Reading Workshop

Question #5: Focus on Workshop Approaches to Reading Instruction

For the 2014-2015 school year Ira J. Earl Elementary School has been designated a
Zoom school, joining 16 other schools around the Clark County School District. The primary
goal of the "Zoom" school initiative is to aid struggling English Language Learners with the
implementation of literacy centers, which support reading comprehension, language, social,
and writing development. Due to the shift from literacy programs to literacy centers, I see the
opportunity, for the first time in my teaching career, to implement reading workshop in my
classroom. In the past, I have been required to lecture and lead discussions; however, the
workshop model will allow my students to engage in small group reading related activities, as
well as individual activities related to their reading.
The reading centers will not be introduced to our students for a few weeks, but the
materials are slowly trickling into our classrooms. Unfortunately, the vast majority of new
educational programs introduced into our classrooms do not live up to their hype. Moreover,
many of them are counterintuitive to a quality education, so it comes as no surprise that I
approached the boxes with skepticism. The first student reader I selected from the box was The
Great Pumpkin-Growing Contest. As I flipped through the pages of the book the illustrations
immediately caught my attention. It was refreshing to finally view literature with enhanced
illustrations. As mentioned by Serafini (2001) The quality of the illustrations in contemporary
picture books is outstanding. Due to advances in technology, computer graphics, and the
printing process, illustrations are more complex and engaging than ever before (p. 60). Many
reading programs are guilty of not updating the graphics in their literature, yet claiming they

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are new editions with many improvements. If illustrations and text fail to blend together,
English language learners will have a difficult time making sense of the story. After delving into
the pages of The Great Pumpkin-Growing Contest, I felt my enthusiasm growing. For the first
time, I grew optimistic about introducing this material to my students.
Creating an Environment
Prior to implementing the reading workshop and the literacy center into my classroom, I
first need to create an environment which will focus on reading and reading related activities.
In previous years, I have been asked to teach from scripted literacy programs which have left
my personal library of childrens books covered in dust. I agree with Serafini (2001) when he
indicates that classrooms are coming to resemble assembly lines, where children move along a
conveyor belt while the teacher drops information into them in thirty or forty minute
blocks(p.18). I have begun the restructuring process by creating a reading area with a bookstore
feel. I have added comfortable chairs, pillows, soft rugs, stuffed animals, and wall decor with
hopes that my library will become their favorite place to visit in my classroom. According to
Roskos & Neuman (2011) around the world, a literacy priority is the well-stocked learning
environment that offers opportunities for plenty of literacy interactions with print and books.
And for good reason: research shows the powerful influences of the print environment on
reading activity and learning to read (p.111). I have also created an area where we can meet to
listen to stories and engage in whole group discussion. A kidney table has also been added for
small group instruction. Serafini (2001) felt that classrooms should not look like a place that
only exists in schools. The room should remind children of home and other places outside of

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school (p.25). Now for the first time I have been given the opportunity to create a classroom
environment I am proud to share with my students.
Changing Roles
The reading workshop will also require me to change my role as a lecturer to a
classroom facilitator. According to Muschla (1997) since the reading workshop is nontraditional
in its structure, the students and I will assume new roles. I will no longer just be a supplier of
information, who lectures, leads discussions, and assigns handouts; instead, I will be a manager
of learning in my classroom (p.5). The students will now assume more responsibilities as they
engage in small group reading related activities, as well as individual activities related to their
reading while I facilitate my group reading center.
Serfani (2001) said it best no matter how much we as teachers would like to believe
that we can make children read or directly teach children to read, the best we can do is
create an environment that supports childrens development as readers, work with
children to facilitate their understandings and attempts at making meaning from text,
and invite them into the world of reading and literature (p.55).
Instructing from scripted programs in the past often made me feel as if I were teaching from
the modernist perspective. Students simply focused on the text in and of itself, and meaning
was discovered and not constructed. According to Serefani (2006) theorist who align
themselves with a modernist perspective view literature as a vehicle for transmitting important
values from generation to generation (p.12). I never enjoyed this role and always looked
forward to having meaningful discussions with my students in the future. Now with the
opportunity to implement the reading workshop, I can transition to the sociocultural

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perspective. Serafini (2006) suggests from this perspective literature is regarded as space for
constructive critical conversations, where both teacher and students negotiate meanings,
discuss the systems of power inherent in the meanings available, and share experiences of how
these stories relate to their lives and communities (p.13). Teaching to a diverse group of
children, I now have an obligation to share quality literature which they can relate to and will
impact their lives in meaningful ways.
Diversity in the Workshop
Unlike with scripted literacy programs which suppress teacher creativity and fail to
provide for the diverse needs of many classrooms, the reading workshop allows for the teacher
to use literature which students can closely relate to.
Serafini (2006). Too often, our selections privilege children from mainstream
backgrounds and marginalize children from diverse cultures and lower
socioeconomic groups. We need to be vigilant to concepts of diversity and
inclusiveness in our selections of literature and ensure that the texts we provide reflect
our students cultures, experiences, and values as well as those of middle class
America(p.18)
This school year I will challenge myself to provide my students with daily opportunities for
thinking and talking through read alouds and guided reading groups. Issues on tolerance,
bullying, honesty, personal integrity, and civic responsibility present themselves every day in
my classroom and they need to be addressed. I began this school year by reading Have You
Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud to my 1st grade students. The story encourages positive
behavior with the concept of bucket filling and bucket dipping. They learn how their behaviors

