kindergarten: launching the reading...

Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1

Kindergarten Launching the Reading Workshop

Unit 18/15/2013 Draft

*This unit is presently under Pilot and Review revisions will be made summer 2014. Feedback is expected based on implementation of the unit. Please see the feedback form attachment included in Atlas.*

Last update on 8/15/13 SLH. Copyright © 2010-2014 by the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and Oakland Schools.


Table of Contents

Background SectionAbstract 3Background Information 4

Sample Unit SectionResources and Materials Needed 5Why a script? 6Overview of Sessions – Teaching and Learning Points 7Routines and Rituals 8Read Aloud 10 Lesson Plans 11

Resource Materials SectionSee Separate Packet

Please note: A unit may have additional information under the background section.



Abstract

Unit 1 in Kindergarten is our chance to invite children into the world of reading so, that by the end of September, they see themselves as part of a larger reading community and also see themselves as readers in that community. The hope is that readers will acquire confidence around selecting books, develop a sense of story and meaning through reading pictures across books and gain information as well as find numerous ways to talk and read with other readers in reading partnerships. These are all habits readers share no matter what their age.

This unit will inspire a love for reading while balancing the teaching of reading process work. In this unit and all that follow, teachers will demonstrate that reading is always about thinking about the text while their eyes are busy looking at the text. Over time readers will use pictures and words to read their text page by page to build their reading stamina. In narrative text, readers can become the characters through pictures, which will add engagement and liveliness, but will also set kindergarteners in the shoes of their characters ultimately helping them to think about the meaning making that runs along narrative print. In informational text, readers will learn to acquire as much information as possible about their topics of interest through pictures, photographs and diagrams and in turn teach others all they have learned.

Partnerships will meet the very first day of reading workshop, however these meetings, initially will be randomly selected by readers or the teacher. Possibly, just partnered by who is sitting nearest. Partnerships may feel short lived and casual within the first weeks of Unit 1. However, near the third to fourth week, once we have had the time to get to know our readers a little deeper, partnerships will lift in rigor and importance by having a partnership that lasts across numerous days or weeks. Emphasis will be placed on partnerships by having partners meet after the mini-lesson with independent reading following. Readers will learn strategies for planning, sustaining and utilizing their partnerships. Readers will see that it is essential to share their reading and thinking with others.

The conclusion of Unit 1 is marked by a celebration when students reflect and/or share their work and growth as readers. The purpose is to pull this community of readers together and take stock of all the learning before turning a corner toward Unit 2. Kindergarteners will recognize themselves as people who read, share reading and share their thinking through talk!



Background Section

A teacher can expect that there will be a wide range of behaviors for reading, thinking and talking within the reading workshop. A kindergarten reader may be entering school for the very first time, or may have been in a school-like setting for years. Given the readers who enter your door, it will be important to think about how you want your classroom arranged to help with the routines and procedures outlined in the unit. The belief is that every reader has lived a reading life. For some that reading life is extensive even for a five year old and for others their reading life may be speckled with success with reading environmental print or recognizing a letter. It is important that all readers are invited, given their previous reading life, to join this literate community.

Access to books is going to be critically important. This unit is built with the assumption that readers have access to 5-10 books of varied genre and type (Leveled books, Emergent/Sulzby/STAR Storybooks, Informational, Series, Favorites, Counting books, ABC books, etc.) every day. Quantity really does matter here. The more books we can allow readers to choose during the independent reading time, the longer readers will read. This makes time for conferences, small group work and differentiated reading support.

It is recommended, however, that teachers think about the need for a separate small group time outside of the reading workshop if most readers are working on letter recognition and sound correspondence. Until most readers are reading at levels C+, small group work during Choice Time or Literacy Stations may be needed, outside of reader’s workshop time, to support early literacy skills such as: letter recognition, and sound correspondence.


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Resources and Materials Needed

Teacher Resources:

Teacher’s favorite text: leveled books, classics (nursery rhymes), favorites (Curious George, Make Way for Ducklings, etc.), counting books, ABC books, informational books, etc. in a basket that matches readers tabletop baskets used for demonstrations

Table top baskets that contain: leveled books, classics, favorites, counting, ABC, and informational Leveled library of books A-D initially, access to higher levels should you learn readers are reading at higher reading levels. Emergent/Sulzby story books read aloud four times throughout Unit 1, before Unit 2 Chart paper for anchor charts (See Resource Packet for Examples) Post-it notes/Sticky notes Easel or place to create charts Talk with preschool teachers if possible to select titles utilized from previous school year or survey parents as to favorite books

before school begins. Plan to arrange these titles along with your favorites in mixed bins/baskets on table tops so that readers can select from numerous titles during independent reading. Your hope is that readers will see familiar text or familiar concepts represented in the baskets they will have access to.

Meeting area Teacher created conferring log (See Resource Packet for example.)

Professional Resources:

Calkins, L. (2001). The Art of Teaching Reading. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.Calkins, L. (2011-2012). A Curricular Plan for Reading Workshop, Kindergarten. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Collins, K. (2004). Growing Readers: Units of Study in the Primary Classroom. Portland, MA: StenhouseGoldberg, G. & Serravallo, J. (2007). Conferring with Readers: Supporting Each Student’s Growth & Independence. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Serravallo, J. (2010). Teaching Reading in Small Groups: Differentiated Instruction for Building Strategic, Independent Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

None of the book titles suggested in these lessons are needed if you have titles which match the suggested books’ genre and characteristics. In other words, there are thousands of books that would work during demonstrations and throughout your mini- lesson. The titles in lessons are all suggestions to help you make choices beyond our recommendations.


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Resources and Materials Needed

Why a script?

The following unit has been written in script form to help guide and support teachers in implementing effective reading instruction; routines, procedures, strategies and specific instructional vocabulary. In other words, the script serves as a “reading coach” for teachers. Teachers, whether new to the teaching to reading workshop, or new common core standards, may benefit from having detailed lesson plans. The goal is that in time teachers will no longer need a script per se because they will have had time to study and gain procedural knowledge for many of the common core units of study. Also, many teachers feel a script serves as a guide for guest/substitute teachers or student teachers. Please view these scripts as a framework from which to work – rewrite, revise, and reshape them to fit your teaching style, your students, and your needs.

Additional lesson information: Balanced Literacy Program (BLP) - A Balanced Literacy Program which is necessary to support literacy acquisition includes: reading and writing workshop, word study, read-aloud with accountable talk, small group, shared reading and writing, and interactive writing. Teachers should make every effort to include all components of a balanced literacy program into their language arts block. Reading and Writing workshops are only one part of a balanced literacy program. The MAISA unit framework is based on a workshop approach. Therefore, teachers will also need to include the other components to support student learning.

