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"The statistics are staggering. More than 10 million American students struggle to read, but only 2.3 million receive special help. Forty-one percent of students with learning disabilities like dyslexia won’t graduate from high school. As school leaders, we need to bridge that gap by creating a culture of reading when reading is a barrier."

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This website provides awesome reading lessons for grades k-5 to implement into your classroom to help with the workshop model! It also has lessons that work alongside struggling readers and gives you helpful strategies.

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Reader's Workshop Lessons - 2nd Grade - Stanley G. Oswalt Academy

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How To Start Reading Workshop In Your K-2 Classroom

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How To Start Reading Workshop In Your K-2 Classroom

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This article not only talks about strategies to use with struggling students during guided reading, but also how to effectively run a reading workshop in your classroom. She describes what it should mostly look like, both at your table and while other students are independently reading.

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Are you considering implementing a reading workshop model in your classroom? Or maybe you already use this model but want to get your workshop off to a strong start? In this post, I'll explain why reading workshop is so effective and how to start reading workshop in your classroom.

What is reading workshop?

Reading workshop is a structure for teaching reading. It may look slightly different in different classrooms, but its general purpose is to a) teach students strategies to apply to their own reading and b) allow students time to practice those strategies as they read independently.

The workshop typically includes a brief minilesson during which the teacher models a strategy and then provides an opportunity for guided practice. Afterward, students read independently (and sometimes engage in other reading-related activities), and the teacher confers with them individually and/or in small groups. Last, there is some sort of wrap up (book clubs, partner sharing, revisiting the teaching point of the minilesson, etc.).

Why reading workshop?

There are many different ways of structuring a reading block and your students' independent reading time. Some of these structures or ways of doing things have come and gone throughout the years. For example, when I first started teaching, we used the Four Blocks framework. Later on, the Daily Five became popular. I've also used literacy centers / stations in the classroom.

Honestly, I don't think there's one right or wrong way to structure your literacy block. However, I strongly believe that choosing a reading workshop model is a great way to set your students up for success. Here's why:

The reading workshop model facilitates an intrinsic love of reading and helps kids develop their identities as readers. In the reading workshop model that I promote, students choose their own books. They also choose appropriate strategies to use with those books, rather than being required to practice a certain skill. Kids read for enjoyment, to learn, and to grow as readers - not to complete worksheets or answer questions. Personally, if I had not been allowed to choose my own books, or if I had to answer questions on every book I read, I would not have become the avid reader I am today!

Reading workshop creates a focused, quiet (not silent - at least not in the early grades!) classroom environment that many kids require in order to fully attend to their reading. While some reading workshop models have kids working on different literacy activities simultaneously, I prefer a model that has all kids reading at the same time. During some of my years in the classroom, I incorporated independent reading time into centers. Throughout my classroom, some kids read independently, while others read with a partner or completed other literacy work. I found that, with this structure, my kids didn't focus on their independent reading as much as because there were "other things" going on in our classroom. Dedicating 30 minutes to just independent reading was transformational in helping my students remain on-task. Even if you can't devote a whole 30 minutes to independent reading, why not try 20 minutes of reading time and then use the rest of the time for partner reading and other literacy work?

Reading workshop promotes volume reading. Kids need to practice reading - a lot - in order to learn how to read. This makes sense, right? I didn't learn how to play tennis by sitting on the sidelines and watching Serena Williams! Just like any other skill, in order to become good readers, kids need to practice reading. When you set aside a chunk of time for reading workshop each day, you make sure that kids get that all-important practice time. We just can't assume that kids will get in their independent reading minutes at home, because family situations and home lives vary.

How do I set up reading workshop?

As I mentioned previously, there are lots of variations on how to run reading workshop. I'll share with you how I ran it in my 1st/2nd grade classroom, but this certainly isn't the only way to set up your workshop. (Sidenote: I also taught reading workshop in my Kindergarten classroom. If you teach Kindergarten, make sure to check out this post after you finish reading today's article. That post walks you through setting up reading workshop even when your kids can't read yet!)

Before the school year started (or before I began implementing the workshop), I did the following things:

I made sure I had lots of books at a variety of reading levels. One year, within my group of second graders, I had a range of levels that extended from Guided Reading Level C to Level P (if you're not familiar with the GR levels, that means that some of my kids were at a Kindergarten reading level, and others were at a 3rd/4th grade level!). Anyway, my point is that you need to take a close look at the books in your classroom library. I use the Scholastic Book Wizard to look up books' levels. I have also looked up Lexile levels when I couldn't find a book in the Book Wizard. If you find that you are lacking books at certain levels, search for garage sales and used book sales in your area. I have scored a lot of books this way, and I've also bought some inexpensive book collections on Ebay. If you want some ideas about what books to purchase to fill in the gaps in your library, you can use the Booksource advanced search option to look for book titles at specific levels.

