Annotations For Workshop Methods Module

Emma Soltis

Annotations for the article on reading workshops

• Classrooms and lessons should be exciting and invigorating instead of just neutral (as many classrooms seem to be).
• In order “to offset this state of emotional neutrality in classrooms, teachers must thoughtfully reconsider how reading instruction may be reorganized to rekindle a sense of joy and ownership.”
• Providing interesting (and I also argue relevant and engaging) texts play a major role in students’ reading enjoyment.
• Many students spend barely a fraction of their school day reading. For instance, junior high school students only spend about 3% of their school day reading (and probably even less once they are out of school for the day).
• “Many teachers have become trapped into using worksheets as a means of managing reading classrooms” which is simply not the best way to go.
• These sheets only provide “perfunctory levels of reading practice.”
• In other words, these sheets only ask students to reflect basically (and not use critical thinking skills, problem solving strategies, etc.) that will ultimately benefit them in the long run.
• There are four main criteria for effective reading instruction.
• First of all, children/students should be able to have ownership over their school day/time.
• Next, “the classroom environment and daily routine must encourage reading as a primary activity integrated with other language modes, i.e. writing, speaking, and listening.”
• The classroom space should be a safe place for students and they should not be afraid to take learning risks such as getting a question incorrect or asking questions themselves.
• Worksheets encourage social isolation and independent work only (which clearly goes against the previous point).
• Third, the teachers must serve as role models by engaging in reading activities themselves.
• This really reminds me of the saying, “Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning” for some reason. I think this is because in both the article and in the quote, the enthusiasm of the teachers rubs off on the students. It is inevitable and teachers need to set good, positive examples for students (and so can parents too).
• In other words, the more that children see their role models (like their guardians and teachers) reading, the more likely they will be to pick up a book themselves and engage with various texts.  
• Fourth, “there must be opportunities for regular demonstrations of reading strategies, for sharing in the reading process including responding to books, and for evaluating individual reading progress.”
• The reading workshop was introduced as an alternative to traditional reading organizations/structures.

• There are five total components of the reading workshop (RW) structure.
• The components are Sharing time, the Mini-lesson, State-of-the-class, Self-selected reading and response, and Sharing time.
• The initial sharing time should take about 10 minutes. During this time, the teacher shares discoveries he/she has made in literature.
• The sharing time often serves as a catalyst into the mini-lesson time.
• The mini-lesson should take about 10 minutes as well.
• Mini-lessons are essentially “short, teacher instigated whole group instructional sessions for demonstrating reading strategies and preparing students to read new books successfully and independently.”
• Mini-lessons are also valuable and useful for children/a class with a lot of energy that will not pay attention for long periods of time.
• The State-of-the-class activity is next and usually lasts for about 3-5 minutes total.
• Basically, its purpose is to inform the teacher and individual children of their responsibilities and steps forward during the period of workshopping.
• Students fill in the blanks on the state-of-the-class chart (which is provided by the teacher).
• The next step is the Selt-reflected reading and response portion which takes approximately 40 whole minutes.
• This is the heart of the RW.
• This part of the RW encompasses three different student activities: Self-selected reading also known as SSR, Literature response, and Individual reading conferences.
• It is important to note that the original SSR period of 10 minutes may be lengthened if needed.
• I really like this flexible aspect of SSR as it really takes into account the fact that children can love reading and also honors the fact that reading is fun (and especially enjoyable when reading interesting texts).
• In regards to the Literature response groups, students pick their partners.
• I found this aspect of the LRGs noteworthy and somewhat surprising as well because throughout my fieldwork, for example, the teachers have usually assigned groups for the students to work in. I think their rationale/reasoning for this is to make sure the students actually get their work completed. However, there is value in allowing/giving choice to students too!

• I have a question then:Should we, as teachers assign groups to students sometimes and other times not? How do you know when/if to assign groups for students or not? Does it depend on the time of the school year (for example, assigning groups on the first few weeks of school and then letting students choose partners)? Should we balance it out a bit or always let students choose groups for reading?
• “The teacher meets with one LRG each day to participate and facilitate in response activities.”
• Then, during the last 10 minutes of every reading workshop, the instructor meets with two students in order to hold individual reading conferences.
• Students make appointments on a board (and sign up) and least one day before the conference so they are more prepared and not taken by surprise either.
• Finally, the last sharing time should take about 10 minutes.
• “As a daily closing activity in the RW, we recommend a sharing time where teachers and children come together for a few minutes to share with the group the activities, books, poetry, projects, etc., with which they were working.”
• I personally love this last bit of time allotted for sharing. Hopefully, too, every group is ding something a little bit different so it will be very interesting and engaging.
• Maybe students can also get inspiration and education from other groups/their peers because I truly believe that we are life-long learners and can learn from one another as well! It is certainly not just the teacher who should be teaching/providing knowledge to others. Students can too and we all offer a unique and different perspective on things. Plus, students can show/build on their strengths.
• For instance, if one student is very creative or wants to write a poem, he/she can! We need to acknowledge and encourage students to be who they are!
• And I can definitely understand the text/authors when they state that this last block of time will be difficult to end/bring to a close. There will just be so many ideas and so much to  say (though these are both positive things).
• Then, the article moves into three different cases with three different teachers.
• Mr. Sheets is a fourth grade teacher who modifies the RW in some ways. However, he still finds that his students (probably around ages 9-11) benefit and enjoy their time during the RW.
• Miss Sabey is the next teacher who teaches third grade. Her implementation of the RW is very similar to Mr. Sheets except for the fact that she is making a huge transition toward literature-based reading instruction while still using the basal.
• Next, for another teacher who teaches fifth grade, Mrs. Hans, uses the RW on a local Indian reservation.
• She uses a literature-based reading program and commented that this RW plan/structure requires more work, time, and effort, but if implemented properly, the children will adore it!
• In a nutshell, the three cases provided show the flexibility and malleability of the Reading Workshop.
• “The Reading Workshop is not a panacea, but teacher who use it are [in fact] experiencing success, increased student involvement, and a sense of taking control of their own reading instruction.”
• I think the RW is definitely something I will frequently incorporate into my future classroom(s). It seems like a fun and engaging way to get students engaged and it only takes about one hour in total. Plus, I want my students to love and enjoy reading. It’s essential for academic and even life success! Being an effective and proficient reader is so important and comes in handy in so many ways.

Annotations on the Second Article titled “Help! What’s Wrong with These Literature Circles and How we can Fix Them!”