Mini-lesson- A mini-lesson is a short (5-10 minute) focused lesson where the teacher directly instructs on a skill, strategy or habit students will need to use in independent work. A mini-lesson has a set architecture.

Independent Reading and Conferring - Following the mini-lesson, students will be sent off to read independently. During independent reading time teachers will confer with individuals or small groups of students.

Mid-workshop Teaching Point –The purpose of a mid-workshop teaching point is to speak to the whole class, often halfway into the work time. Teachers may relay an observation from a conference, extend or reinforce the teaching point, highlight a particular example of good work, or steer children around a peer problem. Add or modify mid-workshop teaching points based on students’ needs.

Partnership Work-Partnership work is an essential component of the reading workshop structure. In addition to private reading, partnerships allow time each day for students to read and talk together, as well as provide support for stamina. Each session includes suggestions for possible partnership work. Add or modify based on students’ needs.

Share Component –Each lesson includes a possible share option. Teachers may modify based on students’ needs. Other share options may include: follow-up on a mini-lesson to reinforce and/or clarify the teaching point; problem solve to build community; review to recall prior learning and build repertoire of strategies; preview tomorrow’s mini lesson; or celebrate learning via the work of a few students or partner/whole class share (source: Teachers College Reading and Writing Project).


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Sample Unit Section

Overview of Sessions – Teaching and Learning Points

Alter this unit based on student needs, resources available, and your teaching style. Add and subtract according to what works for you and your students.

Concept I: Readers build useful habits for a lifetime of reading.Session 1 Readers choose books they want to read and share those books with others.Session 2 Readers use their imagination to build adventures from the books they are reading, turning every page and looking

at the pictures as they read.Session 3 Readers care for books by picking them up by the spine and selecting them and putting away carefully. Session 4 Readers change their voice volume to fit their reading job.Session 5 Readers read every day and know ways to read for longer and longer stretches of time.Session 6 Readers make a plan for books to read based on what they feel like reading and learning about.

Concept II: Readers use pictures and words to read their booksSession 7 Readers use pictures and think about what they already know to read and talk about informational text.Session 8 Readers read words they know by looking, pointing and saying one word at a time.Session 9 Readers read the words they know and have ways of sharing their word knowledge with partners.Session 10 Readers pretend to be the characters in their books by studying the pictures and acting out the character.Session 11 Readers act out and use gestures to teach the information they’ve learned in informational reading.Session 12 Readers read informational text by sounding like a teacher or expertSession 13 Readers read and sound like a grown-up when reading a book they know well.Session 14 Readers read text by connecting what is repeated in pictures and words and by using the word THEN...

Concept III: Readers share their reading and thinking with others.Session 15 Readers make plans for their time together by taking turns talking and reading..Session 16 Readers make plans for their time together by choosing what to talk about; acting out characters or teaching

informational textSession 17 Readers use familiar parts and words they know to help other readers read onSession 18 Readers show interest in what others are saying by looking at the person and saying something backSession 19 Readers celebrate their reading success by sharing it with others



Routines and Rituals: Building a Community of Independent Readers

Reading workshops are structured in predictable, consistent ways so that the infrastructure of any one workshop is almost the same throughout the year and throughout a child’s elementary school experience (Calkins, 2005). One means of developing a community of independent readers is to implement routines and rituals that are consistent within and across grade levels. A few lessons in each launching unit are devoted to the management of a reading classroom. However, depending on student need and experience, additional lessons on management may be needed. Also, it is assumed that many of these routines and rituals go across curricular areas so they will be addressed and taught throughout the school day and not just in reading workshop. This shift in focus allows more mini lessons to be devoted to supporting students in cycling through the reading process and acquiring a toolbox of reading strategies.

The following are a collection of routines and rituals teachers may want to review. Select based on students’ needs.

Routines Opening Routine Mini-Lessons Sending children off to work Independent work time Closing Routine or Share Partnerships

Opening Routine – Beginning Each Day’s Reading Instruction Meeting area/ Room arrangement Signal for students to meet for reading workshop What to bring to meeting area Partnerships at meeting area

Mini-lessons – The Fuel for Continued Growth Student expectations as they participate in a mini lesson Partnership guidelines How students sit during a mini-lesson and share

Sending Children Off to Work – Transition from Mini-lesson to Work Time Expectation to “go off” and get started working Dismissal options



Routines and Rituals: Building a Community of Independent Readers, Continued

Independent work time – Students working on their own Assigned reading spots Getting started Students work initially without teacher guidance and/or conference Nature of Children’s Work – Reading focus Role of Mini-lesson Conversations in Reading Workshop: productive talk, silent reading time & whole-class intervals for partnership talks Signal for noise volume Mid-Workshop Teaching Point Flexible reading groups (strategy or guided reading) Teacher conferences Productivity – early in the year, later in the year (expectations) What to do if you need assistance – Example: “Three before me” (Students must ask three students before asking the

teacher.)

Closing Routine – Managing the Share Session Signal to meet Share session at meeting Area Celebration of Growth

Partnership Routine – Being an Effective Partner It is recommended that several mid-workshop teaching points focus on teaching students how to build effectivepartnerships.

Turning and Talking – discussing something with a partner per teacher’s guidance Who goes first? Compliments can be helpful when they are specific Constructive suggestions – people can be sensitive about their work, so it’s best to ask questions or give suggestions in

a gentle way One helpful way to listen (or read) a partner’s work is to see if everything is clear and makes sense How partners can help us when we are stuck Effective questions to ask partners If your partner has a suggestion, it may be worth trying (value the input/role of partnerships) Appropriate times to meet with your partner, where to meet with your partner, why to meet with your partner



Read Aloud with Accountable Talk

Read-aloud with accountable talk is a critical component of a balanced literacy program. The purpose of read-aloud with accountable talk is to model the work that readers do to comprehend books and to nurture ideas and theories about stories, characters and text. During this interactive demonstration, the teacher has purposely selected text and flagged pages with the intention to teach a specific skill or strategy. The teacher is reading so children can concentrate on using strategies for comprehension and having accountable conversation about the text. Students are asked to engage with the text by responding to one another or through jotting notes about their thinking. The teacher scaffolds children with the kinds of conversation they are expected to have with their partner during independent reading. This demonstration foreshadows the reading work that will be done in future mini-lessons and units of study.

Since read-aloud is done outside of Readers Workshop the following planning continuum provides teachers with a map of possible foci within the read -aloud. This planning continuum aims to support teachers with upcoming strategies that will be taught in mini-

lessons and future units of study.