I organized my books by topic / genre, and labeled a select few books with their reading levels. Some teachers organize their classroom libraries by levels, and require that students choose books only at that level. This is not something that I did in my own classroom, however. I believe that we can develop students' love for reading by providing them with freedom and choice. Restricting children to reading only within a certain level seems, in my opinion, pointless and potentially damaging. Instead, I chose to teach my students how to pick books that were just right for them - or even a little hard, if it was a topic that they were very interested in. Nevertheless, choosing just-right books (no matter how well you teach this skill) can still be challenging for little ones. In the past, I have had my students choose half of their books from anywhere in our classroom library, and half of their books from a book bin with books close to their independent reading level. And as I mentioned, I do label just a few of my books with levels. That way, I can use these books to help kids see the kinds of books that might be right for them. Having a few books labeled also makes it easy for me to find a book at a certain level when I need it. Here's a photo that shows how I labeled my books:

I labeled my books with my name. I am a big believer in sending home books with my students each night. Yes, I've lost some books. Yes, I've had some books mangled by little brothers. But (in my opinion) replacing a $5 book is more than worth the opportunity to give my students books to read at home.

I designated an area in my classroom for our minilessons. I always have students sit on the carpet during reading workshop minilessons. Having them close to me ensures that they can see the work that I'm modeling, and it cuts down on behavior issues. I also like having an easel and pad of chart paper near this area.

I chose book bins or bags for my students. When I taught Kindergarten, my kids had cloth tote bags that were donated by a local organization. In my 1st and 2nd grade classroom, however, I used plastic baggies. Each child had a Hefty 2.5 gallon baggie, and a 1 gallon Zip-Loc baggie. The larger baggie stayed at school, in my students' desks. The smaller baggie fit inside that large baggie when the kids were at school. When the kids went home each night, they placed a book they wanted to read at home in that smaller baggie, and then brought back the book and baggie the next day (placing it again inside the larger baggie).

I obtained additional supplies for the workshop. My kids have used reading journals, sticky notes, and highlighters in past years. Although their reading journals and highlighters usually came from home, sticky notes weren't always on their supply lists (those suckers are expensive!). I did a Donors Choose project one year and got loads of sticky notes for my kids!

Once all of your "stuff" is ready, you can get down to the real work of launching the reading workshop: preparing your minilessons. I like to generate an outline or pacing guide for the entire year, figuring out what genres and skills I will cover before I jump right in. This helps me make sure that I address all of the skills I want to, as well as revisit key skills throughout the year.

I also make a list of skills that students will need in order to be successful with the reading workshop (like choosing just-right books, staying on task during reading time, sharing with a partner, etc.). I make sure that I teach those skills during our first unit, and then I plan for opportunities to revisit those skills again and again throughout the year. Here are some of the lessons I make sure to include:

If you teach 2nd grade and would like to have those minilessons already written out for you (with materials to go along with them, like reading strategy bookmarks and posters), click on one of the images below:

I also have K-1 reading comprehension units available, but they're not exactly like the 2nd grade units. My 2nd grade units teach decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, while the K-1 units focus on the use of comprehension strategies. However, you can still definitely use the K-1 lessons within a reading workshop model. The first unit in the series, shown below, teaches kids how to set a purpose for reading, identify the parts of a book, distinguish between fiction and nonfiction, answer questions with text evidence, and other foundational skills.

As always, let me know if you have any questions. Happy teaching!

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How To Start Reading Workshop In Your K-2 Classroom - Learning at the Primary Pond

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Are you considering implementing a reading workshop model in your classroom? Or maybe you already use this model but want to get your workshop off to a strong start? In this post, I'll explain why reading workshop is so effective and how to start reading workshop in your classroom.

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This website offers insight on how to help struggling readers at many different levels. It allows for "question and answers" that cover different scenarios that teachers might face with struggling readers in the classroom

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The reasons some children struggle with reading are as varied as the children themselves. From trouble decoding words to problems retaining information, reading difficulties are complex. All kids, says the International Reading Association, "have a right to instruction designed with their specific needs in mind." The question is how to identify and address these needs. It can seem a daunting, if not impossible, task. But, when searching for inspiration, know that scientists estimate with the right instruction, 95 percent of students can be taught to read properly. With that in mind we asked two literacy experts, Michael Pressley and Nell K. Duke, of Michigan State University, to answer the questions of real teachers. Using the following strategies can bring you closer to the lofty goal of turning all struggling readers into successful ones.
Q."I have a few students who are reading a year and a half behind. How can I teach to their needs and teach the rest of my class?"
A. In an average class, half will be reading below grade level and half will be reading above it. A typical class often includes a few children reading a year or more below grade level. They always deserve more teaching attention. For some, a more intensive version of the current curriculum is needed, albeit matched to their level of reading. Such children need more small group reading time and more of the available tutoring time. It's also important to encourage parents to read regularly with these kids. If they are struggling with beginning word recognition, students may need more explicit skills instruction, through in-the-classroom small reading groups and from tutors and a reading specialist.

