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).…