Read Aloud with Accountable Talk Planning Continuum

September October November

Unit of Study Launching the Reading Workshop Emergent Story Book Readers Use Strategies to Read

Read Aloud Books

Utilize narrative andinformational textequally making sure emergent story books are read 4 times per title

Utilize emergent/Sulzby story books initially, use narrative and informational text the last weeks, as well as leveled readers, which include pattern books

Utilize informational text and narrative, as well as leveled readers, which include pattern books

Read AloudFocus

● Readers love to read and reread their favorite books (Sulzby/Emergent Story books)

● Readers use the pictures to read stories in their own way, using a storyteller's voice

● Readers read informational text using a teaching voice

● Readers pay attention to details in pictures to help think about the text

● Readers read informational text and find gestures to help teach what was learned

● Readers act out characters feelings, actions, dialogue

● Readers read using their best storytelling voice

● Readers voices match the characters feelings, actions and dialogue

● Readers find their way in stories by remember what happens next

● Readers act out scenes from their favorite stories

● Readers faces show reactions to learning new information

● Readers talk with other readers about the books they are reading

● Readers remember the way a book goes

● Readers notice and talk about story elements

● Readers retell across their fingers

● Readers tell other readers what they are learning from informational text

● Readers notice patterns in books

● Readers use the patterns in books to read the next page and the next page


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Lesson Plan

Session 1

Concept I Readers build useful habits for a lifetime of reading.

Teaching Point Readers choose books they want to read and share those books with others.

Materials

Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational books in a basket that matches readers tabletop baskets

Create Anchor Chart with catchy title: “We are Readers” - Add teaching points and icons to help remind readers of the teaching. Not all teaching points need to be added. See examples of charts in Resource Packet

● Table top baskets that contain: leveled books, classics, favorites, counting, ABC, and informational

● Copy of teacher created conferring log

Tips ● Talk with preschool teachers if possible to select titles utilized from previous school year or survey parents as to favorite books before school begins. Plan to arrange these titles along with your favorites in mixed bins/baskets on table tops so that readers can select from numerous titles during independent reading. Your hope is that readers will see familiar text or familiar concepts represented in the baskets they will have access to.

● More baskets and books makes for easier management and selection● Teacher could quantify how many books readers choose to get started ie “Select 3 books and place them on

your table”● Prewrite anchor chart title “We are Readers” (or your own title) and teaching point on large post-it or paper

to add to anchor chart daily● Plan to send letter home inviting parents to end of unit celebration if you are inclined to do so. See Session 19● Expect that independent reading time, at this time, will only last 3-5 minutes based on the stamina of your

students. ● Partnership time will also be very brief during this initial unit.

Connection Readers, we are just getting to know each other and I am so excited to be meeting for our first day of reader’s workshop! Being a reader, means that you have so many choices to make about the kinds of books or text you’ll read, for the rest of your life. It reminds me of how my family and I love to go out for dinner. There are so many choices for restaurants! Some days we feel like eating at our favorite place, where everyone already knows what to order before we even arrive. Some days we feel like trying something new; we might try a new pizza place or new steakhouse and we really don’t know what we’ll find before we open the door. We have all these choices. So as a family, we stop and think (tap head, looking up )”What do we feel like eating?”

Choosing books is like that. Readers have all these choices (gesture to your favorites in basket or hold up thinking aloud and taping your head) to make about which books they would like to read. Some days, readers feel like reading their favorite, familiar stories...the ones they’ve read many times. But on other days, readers feel like trying something new, maybe a text they have never read before. When readers make choices for their reading after some thinking about what they feel like reading, they will likely enjoy themselves as they read.

Today I want to show you how readers make choices for the books they want to read so that you, too, can enjoy the books you choose to read.

Teach Watch me as I show you how I make choices for the books I want to read. I’m going to show you what it looks



like to be a reader making choices. Wow! There are a lot of book choices in this basket, I see a book about snakes, another about kites...oh I see

my favorite book from when I was little, The Little Red Hen. (Pause, Tap head to show thinking) Hum, what do I feel like reading? I think I will start with The Little Red Hen, I know that story so well, it was read to me many times. When I’m finished reading The Little Red Hen, though, I really want to go back to read the book about Kites. I love flying kites!

Readers, did you see how I was thinking about the books in the basket and I was thinking about what I felt like reading. I was so happy to see a favorite book I knew but I was also happy to read something else that was new to me about kites. Just like choosing restaurants, readers think about what they want to read or feel like reading and make choices for their reading.

Active Engagement

Now I’d like you to practice thinking about what you’d like to read and make a choice based on the books I’m going to show you. You are going to have to think, just as I did, you might even tap your head to show me that you are thinking about the choices you have. (Teacher holds up several pre-selected books and begins placing them on the easel ledge.)

Think to yourself, do I want to read a book I see that is a favorite? Think, do I want to read a book where I will learn something new? Think, do I want to read this book I’ve never seen before? Tap your head as you are thinking and when you’ve made a choice, just point to the book you’d like to read

first, if these were the books in your basket. (Pause and wait for readers to think, tap heads and finally point at the display of a few mixed genre text that would interest your students are lined up on your easel, lap or ledge). I see Ellie pointing to the fairy tale Snow White, I see Evan pointing to the book about dirt bikes, many of you were pointing to the book about puppies.

Did you see how you stopped and thought, tapping your head. You were thinking about what you’d like to read. Readers do that all the time. They think about what they feel like reading before they choose a book. You are going to do this work on your own today during independent reading.

Link Today, I showed you what it looks like to be a reader making choices for what you would like to read. You watched me and then you tried it. You all thought (tapping head) about your choices and then pointed to the book you felt like reading.

Back at your seats, you have baskets filled with all kinds of books. You will need to be polite and take turns as you and your reading friends think about what you would like to read. When you have made a choice about a book you’d like to read. Pull it out of the basket, set it flat on your desk and begin to turn the pages. When you are finished reading your first book put it carefully back in the crate, and you can make another choice.

I’ll be watching and taking notes (show conference records) as you work on your own to make choices. I’ll watch for readers who stay at their table, near their basket, think, and choose a book and begin to read it. I may even stop to talk to you about why you chose the book you are reading. Is it a favorite? A new one? Are you excited for what it is about? I am so interested in seeing the choices you make and learning about you as a reader!

Mid-Workshop Teaching Point

Readers please look this way, I was just talking with Ethan, and he shared that he thought about reading a book he knew, it was The Three Little Pigs, but instead he chose to read this book on monster trucks because he had never read this book. He might want to read The Three Little Pigs, after he finishes this book on monster trucks. He will just carefully put the monster truck book back in its crate and pull his second choice. As a reader, he is thinking about what he would like to read and making choices for what he will read first, and second and next. You will forever have choices to make about your reading. Readers choose books they want to read every day.

