • Did anyone try a new type of book today? • Is anyone figuring out a new way to keep track of characters in their book? • Create a discussion board in room: when students notice something in a conference or at share time add to the board

30. Day-to-day record keeping: purpose • Should be ever-changing so that it can inform our instruction (depends upon what we are looking for) • There is a difference between record keeping and assessment: just because we don’t write it down does not mean that you have not assessed the child • Reasons to keep records: • To inform instruction • To track progress • To share with students • To share with parents • More to come later!

31. Gathering data about students • Listening to Conversations • Observing • Individual Conferences • Casual conversations • Reading interviews: sample • Reading logs or Reading response journals • Status of the class • Read-aloud notebooks

32. Student goal setting • Once students know themselves as readers, we should help students set goals. • Talk about strengths and weaknesses • Let the students set their own goals with your guidance (weekly goals vs. yearlong goals) • Student Goal Setting Example Form

33. Pulling assessment information together • Sample Assessment Web of information gathered during the first six weeks of school • After completing web ask: • What are the child’s strengths? • When is the child most engaged during the day? • How does he/she see him/herself as a reader? • What jumps out as a big goal for this child? • Are there obvious learning patterns? • Are the assessments consistent or do they tell different things? • How does the child’s attitude about reading relate to performance? • Do formal and informal assessments show the same thing? • What one or two goals are most critical for this child? • What’s next? • More to come later

34. So how does reading workshop meet the ccss requirements? • What Good Readers Do and How Readers Workshop will support creating better test takers: Wachusetts: Reading Workshop • In your Reading Response Journal, write down five ways that Reading Workshop will support us in meeting the requirements of the CCSS. • We will create a group list

35. references • Day to Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop: Making Informed Instructional Decision in Grades 3-6. FrankiSibberson and Karen Szymusiak. Foreword by Nancie Atwell. Scholastic, New York, NY, 2008 • Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement. Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. Heinemann, NH, 2012. • Engaging Readers & Writers with Inquiry. Jeffrey Wilhelm. Foreword by Jim Burke. Scholastic, New York, NY, 2007.