Through Balanced Literacy, the teacher is able to model strategies for the students, support those strategies with the students during small group instruction so that they can then independently practice during reading workshop time.
Typically, there would be a focus lesson at the beginning where the teacher explicitly models the strategies for the students.
During Guided Reading, the teacher individualizes instruction for small groups of children at the instructional reading level. Here's where she can meet the needs of every student in her classroom.
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| Every student gets time with the teacher to learn strategies at their reading level |
While students are engaged in the independent workshop time, the students are able to use what they have learned in the focus lesson and guided reading to practice reading. Much like practicing soccer to play in a game, students need more time actually practicing their reading skills with Just Right Books for them.
Here are some students "Listening to Reading, "Buddy Reading", or doing "Independent Reading".
You can reinforce this at home by encouraging your student to read books at home to you and to themselves that are not too hard and not too easy, but Just Right! The goal is for students to have independent practice and application of strategies they are learning. It's more about the conversations they are able to have with you about what they read.
A great way for parents and PTA to support this initiative in our school is to fund additional texts to enhance our classroom libraries with more leveled books that are Just Right for each student.
As time moves forward at DRES and we get more consistency into our Reader's Workshop structure throughout all grade levels K-6, students will know what to expect and the structure will enable them to move forward at their level and become more strategic readers.
Hopefully, this blog post will help you know what to ask your students about what they did in Reading today.
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