Partnerships You may need to pull students back to meeting space. Have them bring a book to share. Readers, every day in reading workshop we will talk with other readers about the reading we are doing and

the reading work we are trying, for today, will you just share with the person sitting close to you, one book you chose to read and tell them why you decided to read it. Why did you feel like reading that book? Tell your neighbor and show them the book.



You probably read more than just one book...but tell your partner about one of the books you read, you might say “I read this book because I love Cinderella” or “I read this book because my favorite thing to do is swim and this is book all about swimming”.

Readers share the books they choose and why they choose them...will you try this now, talk with your partner about your book. I will come and listen in.

After the Workshop Share

Readers, today you made all kinds of choices for your reading time. I saw Joe reading a book about race cars but then he chose a Curious George book. And I saw, Anna reading Cinderella but I also saw her reading a book about horses. They were making choices for their reading time and reading books they wanted to read. I wrote that down (holding up conference notes) because as you were making choices, I was learning about you as readers.

An important thing to remember about this work is that you might not have gotten the time today to read every book you wanted. Will told me that he didn’t get to read the Lego book that Brayton was reading. That is going to happen. You might have to wait until the next day or even the next, because there are a lot of readers here, wanting to read our books.

You might have to be patient and wait for that favorite book or new book to become available from another reader...that happens to readers all the time.



Session 2


Teaching Point Readers use their imagination to build adventures from the books they are reading, turning every page and looking at the pictures as they read.

Materials

● Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational books in a basket that matches readers tabletop baskets

● Unfamiliar big book or picture book (Rain Talk by Mary Serozo)

● We are Readers- Anchor Chart

● Table top baskets

Tips ● Lessons can always be rearranged based on observations from previous lessons. Management lessons could be more of a priority than this lesson’s teaching point. Management lessons should be woven with reading habits that build process; alternating focus across the unit is helpful. Management lessons can be easily woven into the mid-workshop teaching point, conferences, strategy groups or share time.

● This lesson should not be the first time your students are turning and talking to each other.

Connection Readers, when I was a little girl, my dad built a treehouse for me and my sister in a backyard tree. We loved to climb up that tree and sit in this little wood house above the grass and shrubs. We would pretend to be mommy’s living in a house taking care of our babies. Or sometimes we would pretend that we were lost in a forest and running from the yard monsters (which were actually big daddy-long-leg spiders) who were living in our tree. Our treehouse helped us imagine or pretend big adventures. We really weren’t mommies and there really weren’t yard monsters. We made it up using our imaginations and the treehouse, our dolls and the living creatures we saw. You can do this as a reader with the books you read, too.

Yesterday you chose books you wanted to read and I noticed that some readers would turn pages quickly, barely looking at the pictures and text. Readers were skipping pages or just looking at the cover and putting the book back without actually taking the time to read it in a way that built the story (This could be dramatized). But, readers can use their imaginations to build adventures in the books they are reading if they read carefully, starting with the cover turning every page as they look at the pictures.

Teach Readers, I want you to watch me as I show you how I choose my book and then use my imagination to build an adventure in a book I have never read by using the pictures and turning every page carefully looking at the picture.

Watch and listen as I tell you my adventure because you are going to try this, too. (Use a big book or text that would be unfamiliar to readers)

Oh, I want to read this book. I have never read it. Ok, I need to use my imagination to build an adventure...let me think...looking at the cover I see a girl and rain and a dog and she’s holding an umbrella...so it is rain... (turn cover and each title page) Let me see, there is a girl looking up at rain falling...she has an umbrella on her arm...Ok here is my adventure...Jenny looked up and saw that it was raining (turn page, pause a bit and talk about picture but make the story creation look appear thoughtful but simple) She was on a walk with her dog Gus when it started to rain. She thought about opening her umbrella, but it was a warm day and she liked the cool drops of water on her skin...

Readers, do you see how I am using the pictures to make an adventure in my mind. I’m looking at the pictures



and thinking about what is happening and I’m using my imagination turning every page as I read. If I were to read the words here at the bottom, my adventure may not match exactly, but as we are learning to become stronger readers, we can choose new books and read them by using our imagination; first looking at the cover and turning every page, thinking carefully about what would make sense from the picture.

Active Engagement

Now it is your turn to try this work. I am going to turn the next page of this story and I want you to think about the next part of this adventure. When you have an idea for what is happening in this adventure, show me a thumbs up (Give thinking time, wait for most thumbs to go up).

Now readers, I’d like you to turn and tell the person sitting next to you that adventure idea was. (Teacher is up off of teacher chair and listening into readers’ conversation).

Readers, I heard so many imaginations working. I heard Derek say that Jenny walked through her backyard getting very wet and I heard Logan’s imagination when she said that Jenny’s dog was thirsty and stopped to get a drink from the raindrops. You were making up an adventure using the pictures and reading a book you had never read. Didn’t it sound like a real story? We were readers, using our imagination, turning every page carefully, looking at the pictures to make an adventure.

Link You can do this! You can look through your basket of books, choose a new book, and think to yourself, “what adventure do I see or imagine from these pictures?” You might choose a book and realize you know the words on the page and you may decide to just read the words in the book. But there will be books that are new to you or just a little familiar so I want you to try this work when you find that you have chosen that kind of book.

Remember to turn every page carefully...from the front all the way to the very last page. This is what readers do.

As you are reading, I will be watching for readers who are doing this work. You’ll see me taking a few notes about what I see and hear and I’m hoping I will hear quiet voices imagining adventures to themselves from their pictures.


Readers, I have heard so many of you using your imagination and you are building adventures by looking carefully at the pictures, turning every page. If you haven’t tried this yet, please do so quickly, because we will be meeting with other readers to talk about the books we chose and how we were able to build an adventure from the pictures.

Partnerships Readers, today with your neighbor, will you each share the book you read using your imagination. Tell your partner which book it was and tell them a little about the adventure you created from the pictures as you turn every page.

I’m watching to see how you take turns sharing one book and then the other person’s book. It’s important that both partners get to share their work during this time.

Readers, before we come to the meeting area to wrap-up our workshop I want to share with you a couple of ways I noticed partners working well together. I noticed Christopher and Jenny were seating close together with Jenny’s book in the middle. I also noticed Christopher listened quietly while Jenny was talking and was not looking at his own book. We will continue to work just like Christopher and Jenny did throughout this unit.

After the Workshop Share

Readers will please bring your book and sit next to the person you were just talking with during partnerships. Today you watched me use my imagination to read this book (hold up demonstration text), making up my very

own adventure using the pictures, just like I use to use my imagination with my sister in our tree house. I then watched all of you and I listened as you, too, used your imagination to build adventures. I’m going to add to our chart “We are Readers”.

