Reading and Writing Workshop
What is Workshop?
At Lapeer Community Schools, we teach reading and writing using a workshop model. Workshop consists of a mini-lesson focusing on a particular
skill, independent work where the teacher conferences with students and
small groups, and then share time.
Mini-lessons
focus on skills that the whole group will be learning about. The skills
focus on ways to make students better readers and writers.
Independent
time is when students work on the skill that was focused on during the
mini-lesson. Students work on reading and writing of their own choosing
(usually), and they confer with the teacher to show how they are using
the skill and the teacher provides guidance to students to stretch their
thinking with their work.
During share time, the
class comes back together as a group and a couple students share how
they used the skill that was taught during the mini-lesson from that day
or previous days.
During workshop time, students
are using reading and writing together to improve their skills in both
subjects. Mentor texts (books that model skills) are used to show how
real authors use these skills to be good writers.