Literacy Workshop
for Middle School
Literacy Collaborative
at
The Ohio State University
Literacy Workshop for Grades 6-8
Reading
Workshop
Minilessons & Application
Book Talks
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Writing About Reading
Reading Conferences
RL.1-10
RIT.1-10
SL.1-6
W.4, 9, 10
Range of Text Types
Language and
Word Study
Interactive Read Aloud
Word/Vocabulary Study
Poetry Workshop
RL.1-9
RIT.1-9
SL.1-6
L.4-6
Ranges of Text Types
Writing
Workshop
Minilessons & Application
Independent Writing
Guided Writing
Writing Conferences
Investigations/Research
W.1-10
L.1-3
Range of Text Types
•
•
•
•
Minilessons & Application (whole group)
Book Talks (whole group)
Guided Reading (small-group, differentiated instruction)
Independent Reading & Writing About Reading
(individual)
• Book Clubs (small heterogeneous groups)
• Reading Conferences (one-on-one instruction)
Reading Workshop
• Brief and concise (about 5-10 minutes)
• Uses clear language that refers to what readers do and
how or why
• Use high-quality mentor texts, teacher or student writing,
graphic organizers, and charts everyone can see
• Foster community through the development of shared
language
Reading Minilesson
• Brief (1-2 minutes) “commercials” for books designed to
motivate readers to read a variety of text types and
genres.
Book Talks
Guided Reading
• A teacher works with a small group (4-6 students)
• Readers have similar needs and are able to read about
the same instructional level.
• Each reader reads the teacher-selected text
independently while teacher “listens in.”
• The teacher supports word-solving strategies, fluency,
and comprehension (literal, inferential, and
analytical).
• Students discuss the text in order to further construct
meaning.
• The texts increase in difficulty over time.
• Readers are regrouped based on observation and
assessment.
6
• Students select and read texts at their “independent”
level.
• Students engage in a variety of genres and forms of
writing (functional, narrative, informational, poetic) in
response to what they have read.
Independent Reading and
Writing About Reading
• Teacher provides several title choices to class.
• Students choose a text to read independently.
• Students reading the same title meet to discuss the book
in depth.
• They are creating a richer meaning than any one reader
could gain alone.
• In this practice, the teacher will provide the lowest level
of support.
Book Clubs
• Teacher meets with individual students to discuss
and support the development of the reader’s
reading process.
• Occurs when students are reading independently.
• Informs instruction
Reading Conferences
• Interactive Read Aloud (whole group)
• Word/Vocabulary Study (individual/whole group)
• Poetry Workshop (individual/whole group)
Language & Word Study
• Teachers engage students in thinking and talking about
excellent, age-appropriate texts.
• Teachers teach, prompt, or reinforce the use of strategic actions.
• Students develop an academic vocabulary for talking about
texts.
• Students are invited to reflect on the meaning they took from
the text and what they noticed about the writing.
• Teachers and students create a true “learning community.”
Interactive Read Aloud
What does the research say about vocabulary learning
and instruction?
• Immersion in rich oral language and wide
reading
• Word or lexical-specific vocabulary instruction
• Generative vocabulary instruction
-Templeton, Bear, Invernizzi, & Johnston, 2010
Word/Vocabulary Study
• Poet talk
• Poetry read-aloud and poetry minilesson
• Poetry projects: reading, writing, illustrating,
conferring
• Poetry sharing
Poetry Workshop
• Minilessons & Application (whole group)
• Independent Writing (individual)
• Guided Writing (small group, differentiated
instruction)
• Writing Conferences (one-on-one instruction)
Writing Workshop
•
•
•
•
•
Brief and concise
Focus on what writers do and how or why
Calls attention to the craft of writing
Use mentor texts to model use of craft
Writers are expected to apply new learning to
their own writing pieces
Writing Minilessons
• Writers apply what they have learning about the writing
process to create their own original pieces of writing
• Writers explore and create a variety of genre (narrative,
expository, and persuasive)
Independent Writing
• Genre refers to any type or kind of literary
or artistic work that has a characteristic
form.
What is Genre?
• Helps readers know what to expect.
• Helps readers anticipate the structures and elements of a text.
• Heightens readers’ ability to notice features and structures
used by the writer as they process a text.
-Fountas & Pinnell, 2012
Why Is Genre Study
Significant to Readers?
• Helps writers notice what effective writers do to create
texts in a genre.
• Helps writers create the structures and elements of the
genre they are writing.
• Grounds writing in excellent examples of well-written
text.
-Fountas & Pinnell, 2012
Why Is Genre Study
Significant to Writers?
“Taking an inquiry stance enables students to learn
how to learn. They become empowered and develop a
sense of agency.”
