Reader’s
workshop is a teaching method in which the main objectives are to teach students strategies for reading and
comprehension. The program
emphasizes the interaction between readers and text. Students learn to ask
questions, make connections with prior knowledge and previously read texts.
There are five workshop routines that follow along with reader’s workshop.
These include: mini lessons, independent reading time, conferencing, journaling
and share time. I envision that when my classroom does readers workshop that
each child will be doing each of these things either with me, a partner or
alone.
When
I think of reader’s workshop I think of what kind of readers I want my students
to be. I started to ponder the answer to this question. I envision that my students will be
open-minded, curious, and eager. I want them to be thinkers, meaning they are
always wondering what is happened or will happen next. I want them to be strong
readers, as well as fluent. According to
D. Ray Reutzel suggests that students should have their own time. In other
words this means that the children should be given opportunities to make
choices about how they want to spend their reading time.
I
envision that my reader’s workshop time will last around 30- 40 minutes
depending to the grade I teach. I plan to read a story aloud and then model
what I want my students to do. During this time I will be walking around to
each child to check in on how they are doing. I will answer any questions and
try give them clarity on what they are struggling with. Once the tasks have
been completed I envision that my students will reflect with what they did in a
journal. I want them to write about what they liked, had trouble with and what
they got out of the assignment. I basically want to hear how they are feeling
and where their comfort level is. Then I would like my students to get in
groups and share what they have just written about. It is good to hear about
experiences from others. I then have the ability to check their notebooks if I
wish.
The
basic philosophy behind the Reading Workshop is to allow students to spend an
extended amount of time reading authentic texts that interest them on a daily
basis and to provide opportunities to talk about literature. As a teacher my
goal is for my students to love reading. I want them to want to read and get
excited to read.
Mini
lessons are a very important component to reader’s workshop. Mini lessons are
divided into four categories. First, is explicitly. This means something is
fully expressed, demonstrated and is made clear. Next is model. In other words
this means your are acting out to your students what should be done before they
do it. Third is guided practice. This can be the time when you turn and talk to
your neighbor. This would also be a good time for think, pair and share. The
last component is independent practice. According to Reutzel
from , “Organizing for Effective Instruction: The Reading Workshop” he states,
“ topics for mini lessons are usually drawn form “ (1) observed needs of
students discovered during individual reading conferences, (2) teacher selected
skills taken from the scope and sequence charts found in the district adopted
basal reading series, and (3) literature preparation activities to assist
students with new book they choose to read in their literature groups.”
I can only hope that my future
students will love reader’s workshop as I did in elementary school. In the
classroom that I am currently doing my fieldwork in, the students look forward
to this time. They seem to get excited. They also seem to like it because it is
a chance for them to get individual help on things that are troubling them.
No comments:
Post a Comment