We’ll add “Readers use their imagination to build adventures” I already wrote this on my big pink post-it note and sketched a little person thinking up the adventure and turning every page to remind us that we must do this work on every page as we read.



Session 3


Teaching Point Readers care for books by picking them up by the spine and selecting them and putting away carefully.

Materials

● Basket of books mixed genre that looks like the ones readers are selecting from; well organized

● Basket of books mixed genre that looks like the ones readers are selecting from except it is a mess (books hanging out, upside down, turned backwards, piled etc.) Make sure it is a basket you made up and not one from the students’ tables. (Intentionally: no hurt feelings here) Hidden from class

● Book with torn page or cover

● Empty crate● Chart “We are Readers” add, “Readers Care for Books”● Basket labeled “Book Hospital” with hospital icon

Tips ● This is a management lesson. Many may be needed or few depending on your group. Either way they can and should be woven into all the instructional structures of your workshop teaching (ie: Share Time or Mid-Workshop). Some classrooms will need more lessons specifically teaching routines and procedures, while others will need less. Watch your class for signs that routines and procedures need to be taught. Small group and individual instruction on routines and procedures is always an option if the majority of the class does not need the lessons. There is no need to wait to meet with individuals or small groups. For example, if you notice a few children do not understand the front and back of the book after this lesson, pull them for a strategy lesson to teach how we identify these concepts of print, tomorrow. Management teaching- points can be moved into a conference, strategy group, or mini-lesson based on your students’ needs If only a few readers need the skill the teaching does not belong in the mini-lesson time slot.

Connection Readers, I was so excited to share our second day of Reading Workshop with you yesterday. I wrote down lots of information about you as readers. I learned so much about what you like to read and wanted to read. I was even asking readers what other kinds of books they’d like to see in our classroom, as I conferenced I made a little list so I could be on the lookout for those books to add to our classroom book baskets. Our classroom book baskets are really important to the work we do in reading workshop. They hold the books and text we will select each and every day. And, if I am really honest, I have to tell you (voice lowers, serious) I was a little sad yesterday after I looked at our book baskets and saw a basket that looked like THIS (hold up messed up basket) after independent reading time. (Look shocked, gasp) You see, readers who care about reading, also care for the books and baskets and all the tools we’ll use in the Reading Workshop.

Today I want to teach you how readers show they care about their reading by taking care of the books they use during our reading workshop. You know how your family takes such good care of you...that is because they love you. We will show we love our reading time and our books when we take care of them. You can see I added “Readers Care for Books” on our “We are Readers Chart”. See the little person hugging a book...I drew that to remind us.

Teach So (pulling out hidden messy basket) we can all see this really messy basket of books. it looks like no one cares about these books. They are upside down, they are hanging out of the basket...they might fall to the floor! These books are piled...oh I hope that one on the bottom isn’t torn or squished...it will need our book



hospital (very mournful), but if readers take special care of the books in our classroom, hardly any books will have to visit the hospital.

Let’s look at a crate of books that really shows that the readers care about their books. Look at this crate. The books are all standing on their bottom edge, they are facing out so readers can see them, all the spines of the books (hold up show spine) are on the same side...none are falling out or piled high. This crate really looks like the readers were taking care of the books during their reading and talk times.

Active Engagement

Now readers, I’d like you to pay special attention to me. Watch me closely as I care for my books. I have an empty crate and a pile of books I read that need to be put away. I want you to watch as I put each book away.

If I put it away like I care about the book I want you to hug yourself, because we know hugs show we care. You will hug yourself silently like this (show gesture).

If I put a book away and I forgot to care for it, then I’d like you show me silently that you are shocked and disgusted. It might look like this (demonstrate silent shock and disgust body language and facial expression)

Ready. Show me care (model with: hug) show me shock and disgust (model with shock or disgust) Proceed to place one book at a time in your empty basket, varying the correct and incorrect way to handle

and put away books. Watch for readers gestures. When they show shock and disgust, change your book so it is correctly placed.

Link Readers, thank you for helping me put away all my books with care. Look how nice these books look when I thought about the fact that I was a reader who was going to love reading and show that I loved it by caring about my books. We also need to demonstrate the same care when we select a book (demonstrate holding the book carefully by the spine and moving books carefully to make a selection). I will be watching today for readers who know this.


Readers, stop. Quickly! I want you to watch Anne as she selects her books. Think about what she is showing us. She is slowly pulling the books out of the basket, she has two hands on that book...it’s certainly not going to fall to the floor. I see she placed it carefully down on her table. Did you see that? Anne is the kind of reader who cares about books!

Partnerships Readers, yesterday you shared a book you had read with a partner. Today, I’d like you to watch Justin put these books away. Once he has them all put away, I’d like you to talk with a partner about what you saw that shows that Justin is the kind of reader who cares about books. Watch. Now talk.

After-the-Workshop Share

Readers, when we started our workshop this morning, you giggled a bit when I said the book had to go to the “Book Hospital”. And that is a funny thought, isn’t it. A book at the hospital, but our classroom really does have a “Book Hospital”. (Hold up crate with label) Sometimes, accidents happen, even though you are trying your best to take special care of our books. Pages might tear or you might find a really old book whose cover is detaching. If you find books in our classroom that need extra care like tape or staples, you do not have to tell me, You can care for that book yourself by sending it to the “Book Hospital” to get better.

When I have a little extra time or a parent helper comes in, I will make sure those books are taken care of and returned to their life in our classroom library. You can also help remind each other that we care for books in this classroom because we love to read. You might say politely, “Remember we love to read, so please take care of that book”. It is really important that we care for each and every book as best we can so that we have lots of books to read across our year together.



Session 4


Teaching Point Readers change their voice volume to fit their reading job.

Materials

● Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational books in a basket that matches readers tabletop baskets

● Specific book chosen for demonstration● We are Readers- Anchor Chart● Chart of Workshop Structure with Icons- Teacher creates

prior to session

● Table top baskets● Shared reading poem or song or rhyme (something well

known by readers based on it read aloud or used during shared reading) this lesson uses The Happy Birthday Song on chart paper.

Tips ● Kindergarten readers will more naturally read out loud whether conventionally reading or reading pictures. It is the teacher's job to help keep the noise of reading at a volume that allows for each reader to hear themselves and also hear the teacher during conferences and small group work.

● Some teachers assign a number to the approved volume level (0: No voice, 1: Whisper, 2: Soft partner hears 3: Group work 4: Emergency or Outside Voice) Charts and demonstrations support the follow through.

