As teachers, we are mandated with teaching state standards and may need to even use a mandated curriculum within our district or school. It is imperative that we plan out what we will be teaching and organizing our instruction. The five literacy programs that Tompkins (2018) states are the most commonly used between K-8thgrade are guided reading, basal reading programs, literature focus units, literature circles, and reading and writing workshop (p. 331). Throughout Chapter 10 in Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach, these five programs are outlined in great detail. In this post, I will be highlighting Reading and Writing Workshop.
The greatest strength that I find in using Reading and Writing Workshop is the authenticity for students. Authentic literacy “replicates or reflects reading and writing activities that occur in the lives of people outside of a learning-to-read-and-write context and purpose” (Duke et. al, 2006, p. 346). My goal for students is that when they leave school, they enjoy reading and are comfortable with writing. Even as I complete my teaching and masters program, I hear my colleagues complain about reading and the amount of reading required. I think that too often, reading and writing opportunities are given in short amounts of time, often with timed constraints. As technology has rapidly increased, attention has become shortened. I believe that the sustained periods of time within Reading and Writing Workshop allows student to build a stamina for reading and writing.
Reading and Writing Workshop takes time to build in a classroom. When I have my own classroom, I want the process to start within the first two weeks of school. It’s important to implement the process alongside introducing class norms in the classroom. What I really love about Reading and Writing Workshop is how it builds community in the classroom. After students read books individually, they share these with one another. During writing workshop, students share their drafts and edit with each other, as well as share their final products with their class and see themselves as authors. I want my students to share their work and feel proud of themselves, as well as each other. I would also like to incorporate Literature Circles within Reading and Writing Workshop so that students can use different roles and share with each other. I recommend checking out my colleagues’ blogs to find out more about Literature Circles: https://nksardisco.wixsite.com/elemteachertalk/home/literature-circles
It is important to note that Reading and Writing Workshop should be part of a balanced literacy approach, with a combination of explicit instruction, small-group, whole-class, and independent reading and writing opportunities. An important point that Tompkins (2018) makes is that minilessons should be used throughout so that students are taught explicit instructions. It takes time to build Reading and Writing Workshop, but I believe it is a fantastic program that I want to utilize in my own classroom. I also would like to make sure that culturally relevant texts are provided in the classroom. Lack of funding may be a constraint to provide a rich library both inside the classroom and inside the school, as well as the community surrounding the school and homes of the students. However, teachers provide an incredible community of support for one another and are incredibly innovative to make sure that students’ needs are being met.
References:
Duke, N., Purcell-Gates, V., Hall, L., Tower, C. (2006). Authentic literacy activities for developing comprehension and writing. Reading Teacher, 60(4), 60. 344-355.
Tompkins, G. E. (2018).Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach 7thEd. New York: Pearson.
Ariana's Teaching Journey 
The desire of reading and reading and writing have somewhat faded away in this age of technology and could be impacting teacher’s abilities to impact the same skills to young learners. I am not sure teachers recognize such a subtle hurdle that could challenge their teaching skills. Even the best teachers will likely contend with a chilled psyche to read and write. But I would say I am impressed that you recognize such a problem and you seem to be trying to formulate your pedagogical style to overcome such a problem. You seem to be very conscious about the need to blend evidence-based knowledge with practicality. A theory could be essential but deciding to adopt a reading and writing workshop two weeks into the school program is an excellent insight that emerges from practice. Your blog of teaching is intriguing and somewhat encourages me to think outside the box to make my future teaching even more effective as society evolves.
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