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can politely or negatively affect themselves and others. My students will now have the
opportunity to engage in numerous activities related to this text and I will promote kindness,
appreciation, and love throughout the school year. In the past, opportunities to share
literature, which I felt would positively impact my students, were scarce. As Serafini (2006)
stated just because teachers may feel uncomfortable discussing these issues doesnt mean
that they shouldnt be addressed. In the hands of a skill full teacher, literature can be used as a
space to begin conversations that students may never get a chance to participate in otherwise
(p.181). Prior to this school year, I had never been given the opportunity to discuss relevant
social issues prevalent in both my classroom and the students community.
Guided Reading Groups
The next key component of reading workshop is the use of guided reading groups. Small
group reading instruction will allow me to bridge the gap between shared reading with the
whole class and independent reading. As stated earlier the materials for the Flying Start to
Literacy reading center are being supplemented by the Zoom school initiative. According to
Flying Start to Literacy (2013), the program is the perfect supplement to any core reading
program, is ideal for early intervention, and provides effective support for English language
learners. Each lesson plan integrates oral language, comprehension, phonemic awareness,
phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and writing. (Program Overview, 2013). Unlike past reading
programs which have not permitted me any flexibility in selecting the literature, this program
will allow me to pick from a variety of texts which reflect the lives of my students and
appropriately address their academic needs. According to Flying Start to Literacy (2013), the
topics have been carefully planned to reflect students interests in the areas of Science, Social

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Education, Health, and Technology (2013, Program Overview). Students are most involved
when the curriculum applies to more than just the textbook. Not only is it important to meet
with small groups and individual students on a daily basis, but also to make sure the curriculum
is conducive for reinforcing the correct reading strategy. The Zoom literacy framework has
dedicated significant time to the teaching of foundational skills. During small group work I will
also have the ability to focus on phonics and phonemic awareness instruction. According to
Manzo (1997) Barbara R. Foorman, a researcher in educational psychology at the University of
Houston conducted a study on predominantly poor 1st graders, and concluded that direct
phonics instruction should be the first in a sequence of methods used to teach students to read
and that whole language is not always effective in the early stages of reading (Manzo, 1997).
The research was based on the progress of 375 mostly disadvantaged 1st graders in the
211,000 student Houston school district, the sixth-largest in the nation. Now working with
predominantly English language learners, it has also become evident to me that children must
first have phonological, phonemic awareness, and phonics skills before they can successfully
read literature.
Read Aloud
The portion of the reading workshop I am primarily excited about implementing in my
classroom is the read aloud. As a child I never truly enjoyed reading independently, but I always
looked forward to the part of the day when my teacher would share a book with the entire
class. According to Kieff (2012) reading aloud helps young children become readers and older
children become stronger readers, because it provides: an emotional bond between reader and
listeners, a model of reading for pleasure, opportunities to live vicariously in new or different

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situations, an appreciation for literature that is above ones reading level, and exposure to good
literature across a variety of genres (p.28). Along with the reading centers our school has also
been lucky enough to receive additional literature specifically for read alouds. Some of the titles
include Caldecott Medal winners like Kittens First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, The Spider and
the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi, and What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin
Page. These are just a few of the many quality titles I will have the opportunity to share with my
students this year. Serafini (2006) mentioned that unlike Las Vegas, everything that happens
during the read aloud does not stay in the read aloud. What occurs during reading aloud and
discussing literature affects how individuals transact with texts independently and the
expectations and procedures for paired reading and small group literature studies (p.22). Now,
as a teacher, I see the same joy I experienced in my own students. Read alouds will give me the
opportunity to demonstrate oral reading strategies, introduce new genres, authors, illustrators,
and various themes. Serafini (2006) wisely stated if things dont happen during whole group
discussions, why would we expect them to happen when we send students off on their own to
read? (p.22). The school year is young; however, the more my students engage in read alouds
and the ensuing discussions the easier it is for them to participate in small group activities. I
eagerly await witnessing my students growth throughout the school year.
Literacy Assessments
The final components of the literacy workshop are classroom assessments. I cannot
avoid the standardized testing mandated by the state and school district, but I will need to
adopt assessments which better gage student understanding of the texts they read. Some of
the ideas mentioned by Serafini include reading response journals, daily reading logs, and

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reflection logs. I have already begun implementing reading response journals into my classroom
library. They make students more accountable for their reading by having to retell the story
either through an illustration or a few short sentences. I have also provided my students with a
daily reading log. The logs require students to keep track of the books they read by
documenting the title, author, number of pages, and the genre. Next, I will implement
reflection logs. The logs will allow students to reflect on their learning for the week and then
share it with their parents. According to Ankrum (2008) while formal assessments can provide
teachers with a great deal of data, careful notes and records can equally inform teachers'
decisions. Teachers can jot down anecdotal records as they engage in observation or instruction
(p.139. It is imperative that I do not limit my assessment to scantrons. I will need to continue to
find ways to differentiate my assessments throughout the year so I can different my instruction
to meet the needs of my students.
Conclusion
As the administrators at Ira J. Elementary school work diligently to implement the goals
of the Zoom school imitative I will also be busy laying the foundation of the reading
workshop. The reading workshop may only be a framework, but it will provide my students with
the opportunity to bring their reading lives into the classroom and read texts that matter to
them. The reading workshop will give me the opportunity to create an environment in which
students feel comfortable reading and engaging in reading related activities. Most importantly,
I will no longer have to resume my role as a lecturer and I will slowly transition into a classroom
facilitator. As Serafini(2006) stated off all things we can do as human beings, helping children

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develop to their fullest potential has to be one of the most challenging and most
rewarding(p.210).