The open ended nature of reading workshop creates opportunities for all kinds of student growth, but it can also make things feel unmoored and chaotic. Even when your students have the routines down pat, you may wonder if your instruction and assessment are a little too free-form. For me, the problem went like this: my reading block was short (80 minutes a day), and I often had to choose between giving students time to read each day (the heart of workshop), or doing some kind of paperwork that would translate into a grade for that week. Time was so limited that losing even one day of independent reading a week…
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Genre Study Roundup: 11 Posts to Get You Started, or Up Your Genre Study Game
Whew, this series on genre study has worn me out. But now we have this nice little library of genre study resources! Here are some posts to get you started if you’re hoping to learn more about genre study: If you’d like to preview or purchase ready-made genre units, this free Genre Study Catalogue is a good starting point. Happy reading!
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Design a FULL Genre Unit that You Can Use Year After Year
Last week I wrote about sketching out a genre unit. Today, we’ll look at the nitty gritty of planning a genre unit. Here are my goals when creating a genre unit: Build on the foundation of the last genre unit during mini lessons (spiral review). Immerse students in the genre by delivering daily read alouds. Give students ways to apply new learning to their independent reading (guided practice). Guided by these goals, my planning revolves around mini lessons, read alouds and guided practice. I want my genre units to be useful year after year, so I plan MORE lessons than any one teacher is likely to need. Having a library…
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15 Whimsical Places for Kids to Read While Learning at Home
Practice may make perfect, but repeated practice gets old quickly. How do we keep our kids and students reading day after day? Teachers have lots of strategies for keeping reading fresh. One way is to encourage kids to have some fun when choosing a PLACE to read. At school, we fill our classrooms with props for comfortable reading–pillows, bean bags, camping chairs. Students can choose silly places to read (underneath the teacher’s desk is a favorite). All of this helps break up the monotony that comes with any daily task. Here are some ideas, kids can read… Under a tree. Next to an open window. In the kitchen, while something…