Try a variety of approaches and monitor what works. If a child makes progress from reading lots of decodable books, encourage him to read more of them and steer him toward more demanding ones. If the child eats up reading series books, encourage that. If the child responds well to a classroom volunteer who has the patience to help him sound out words, give him more time with that person.

Q."What do I do with a student who has difficulty pronouncing words, reads slowly in general, and writes with many misspelled words?"

A. Ask yourself if this child is having difficulty with pronunciation or other aspects of language. Children with oral language difficulties are at much greater risk for reading and writing problems and should be evaluated by a speech and language specialist. This is a student who probably needs support from a professional reading specialist. The more signs of general language difficulties--and this student has several-the more there is reason for concern that more than just the language arts curriculum will be affected.

Q."I have a first-grade student who is making little progress reading. He seems bright, he knows his letters, and his parents read to him regularly. What should I do next?"

A. You're right to be concerned. One old adage about first graders was, "They'll read when they're ready!" The problem is, students who are struggling at the end of first grade often continue to struggle.

How you proceed depends on the instruction the child has received so far. For many students, the solution is more intensive and more systematic skills instruction. The most recent National Reading Panel report says that the key for many struggling readers is learning to sound out words. You can work toward this goal by including such students in small reading groups which systematically cover these skills.

But it's ideal for these children to receive additional individual attention as well, preferably from someone with expertise in beginning reading. If reading specialist support is not available, one-to-one tutoring, even from individuals not specifically trained in reading, often produces improvements. So, do what you can to find adults who can read with these students, offering them support in sounding out and decoding the words. Even if you already offer a great deal of systematic skills instruction in your class, it might make sense to have a tutor provide more such instruction and, most importantly, practice. But this tutoring should be monitored carefully to determine whether it is helping. Some students are not going to "get it" from systematic phonics and practice. They need a different approach. These are the students who really need time with a skilled reading specialist.

Q."I'm a fourth-grade teacher with a student reading two years behind who is also struggling with fluency. Any ideas?"

A. The National Reading Panel rightly concluded that for increasing reading fluency the best approach is one-to- one or small group, teacher-supported, guided, and repeated reading. In general, the best supported conclusion that follows from more than a century of psychological research is that, if practice does not make perfect, it makes better and faster. Encouraging a student with fluency problems to read a lot makes sense from many perspectives. It provides practice with phonics skills, increases the familiarity of words that occur frequently in text and should stimulate development of such words as sight words, and it increases vocabulary. It is hard to imagine a down side to reading more.

For the best results, encourage students to read both books that are at their reading level and some that are just a little bit challenging. And be sure they read the more difficult books with some support from an adult. Rereading books helps, but what seems more important is the amount of time kids spend reading.

Q."I have several fifth-grade students who are great at reading words, but who understand or remember almost nothing they read. What is going on with these students and what should I do?"

A. There have always been "word callers" out there! The problem you describe is common. It is essential that you develop the understanding in these students that reading words is not what reading is about. Reading is about getting meaning from text. Similarly, these students need to know that reading fast is not necessarily the sign of a good reader. In fact, good readers often read quite slowly, reflecting on the text and responding to it.

Teaching these students to use comprehension strategies every time they read is key. Students should be taught to size up a text before beginning to read the words. They should look at the title, pictures, and section headers and make guesses about what is going to be in the text. As they begin to read, they should reflect on whether their predictions hold. Encourage students to develop mental images of the settings, characters, and actions, or in the case of an informational text, of the processes being explained in the text.

When text gets confusing, good readers re-read or slow their reading. Along the way, readers check to see if they remember what they read, and they make interpretations. And, of course, throughout reading, they connect ideas in the text to their prior knowledge in ways that help them to understand the text. For example, while reading a book on penguins, they think, "That's what the penguins in March of the Penguins did." There is very clear evidence that teaching readers to read actively improves comprehension. However, comprehension strategies need to be used every day since this type of instruction is most effective if it occurs over years.

Start by giving kids an overall introduction to comprehension strategies, then get them to use the techniques one at a time until they are using a small repertoire of strategies consistently. For example, a teacher might teach prediction until her students are using it on their own, and then add mental imagery to the mix, with students practicing using prediction and imagery in coordination until they are comfortable doing it habitually. Then, the teacher might add summarization as a strategy, continuing to add strategies over the course of the school year until students are using prediction, imagery, connecting to prior knowledge, questioning, seeking clarification, and summarization all at the same time.

In the best of all possible worlds, comprehension-strategies instruction starts in kindergarten and first grade. If that happens, students may never develop the idea that reading is just saying the words, but rather, they'll appreciate that reading is about understanding meaning.

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How Can I Help My Struggling Readers? | Scholastic

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The reasons some children struggle with reading are as varied as the children themselves. From trouble decoding words to problems retaining information, reading difficulties are complex. All kids, says the International Reading Association, "have a right to instruction designed with their specific needs in mind." The question is how to identify and address these needs.