● Readers conventionally reading beyond a level D, may receive conference or small group teaching that nudges the reader to silent or the “in my head” reading that older readers utilize. This small, but sometimes, challenging next step ultimately helps with fluency and comprehension

Connection We have had a busy week of reading workshop. And by now, you have probably noticed that every day we come together for reading workshop like we are now, for our mini-lesson. I do almost all the talking and you are quiet and listeners. Your job is to be a watcher and listener and so you do not use your voice unless I ask you to (point to workshop structure chart). This helps you know what to do during independent reading. (point to workshop structure chart) During independent reading voices can be heard and during partnerships, voices can be heard (point to chart). But when we are back together for our (point to chart) Teaching Share, it is really quiet again and I am doing most of the talking and you are listening. Although, sometimes I ask you to talk quietly to a partner. Doesn’t this sound like our Reading Workshop? As a reader, you must know what kind of voice to use depending on what kind of work you are doing.

Today I want to teach you that readers think about their voice volume or how soft or how loud their voice should be based on what they are working on as a reader. You match your voice to the reading job. This helps every reader in our classroom by creating a room where people can read and think and talk, when we have chosen the most appropriate voice.

Teach As reader we have been making up adventures based on the stories you were reading. There were times when I had to stop the class and remind you to use a whisper voice. When readers are reading to themselves they usually choose no voice or a “whisper voice” to do their reading work.

Watch me as I read with no voice... (Demonstrate) did you see I was thinking about and reading this page, but you couldn’t hear me. You might see older readers read this way. I was actually thinking and reading in my head! Now watch as I read with a “whisper voice”, (demonstrate with same page using pictures to read as taught previously). Did you notice that you could barely hear me? In fact, maybe if you were off to the side or near the back, you didn’t hear me.

Let’s pretend now, that I need to talk with my partner during partnership time. Joe will you come stand beside



me? (Demonstrate having a partnership conversation with Joe, with a little louder voice) Listen and watch me as I talk to Joe. Think about what is happening to my voice volume. Is it softer or louder than my independent reading voice? (no hand raising, just answer this) It’s louder isn’t it?

Did you notice my voice was loud enough for Joe to hear, but not loud enough to hear across the room? Readers must think about the job they have as a reader and pick the right volume for their voice. Your voice maybe in your head, whisper, or a little louder for your partnership.

Active Engagement

Now is your turn to try this. We will play a little game. I will name a time during our reading workshop and you show me the kind of voice volume you should have as you share in the reading on my chart. I have this shared text, that you all know, remember, it’s The Happy Birthday song. You will think about the work within our reading workshop and begin to read The Happy Birthday Song, either in your head, in a whisper voice or in a soft partner voice.

So, if I say “independent reading time” you will sound like... (Let students begin to read. You may have to voice along with readers until they get the flow of the game).

If I point and say “Partnership Time” your voice sounds like...I hear you changing your voice with Happy Birthday.

You were so quiet; I could barely hear you when it was independent reading and then when I switched it to Partnership Time you read a little louder.

Link As readers, working all together, we need to think about the best volume for our voice depending on the work or the job we are doing. I may stop and remind us today about our voice volume. It will be so helpful to everyone if you are using the correct volume for the work we are doing during our workshop time.

If you think other readers need a quieter volume, you might just put your finger to your lips like this (demonstrate). If your partner needs to speak up a bit during partnership time, you might just say, “I can’t hear you, could you speak up a little and say that again?” That way you can help all of us have a classroom that knows the way it should sound during our work time.


This classroom sounds amazingly smart. It is obvious that you were really listening and thinking about how you could change the volume of your voice to help everyone create a reading classroom where everyone can work their best. If I have talked to you about reading in a whisper voice I have noted that on my clipboard notes and I’ll be watching to see that you use that whisper voice for the rest of our reading minuets.

Partnerships Oh, readers stop reading for a moment and look this way. I am so excited. Here is our chance to show that we know how to make our voice a difference volume...because now it is partnership time.

Choose the last book you were reading, probably the one in your hands and tell your partner about the adventure you were reading or what reading you did inside that book.

Remember, we are practicing talking to our partner in a quiet voice only they can hear. Other partnerships should not hear your voice or barely. Let’s talk with partners quietly. And if you need your partner to speak up...please let them know that.


Readers, something I think I didn’t think about until now, was the voice volume we are using when we move around during reading workshop. You did a really thoughtful job of keeping our classroom quietly working during independent reading and partnerships. But when I asked you to move into partnerships and move to share and even earlier when I asked you to move to the mini-lesson carpet. Our voices were much too loud. Most of the time, we probably don’t even need a voice to come to our meeting area. We might need a small quiet voice once in a while to say excuse me or I’m sorry if we bump into someone.

Let’s try moving again with a quiet voice only if we need it or no voice. Let’s pretend its independent reading and you are leaving the carpet...go ahead...just show me how you would move to your space.

WOW! That was just about silent. OK now show me how you would move to your partner. So impressed. You just moved toward your partner without talking.

And now let’s try coming back to our meeting area for share time. Did you see how different that was? Moving inside our reading workshop so softly.

Now that I know you understand the importance of reading, talking and moving while thinking of your voice



volume I’m going to add this strategy to our “We are Readers” chart. This post-it says “Readers change their voice volume by paying attention to what reading job they are working on”. And do you see how I made three little faces with a mouth closed; a little open and little more open...you can also tell which face it is because I made the speech bubble letters really small for whispering and a little bigger if it was a louder voice.


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Lesson Plans

Session 5


Teaching Point Readers read every day and know ways to read for longer and longer stretches of time.

Materials

● Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational books in a basket that matches the kinds of text in readers tabletop baskets

● Timer● We are Readers- Anchor Chart

● Table top baskets Growing Reading Minutes- Anchor chart [See Resource Materials Packet]

Tips ● Sit in student seat at student desk for demonstration● By the end of unit 2 the hope is that independent reading time is focused for 30 minutes ● Charting/graphing/tallying minutes read daily will help increase class stamina● Alternate lesson or in addition: visit an upper grade reading workshop to research what independent reading

time looks like for the demonstration. Active engagement would have partners talking about what they saw and heard. The teacher could then lift the positive behaviors that exemplify stamina. Readers practice those behaviors on their own for independent reading.

Connection Readers, yesterday I was watching and listening to you read. As we started our reading, the room was working with a little quiet hum of voices reading to themselves, readers were imagining stories and reading those stories to themselves. Readers had their bodies in their chairs and their heads were facing their books and pages. I was really excited to see that you knew what reading looked like at those beginning minutes of our reading time. But as time passed, I saw readers getting up to talk with other readers (sounding shocked), I saw readers talking to their neighbors sometimes about their books, but sometimes they were talking about something else (shocked).