- Fountas and Pinnell, 2012
“A sense of agency empowers learners. It is the notion
that gives children the mindset that if they ‘act and act
strategically, they can accomplish their goals.’”
-Peter Johnston, 2004
Genre Study
in Literacy Workshop
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Collect
Immerse
Study
Define
Teach
Read and Revise
Genre Study as an Inquiry Approach
• Collect a genre text set to read aloud.
• Be selective; use high-quality, authentic texts.
• Collect books (at a range of difficulty levels) to
place in genre baskets in the classroom library—
books students can choose to read independently.
• Collect multiple copies of books for genre book
clubs and guided reading groups at appropriate
levels.
COLLECT
“It’s important for them to listen to (or read), think
about, and discuss the content of the various texts
with one another.”
IMMERSE
-Fountas & Pinnell, 2012
What is evident in all of the books they have
discussed?
• Talk about whether the features occur all of the
time or only some of the time.
• Create an ongoing chart of their noticings.
STUDY
Working Definition
Noticings
Book Examples
I.C. Fountas & G.S. Pinnell from Reader’s Notebook Advanced, Heinemann (2011)
• Create a working definition.
• Note that the definition may change over time as
they continue to study the genre.
DEFINE
• Use the chart and the working definition to teach
specific minilessons on the important features of
the genre.
TEACH
Use the following contexts to develop the genre:
Book Talks
Independent Reading
Reading Conferences
Interactive Read Aloud
Guided Reading
Writing about Reading
Book Clubs
READ
and…
Revise understandings of genre by…
• adding more characteristics to charts
• revising their working definition
REVISE
.
.
2/27/2013
Literacy Collaborative at
The Ohio State University
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson- 10
Independent
Reading & Guided
Reading-50
1st group-25
2nd group-25
Share-5/10
Book Talk-2
Minilesson-10
Independent
Reading &
Guided Reading50
3rd group-25
4th group-25
Share-5
Word
Study/Vocab-23
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson- 10
Independent
Reading & Guided
Reading-50
1st group-25
2nd group-25
Share-5/10
Book Talk-2
Minilesson-10
Independent
Reading &
Guided Reading50
3rd group-25
4th group-25
Share-5
Word
Study/Vocab-23
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Poet Talk-2
Poetry Workshop-40
Share-10
Word Study/Vocab-18
Week One-Reading Workshop
90-minute block
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson- 10
Independent
Reading &
Guided Reading50
1st group-25
2nd group-25
Share-5/10
Book Talk-2
Minilesson-10
Independent
Reading &
Guided
Reading-50
3rd group25
4th group25
Share-5
Word
Study/Vocab23
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson- 10
Independent
Reading &b
Guided Reading50
1st group-25
2nd group-25
Share-5/10
Book Talk-2
Minilesson-10
Independent
Reading &
Guided Reading50
3rd group-25
4th group-25
Share-5
Word
Study/Vocab-23
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Poet Talk-2
Poetry Workshop40
Share-10
Word Study/Vocab18
Week Two-Reading Workshop
90-minute block
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson-10
Independent
Writing &
Conferring-50
Share-10
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson-10
Independent
Writing &
Conferring-40
Word
Study/Vocab-20
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson-10
Independent
Writing &
Conferring-50
Share-10
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Minilesson-10
Independent
Writing &
Conferring-40
Word
Study/Vocab-20
Interactive Read
Aloud-20
Poet Talk-2
Poetry
Workshop-40
Share-10
Word
Study/Vocab-18
Week Three-Writing Workshop
90-minute block
• Literacy Collaborative is a comprehensive model
designed to provide a school-wide approach for
improving the reading and writing achievement of
students.
What is a Literacy
Collaborative School?
1. A school-based leadership team
2. A school-based literacy coach
3. Initial and ongoing professional development for
teachers and literacy coaches
4. In-classroom coaching for literacy teachers and content
teachers
5. Research-based classroom instructional practices
Ten Essential Design
Elements
6.
7.
8.
9.
Systematic assessment that informs instruction
Materials to support the implementation
School/home partnership program
Multiple levels of intervention to support differentiated
classroom instruction
10. Research on student achievement and implementation
Ten Essential Design
Elements
• Schools that implement according to the standards are
registered as Literacy Collaborative schools and affiliated
with an approved Literacy Collaborative university
training center.
• Adherence to the standards is essential to maintaining a
high-quality implementation that results in improved
student outcomes in literacy achievement.
Fidelity & Integrity
What are you wondering
about?
Thank you for ALL that you
do for kids every day!!!
Contact info:
Sherry Kinzel, Intermediate/Middle School
Trainer
kinzel.11@osu.edu
Literacy Collaborative website
www.lcosu.org
Dr. Sonny Whitehead, Executive Director
614.688.4977
Diann Guy, Administrative Assistant
614.292.7893