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…
