I don’t know about you, but I feel overwhelmed by the phrase “spiral review.” Sure, you want to give students opportunities for meaningful review, but “spiral review” brings to mind convoluted spreadsheets. You chart out a complicated course only to find yourself constantly treading water. But there’s good news, if you’re a reading workshop teacher (especially if you use genre study), you can engage in meaningful review without the spreadsheets. All reading instruction falls into a few broad categories. In genre study, each genre unit addresses these broad categories and fills in the details according to the genre you’re currently studying. Here’s an example: Instead of having a “text structure”…
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The Role of Inquiry in Genre Study
Inquiry is one of those things we know is good for students, but sometimes avoid because it seems like more work. I remember being very “pro inquiry” as a student teacher and slipping into more of the “demonstration” camp once I was an actual teacher. Inquiry brings to mind more materials, time and uncertainty than sit-and-get methods. Once again, enter genre study. Before, I hadn’t thought much about inquiry in regard to reading (it was mostly a “science thing” in my mind). But Fountas and Pinnell taught us an inquiry approach to genre that was structured, engaging and low-prep. Here’s how it works: Genre Immersion: Students read examples of the…
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How Genre Study Saved My Reading Workshop from “Grab Bag” Teaching
During my first year of teaching I had one crowning achievement—my students read independently each day and responded to a reading prompt while I led guided reading groups. This sounds simple, but it was a huge feat for me. I remember the first time I looked up from a guided reading group to see all my students reading—really, really reading. Like chuckling along with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, eyes wide over The Westing Game reading. It was a good moment. But once our workshop routines were established I felt a bit…lost. I’d been so focused on establishing routines during the first 20 days that when day 21 rolled around…
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What is Year Long Genre Study?
In year long genre study, all your reading curriculum is delivered through a series of in-depth genre units. During each unit students are immersed in the genre. They read examples of the genre during read alouds, guided reading, independent reading, and literature study. The teacher delivers lessons on a broad range of reading topics and applies the lessons to the featured genre. A typical genre unit might look something like this (we’ll use historical fiction as our example): Genre Immersion During Reading Workshop The teachers gathers 10-20 historical fiction picture books. Each day she reads one aloud to the class and facilitates a discussion. Then, she delivers a mini-lesson. Students…
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Using Genre to Frame Your Reading Workshop Curriculum (Genre Study Intro)
A few years ago I attended a Fountas and Pinnell conference on year-long genre study, and it transformed my reading workshop. Genre was this little gem that I’d been undervaluing. Once I dug it out from its hiding spot in my cluttered curriculum, I had a tool that put all my literature analysis lessons into perspective. Because I think it really enhances reading workshop, I’ll be doing a series of posts on genre study. The easiest way to begin is to compare year-long genre study with a short, one-time genre unit or lesson (you know, the kind where you put a “Genre Bulletin Board” together with ready-made examples and definitions).…
