1. Independent Reading
2:00-3:15
September 8, 2011
PDC

2. Balanced Literacy Time Recommendations
Component
Early Grades
Upper Grades
Word Work
30-40 minutes daily
20 minutes 2-3 days per week
Independent Reading
minutes per week
Supported Reading
minutes per week
Writing

3. Structure of Reading Workshop
Minilesson (10 minutes or less)
Independent work time with instruction
Children are engaged in private reading time.
Teacher provides instruction during reading conferences and small-group work.
Mid-workshop teaching
Children are engaged in partner reading time.
Teaching share time
Similar structure to Writer’s Workshop
Minilesson includes:
Connection
Teaching Point / Demonstration (Modeling)
Active Engagement/Guided Practice
Link
Private Time
Independent Practice, Teacher conferences
Partner Time
Students share with a partner about their reading
Don’t forget to share!! Great time to drive home another teaching point!
Remember to take time to setup procedures and expectations.

4. Architecture of a Mini-lesson
Connection
Connect today’s lesson with:
yesterday’s lesson
ongoing unit of study
students’ work
an experience outside of school
Teaching point
Present verbally
Demonstrate or model
Active engagement
Children try out a skill or strategy with a text
Children act like researchers as they watch a demonstration
Children plan work out loud
Children imagine trying a skill or strategy
Link to ongoing work

5. Considerations Limit student talk Keep connections brief
State the teaching point simply, and reiterate it
Demonstrate the teaching point
Use a familiar text
Match the active engagement to the teaching point

6. Teaching and Assessment
During independent reading time, the teacher:
Conferences and notes students’ reading behaviors
Gathers small groups for guided reading or strategy lessons
Records informal reading assessments
Assessment is impedded throughout each of the reading structures
In Interactive Read Alouds, Shared Reading and Minilessons:
listen in and note behaviors and comments and participation

7. Assessment – Considering Cueing Systems
As fluent readers, we use all three w/automaticity
Lines: what we use to tap system
?s: Ts ask when Ss miscue
Which systems are over/underemphasized?
Let’s have some experiences to exemplify use of these

8. Conferring Review notes from last conference with the student
Listen and observe as student reads a few pages or a portion of their text
Give student a specific compliment based on your observation
Demonstrate a strategy
Explain briefly what you did and the benefit
Observe as the student practices
Compliment student and restate teaching point

9. Teaching Share Time Mini-lesson Reinforcement Mini-lesson Add-on
Mini-lesson Preview
Problem-Solving Opportunity

10. Possible Units of Study
Readers Build Good Habits
Management and Procedural expectations
Taking care of books
How to stay focused on our reading
Readers use strategies to figure out words
Acquisition of print strategies
Flexibility with print strategies
Reading with fluency
Readers think and talk about books to develop ideas
Strategies for monitoring comprehension
Envisioning, predicting, making connections, having thoughts

11. Planning Units of Study
Backwards planning (goal setting)
Brainstorming teaching ideas
Drafting a teaching plan
Revising when necessary
Classroom library
Materials and resources
Work students are doing
Support for struggling readers and strong readers
Assessment
Standards

12. Small Group Instruction
Guided Reading
Flexible groups of students at about the same level
Teacher selects the text
When students are ready to move to the next level
Strategy Lessons
Students can be at different levels – focus on strategy
Students work in their own books
When students need strategies within a level
Table Conferences
Interventions
More practice or additional approaches

13. Options for Putting Reader’s Workshop and Small Group Instruction Together
Option 1 – tuck Guided Reading and Strategy Lessons along with individual conferences into Reader’s Workshop
Option 2 – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday – small groups within Reader’s Workshop. Wednesday and Friday – schedule Guided Reading with Literacy Centers