As readers, we will be reading every day for long stretches of time. As readers, we need to know how readers do just that...read for long stretches of time. When we are able to read for long stretches of time, we build our thinking and reading muscles and are able to read more and more each and every day.

Teach Readers, I want to show you what reading looks like for some readers when they are pushing themselves to read for long stretches of time. I’ve chosen my book and I’ll seat myself in my chair and then I will begin to read. (Begin reading, as you read stretch, turn in your chair, change body position while continuing to read, stop reading and flip your book over get the hair out of your face for a second and then go right back to reading... eyes might start looking around, lift head but then quickly go back to reading you might think aloud about lunch or your dog...then go right back to reading )

As a reader, I need to push my eyes back to my book and begin reading again. I have to turn my mind on to my reading and off to what other people are doing. I might think about lunch but then I have to say “Hey, its reading time... I have to read” It may be hard to stay focused on reading during reading time but it is important to continue reading and choosing books for as long as our reading time allows for.

Did you notice that I stretched and moved a bit but continued reading? Did you notice that I stopped reading for a moment because I wondered what was in my lunch box but I quickly remembered it was reading time? I went right back to reading!



Active Engagement

Readers, now I’m going to pretend to be a reader during our reading time. If you think I’m trying to be the kind of reader who stays focused on my reading for a long time then give me a silent cheer (show arms raised up shaking) but if you think I’m the kind of reader who has forgotten what it looks like to read for long stretches of time then I want you to put your hand on your hip, shake your finger at me and make a frowning face, like this (show shaking finger with frown). I’ll be watching for your hand signals.

Demonstrate a reader who continues to read but makes adjustments as they read and also demonstrate the opposite...a reader who is off task and focused on other things like their buttons, laces, friends, their pencils etc...

Link Readers, you watched as I showed you what a reader can do to read for longer and longer stretches of time. I stretched and moved a bit, but kept reading and choosing books to read.

We are going to start using a timer today and begin keeping track of how many minutes our class can stay focused on our reading. I started the chart at 2 minutes because yesterday our class stayed really quiet and focused on our reading for 2 minutes. I bet we can grow that time longer today seeing that we all know now that it is important to use our reading minutes for reading as much and as long as we can. I will start the timer as soon as you are in your seats for reading and I will give you updates on how many minutes we’ve been able to stay focused. We’ll keep track of our growing minutes on our new chart “Growing Reading Minutes” chart.


Readers, you have been so focused and we have already grown our minutes to 3 minutes today which is an entire minute longer than yesterday. I saw Eli stretching in his chair but he continued to read and I saw Ashley fixing her ponytail, but she never stopped reading as she fixed it...it was really amazing to see these two stay so focused on their reading. Let’s see if we can grow our minutes even longer than 3 minutes and we’ll add that number on our chart at the end of Reading Workshop.

Partnerships Readers, today we tried to push ourselves to read for longer and longer stretches and we did! Will you turn to a reader next to you and share one thing you did that helped you read for a longer amount of time today. Tell what you did and listen for what your partner did. You may even want to share the book that you were reading that helped you stay so focused.


Readers, I’m so glad we are back together at our meeting area so that I can congratulate you on growing your reading minutes as a class of readers. I’ve moved the star to the 6 minute mark on our timeline toward 30 minutes because you read for 6 whole minutes today. I will continue to remind you of the ways we readers stay focused on our reading and I’ll be looking for ways that you stay focused so that I might share your ideas with other readers.

For example, Nick shared with me that he tries to read a story book and then a fact book and then a story book and then a fact book and that helps him stay reading for a long chunk of time. You might want to try Nick’s idea tomorrow.



Session 6

Concept I Readers build useful habits for a lifetime of reading

Teaching Point Readers make a plan for books to read based on what they feel like reading and learning about.

Materials


● Timer● We are Readers- Anchor Chart

● Table top baskets *Baskets should now include enough books for each child to have at least three books.

● Collection of teacher’s books that are personally interesting or about topics the teacher wanted to learn about (3-5 titles)

Tips ● This lesson is a slight review of choosing books but with the layer of choosing multiple texts at once. Allow readers to choose 3- 4 texts if possible.

● An additional layer here, keeping track of what has been read. This lesson is building on the previous lesson with reading longer. The hope is to build a measure of accountability for work completed, much like a reading log does in higher grade levels.

● The lesson on piling books could stand alone with the objective to make a plan for the reading work.

Connection Readers, yesterday we worked really hard to grow our reading minutes. We learned ways to keep ourselves reading longer so that we could build our reading and thinking muscles. Something else that I think will help us grow minutes and reading muscles is the way we choose the books we are going to read. I’ve noticed that some readers just grab a book quickly out of the crate and then quickly turn pages showing very little interest in what they chose. It’s almost like they didn’t even look at the book they were choosing and they certainly didn’t think about it...they just chose it without actually having any interest in it. This shows very little planning.

Readers make plans for their reading time. Readers need to think about what they feel like reading and what they want to read about and then plan to spend their time completing that reading.

Teach Pile of personal books on lap. I have all kinds of books I like to read. Of course, I love to read teacher books. Books that teach me and have

me thinking about teaching children. This book here, The Art of Teaching Reading was one of the books that helped me learn to be a better reading teacher. I wanted to read it. I wanted to know more about teaching children to read. So I choose it to read and I’ve actually read it numerous times over and over because it has so much to teach me.

This book I choose to read because I have always loved the author. John Grisham mostly writes books for adults, but this book came out, Bleachers, and because of its length and title I thought it might also be a book for older students. I was thinking of my son when I bought it and read it, wondering if he might also like John Grisham. I was really interested in reading a new book by an author I knew.

This next book, All the Small Poems and Fourteen More, by Valerie Worth, is a book of poems. I really love reading poetry. It’s short but it makes me really think about what the poet is trying to tell me. Do you see how this pile of books wasn’t just some pile I picked up without thinking...I was thinking a lot when I chose these books. I was thinking about what I liked to read, what I wanted to read and what I wanted to learn about.

Today when you are choosing books from our crates, I want you to think for a moment, “Is this really a book I



want to read?” Also, if I was going to read all of these books during reading time I’d make a plan for my reading time and then really try to complete it.

Active Engagement

To help you start thinking about choosing books you feel like reading. I want you to think about that question for a moment. Close your eyes and think about what kinds of books you’d like to read. Think about what you would like to learn about or what kinds of books you like to read.

Do you have a favorite character like Curious George or Olivia? Do you have a favorite author, Like Dr. Seuss? Do you like books about animals or cars? I hope you are listing in your mind the kinds of books you’d like to read during our independent reading time or even at home.

