Readers’ Workshop Overview August 30, 2016

Why Readers’ Workshop? Research - volume Built in differentiation - fluid movement among levels Ability to track / monitor growth in effective way Know your readers like never before Constant formative assessment Flexible grouping Engagement / love of reading - student choice

Powerful Teaching: Must know reading progressions - not just grade level standards Must know your readers’ strengths and areas for growth - “diagnose your reader”

Prior to starting... Level your classroom library… F & P - text complexity Bookwizard (site, app) Fountas & Pinnell website

Assessment

Readers’ levels tell us so much... Type of inferential thinking they need to be doing. Inferential thinking coming up in next level... Fix-up strategies they should be using Decoding they are encountering

Incredible insight into readers’ abilities... Formative Assessment - Daily running records, discussion during active engagement, written responses from mini lesson, written responses from partner read and partner discussions, as well as monitor literal and inferential comprehension, decoding, and vocabulary growth Benchmark/Summative Assessment - 3 times throughout year a formal reading assessment is done to monitor progress

Partnership Buckets Partners select a book that they both read at their level. These buckets contain 3 copies of various realistic fiction titles. Blue tape to distinguish from class books (each genre has a different color).

Student Book Bins Partnership book Books for independent read Reading notebook Post-its Pencils

Read Aloud and / or Shared Reading Purposeful - springboard for mini lesson May be interactive Match genre being taught / read by students Mini lesson connect for all readers - universal access All students can do high level comprehension work Thoughtful selection - use across subject areas

Reading Workshop - 1 Hour Mini lesson - 10 to 15 minutes at most: Connect, Teach, Active Engagement, Link Read aloud is “glue” for all readers (read aloud done outside RW) May include: Launching / “selling” reading Comprehension lessons Vocabulary Growing conversations Select partner read / determine partner assignment / partner preview, etc. Silent reading or combo of silent / partner reading - goal is to build stamina to 30 - 40 minutes of silent, independent reading Teacher is conferring and flexible grouping during silent reading Partner talk / home assignment / reading logs

Conferring Most crucial component of readers’ workshop Chart - assign readers to see each day Confer with less able students several times each week - meet with most able teacher Post-it on bin with reading strategy if recurring issue Flexible grouping or one-on-one reading work

Conferring Confer notes - Reading Glue anecdotal notes - special area teachers / volunteers, great for SSTs and referrals Note taking: Positive and Teaching Point Move students (fluid levels) - independent may be different than partner level May need / want to redo partnerships if levels become too disparate

Readers’ Notebook / Post-it Notes Readers write about their reading - goal setting Writing tied to mini lesson or comprehension strategy focus Stop and jot: questions, confusion, clarification, vocabulary, etc. Written reading responses / vocabulary work, etc. 2 and 3 column notes, Thinking Maps

Partner Talk Teach how to have a conversation - groups of two and then four Discuss books Determine reading assignment - push each other Respectfully disagree Paraphrase / synthesize, etc.

Make it a powerful message for all readers. Precious Reading Time Make it a powerful message for all readers.