Reader's Workshop

One of the parts of balanced literacy that I LOVE (besides Writer's Workshop) is Reader's Workshop. And, my students know that writing and reading are my favorite subjects to teach! 
This is the block of time where I can teach my first graders strategies to become fluent readers and deep thinkers. This is how I structure my Reader's Workshop
Mini-Lesson 10-15 min.
Independent Reading and Responding 30 min.
(Guided Reading during this time)
Buddy Reading 5 min.
Reading Rainbow 5 min.

I always use two things when I'm teaching a mini-lesson: A Great Mentor Text and a colorful Anchor Chart! I have created a packet of Reader's Workshop mini-lessons that include: Genres, Reading Strategies, Skills, Comprehension, Predicting, Inferencing and Synthesizing just to name a few. You can check out my Mini-Lessons with suggested genres here:
Are You A Bookworm? Reader's Workshop Mini-Lessons Grades 1-3

I use those colored chart paper tablets to keep my anchor charts in and I have a table of contents in the front so I can refer to the anchor chart lickety-split. Here are some of my favorite anchor charts that I've made: 

Author's Purpose

Cause and Effect

Making Inferences

When the students have independent reading time, I always ask them to use the strategy or skill that day in their schema notebook.  The students know which reading level they are on so that's the leveled tub of books to pick from. They cannot move to the next level until I test them. Here is a picture of my classroom library:

Leveled Tubs A-O


Here are some examples of my schema notebooks:

Author's Purpose

Text to World Connection

Text to Media Connection

If you notice, on the bottom of each picture, the students write a caption. I'm very big on captions and they write either "I drew... or I illustrated" depending on the time of year. 
I'm also really picky with their illustrations and handwriting. I want them to write with pencil first, and then outline with marker. For their picture, they have to outline with marker and color with crayon. I also want them to shade the background. At the beginning of the year I do a whole mini-lesson on how to color, use borders, shade and outline. This really pays off when you are asking them to illustrate and do a great job.
I have a peer facilitator who walks around during my guided reading time to answer questions. He/she wears a hat that I made that says: "Ask Me". They LOVE this job! And... I love it too because it frees me to really focus on my reading groups and not get interrupted. 





After my guided reading time is over, I walk around and give feedback to all my students about their schema notebook. If they are fast finishers, they know to read their browsing box, finish work, read poetry, or write in the diary.  This helps eliminate the question of "What do I do now?".

After this, we do buddy reading, and the students sit knee to knee with their partner and take turns reading their stories. I also have a question wheel that they use to ask each other questions.
Last, we sit for reading rainbow. This is where I choose a girl and a boy to advertise their book to the class and tell us about what they wrote in schema notebook that day. I have a class list that I refer to daily to see who has shared and who hasn't. The students also read questions from a poster asking about their books.
Reader's Workshop takes about 1 hour from beginning to end. I do it daily and my students LOVE it! They leave my classroom loving to read and show that they have the strategies and skills to become excellent readers for the future.
Love,
Kara 

Graphics Courtesy Of: 
Scrappin Doodles