What is Workshop?

What is Workshop?
The workshop model is simple and
powerful. It derives from the insight
that
h children
hild
llearn by
b d
doing…
i
Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar
Best Practices
Effective teachers who help students achieve
at high levels:
–
–
–
have students do more writing and reading of whole texts
spend little time on “stuff”- activities/worksheets
realize that reading and writing are interdependent
(Regie Routman, 2005)
Workshop is a Key Component of the
SDW Comprehensive Literacy Program
Reading
– 90 minutes daily (45-60 minutes
devoted to Reading Workshop)
Writing
week)
– 45-60 minutes (3-5 times a
Teach Throughout
the Workshop
Minilesson
Work
Time
Conferring
g
Sharing
Minilesson
Short,
teacher directed lesson.
Teacher introduces ONE skill/idea/strategy.
gy
Teacher models or demonstrates skill.
Students practice skill.
Work Time
Students
actively engaged
in authentic
reading or writing
Teacher
actively engaged
in 1-1 or small
group teaching
Conferring
Heart
of the workshop where differentiated
instruction occurs
One-on-one
O
or smallll group
Occurs everyday throughout the reading and
writing
iti workshop.
k h
Sharing
An
additional
opportunity to teach
and
d llearn.
Varied formats
Why Workshop?
Choice
Children at the earliest levels benefit from a
workshop approach to reading
reading. When
students learn to make choices, they “choose
to read outside of school as well as within the
workshop.”
Carol Avery
Why Workshop?
Volume
The amount of reading
g and writing
g that
students do is positively related to
achievement.
Report Card for the Nation, 1998
Why Workshop?
Differentiation
“The workshop is the best, maybe the only,
truly differentiated approach to teaching and
learning Here
learning.
Here, students can act as and are
known as individuals. Here, teachers
recognize
g
and support
pp the needs and g
growth
of individual students.”
Nancie Atwell
In Summary…
The underlying message emerging from all of
th
these
researchers
h
and
d educators
d
t
iis th
thatt
teachers must put real reading (& writing)
behaviors at the heart of teaching practices
practices.
A Workshop Model will help set up a
framework in which to accomplish
p
this while
meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Orehovec & Alley