Not sure how to launch readers workshop in your first-grade classroom? There are so many steps that are important and a variety of topics to explicating teacher to students. Don’t get overwhelmed because we have outlined lesson plans, activities, printables with digital components, and MORE to help you launch a successful readers workshop in your 1st-grade classroom!
What is Readers Workshop?
First, you need to know what readers workshop is and why it’s so important in your daily schedule. Readers workshop is “a teaching model which allows students to engage in authentic reading experiences. It is an effective way to differentiate instruction” (Literacy Today). Launching readers workshop takes time and should not be rushed. When you take your time teaching students the routines and procedures of readers workshop at the beginning, you will benefit all year long.
What does the workshop model look like?
The workshop model may vary from classroom to classroom, district to district. In my experience, my workshop has looked like this:
What is the purpose of readers workshop?
There are many benefits to a workshop model. Some of them are:
- Setting explicit expectations
- Learning rules, procedures, and routines
- Creating a classroom community
- Becoming life-long learners and readers
What lessons are included in the launch?
When launching readers workshop, there are 10 main lessons I focus on. They vary in the amount of time they take, depending on the class and the lesson. Some classes pick up on routines fairly quickly, while others may take some additional time. That’s okay! The lessons we focus on are:
- Reading behaviors
- 3 ways to read a book
- Building stamina
- Independent reading expectations
- Picking just right books
- How to pick a reading spot
- Partner reading
- Solving tricky words
- How to ask questions about our reading
- How to write about our reading
Plan your launch with this reading unit!
Save your lesson planning and prep time with our comprehensive unit that will help you launch readers workshop in your classroom. Take back your night and weekends! This unit is a one-stop-shop for what you would need. It includes ten lessons with:
- anchor charts
- whole group sorting activities
- interactive notebook pages
- bookmarks
- and a lot more!
Also, make sure to check out our list of books that help with your readers workshop launch!
Common Misconceptions About Launching Readers Workshop
Because of the pressure we receive from higher-ups in the district, we may feel we need to rush the process of launching. I really stress that you do not rush this process! Our unit provides an estimated number of days it will take you to complete, but it’s just an estimate! The amount of time it takes you to fully and effectively launch readers workshop is 3 weeks, but you will continue practicing the different components longer.
Some reminders for your launch:
- Model and practice every day. It will feel silly and repetitive and you may even have kids say, “AGAIN?!?!?!” when you say it’s time to practice finding a spot to read, but it’s important that you go through the process repeatedly so that you aren’t still teaching routines and procedures in November.
- Check in with your students daily. This can be really simple. At the end of our practicing, I would gather my students at the carpet and ask them to give me a thumbs up or to the side to share how they feel like they did individually, and then again to show how they feel the class did.
Check out the Launching Readers Workshop Unit Here!
Save your planning time and check out our unit on launching your readers workshop here!
