Inside This Week’s Episode: Struggling to make readers and writers workshop work in your elementary classroom? The solutions might be simpler than you think! Check out these common workshop model mistakes, and learn how to fix them.

There are a lot of moving parts in the Readers & Writers Workshop model.

It takes a lot of coordination, planning, and modeling for reading and writing magic to happen.

Many elementary teachers get to the middle of the school year and almost want to wash their hands of it and forget the whole thing.

Reading and writing centers seem chaotic and mismanaged, you’re constantly being interrupted during your guided reading groups or writing conferences, and students still don’t seem to know what they should be doing during independent work time.

Is it really just too hard? Should you just go back to traditional whole-class instruction where you have more control of your whole class.

Maybe.

OR - you could make a few small tweaks and get back on track.

Chances are, with a few changes to your readers and writers workshop, you could have your workshops running like clockwork - and in return, help your students become strong readers and writers.

Sound like a dream? It’s not! In this week’s podcast episode I’ll share with your 7 common mistakes teachers are making during their literacy block AND how to fix them!

Ready to make Reading and Writing Magic a Reality in your classroom?

Here’s a Snapshot:

• [01:52] Establishing and maintaining routines and procedures for your readers and writers workshops is the most important step to making sure they run smoothly. Failure to skip, gloss over, or let go by the way-side will result in chaos and frustration for both teachers and students. Take time to set them up right and keep them going strong throughout the school year. I’ll share some resources and tips that will help you out!

• [06:04] Start simple - get fancy later! The workshop model often fails to fully launch in the elementary classroom because teachers are trying to do too much, too soon. Start with simple activities and routines and allow students to master those before asking students to do too much.

• [9:20] Take it slow. It’s tempting to change up activities in your reading and writing centers too often because you want to keep them fresh. However - doing so makes it hard for students to get really good at one kind of center activity. Learn what you can do instead to still keep it fresh without making too many changes all at once.

• [12:08] Reading and writing centers should be used for review, not to teach new content. Asking students to learn a new concept on their own during a center activity just begs for them to interrupt you during your small group guided reading groups and writing conferences. I’ll share some best practices so that you can set your students up for success to be more independent during center time.

• [14:06] Give students more choice. Students love when they have options to show their learning - and thus will enjoy themselves more during your readers and writers workshop. And you know what that leads to? Students who love reading and writing.

• [15:25] Don’t forget to celebrate. It’s easy to just follow the motions of reader and writers workshop and forget to stop and celebrate how far students have come. When you take time to celebrate, students are even more motivated to keep up the good work.

Links & Resources Mentioned in the Episode

EPISODE 25: It’s time to Fine-Tune Your Instruction with New Teaching Strategies and Best Practices

EPISODE 29: How to Launch Reader's Workshop in Your Classroom

EPISODE 30: How to Launch Writer's Workshop in the Upper Elementary Classroom

EPISODE 49: Pressing the "Restart" Button On the School Year

Reading Comprehension Strategies:

• EPISODE 41: Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies

• EPISODE 42: Reading Comprehension Instruction: How to Teach Making Connections

• EPISODE 47: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Visualizing

• EPISODE 51: Reading Comprehension Strategies: How to Teach Making Predictions

POST: Setting Up Classroom Routines and Procedures

POST: Back to School Series: Launching Readers Workshop

POST: Back to School Series: Launching Writer's Workshop

RESOURCE:

Getting Started With Reader’s Workshop (printable & digital)

Getting Started With Writer’s Workshop (printable & digital)

LINKtivity® Learning Membership

Grab my FREE Routines and Procedures Checklist below:

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Transcript