Now, think about how many of those books you could read during our reading time. Do you think you could read one, two, and maybe three? Turn and tell the person next to you the kinds of books you were thinking of and how many books you think you could read during our reading time.

Link Today when you go back to your reading spot and crate, I want you to select 3 books. Take a moment and think about what looks interesting to you. What looks like the kind of story or topic you’d like to read. Do you want to read something you know and a counting book and a book on snakes? I’ve placed more books in our crates so that everyone can choose 3.(End your link here if you choose to make the piling lesson a separate lesson.)

I’d like you to pile them on your desk (use your pile to demonstrate) Choose the first book, turn every page looking carefully at the pictures and imagining the story as you turn the pages.

When you finish that first book, place it way over to the side of your reading space. That way I will know it’s been read. Then, turn every page in your next book, say, a learning book of information. Use the pictures to think about what he author is trying to teach you. Turn every page. When you are finished, pile it on top of that first book. You know how you can pile legos one on top of the other?

Today you are going to start with a pile of three books. You will turn all of their pages looking carefully at the pictures. You will build a new pile of books that you have finished reading. My hope is that you will see that you have spent all of your time reading the books you chose and you will spend more minutes reading because you chose 3 books you were interested in reading.


Readers, I'd like you to look at Samantha's table top. She has her pile of books “to read” here. She hasn’t read these two yet. And, she has the one book she has read here...way over on the other side of her table. I know this is the book she has read. The books were first on the right side of her and now they are on the left. She is working on her reading and when all her books are over in this pile, she will know she spent her time reading, reading, reading.


Readers, today we grew our reading minutes by 2 more minutes. Making piles of what I need to read and what I have read helped. But what really helped was thinking about books you wanted to read and not just choosing the next book on top. We’ll continue to choose 3 books every day and we may even choose more as time goes on. We’ll continue to make our piles of books to read and books read so we will know how much work we have done.

I will add to our We are Readers chart “Readers think about the books they want to read”. I drew a little person here, thinking about their favorite books and topics.



Session 7

Concept II Readers think about pictures and words to read their books.

Teaching Point Readers use pictures and think about what they already know to read and talk about informational text.

Materials

● Timer: Set it for minutes read and collect data every day● Table top baskets *Make sure you have at least 1-2

informational books for each child in the table basket. ● Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational books in a

basket that matches readers tabletop baskets

● Anchor Chart with catchy title: “We are Readers”● Almost anything informational by Gail Gibbons or Big Book:

Red Eye Tree Frog, Joy Cowley (pg 16--17)

Tips ● Choose an informational text for the demonstration that is “photograph/picture/diagram-rich” and on a topic that you have knowledge and passion for to use as the spring for your connection and demonstration. Your story will change based on your life, this is an example of using storytelling to connect with readers.

● Choose a second informational text for the active engagement that is “photograph/picture/diagram-rich” and on a topic that students will have knowledge and passion to think and talk about.

● Students should have already been exposed to both fiction and non-fiction texts through read aloud with accountable talk.

Connection Readers, last night I picked up a gallon of milk from the farm that is very near my home. It’s a dairy farm, they milk cows and sell milk and butter and ice cream. I think it’s one of the best parts about living in the country. They even have a drive thru window, so I don’t even have to go in. They just pass my groceries out of the barn-shop window. When we were driving away from the farm my son asked, “How do they make all of that milk, mom, they never run out?” I was so glad I remembered that we had the book The Milk Makers by Gail Gibbons at home. It’s an informational book about how cows are milked at a farm and how it winds up in our fridge. When we got home, my son and I were able to use the pictures and what we already knew about our dairy farm to read and understand his question and the information in the book. (hold up book)

This is something new I want to show you today. I want to show you that readers can read informational text by using the pictures and what they might already know to read and talk about the information in a book filled with information. This helps you in so many ways as a reader. It might answer a question you have or maybe teach you something you never knew.

Teach I want you to watch me as I replay the reading and talking my son and I used as we looked at the pictures of The Milk Makers to answer his question. Reading this informational text by using its pictures, we also learned a few things we never had thought about.

Watch me now, as I show you how to read your informational text by using the pictures and talking about what you see and by adding what you already know as you spend time reading the pictures.

Teacher turns every page looking carefully at the pictures commenting briefly about the information across pages “I see a... “and here is a part that tells”, but stops to think and talk aloud when they’ve reach the page(s) that will allow for the best demonstration. Oh here, on page 12 and 13 this was the part that we read and talked about the most. I see here in this picture that the farmer is milking the cow



with his hands. As he tugs down, I see that little arrow there showing that he is tugging down on the...What’s that part of the cow called? Oh I remember -the teat. The large pouch on the cow is called the udder but the little finger shaped parts on the udder are called teats. I remember that from my tour of the farm a few years ago. As he pulls down on the teat the milk fills his bucket, but on the next page I see a machine, not a farmer, milking the cow. It looks like this machine is attached to the cows teats. If I look closely at this zoomed in picture it looks like the machine can attach to all the tats at one time. This is probably a much faster way to milk the cows and I know it’s exactly how they milk the cows at the dairy farm near my house. I remember seeing that on the tour also.

Readers, did you see how I was reading my informational text, using the pictures and these diagrams, while thinking about what I already knew to make sense of the information on the pages? I still turned every page and talked to myself about the information on the page. When I found a part that really interested me, I spent more time thinking and talking to myself trying to really tell what the information was showing me. Now, you will try this work.

Active Engagement I have another informational text here in my basket of books for independent reading. It is called Frogs and it is also by Gail Gibbons. Here on these two pages I am seeing a lot of information. Some things, I already know about frogs as I look at these pictures, but some parts I’m noticing I’ve never thought about.

On your own, look carefully at the pictures. If you were reading this informational text during independent reading, what would you say to yourself? What thinking and talk would do?

Teacher gives thinking time. When you have had time to think about what you would say, wiggle your fingers out in front of you like a

magician. Ok I see you are ready to talk. Turn and talk to the person next to you about what you were thinking and saying to yourself based on the reading work you did.

Teacher is listening into talk moving around group to capture what readers are saying. Readers, I noticed that you were pointing to the pictures and you were looking at them and talking and

then you would look again and again as you talked to your partners. I heard you saying frogs use their long tongue to eat flies and someone else added that frogs don’t only eat flies that they eat other insects. You were reading informational text by using the pictures and diagrams. You were also adding in the parts of information you already knew about frogs, as you made sense of what the author, Gail Gibbons, wanted you to know about frogs.

Link Today during your independent reading I am going to be watching and listening for those readers who stretch their reading muscles to read informational text by using the pictures and diagrams and what they already know.

I’d like you select and read at least one informational text during our reading minutes. Once you’ve read it page by page, save it at the corner of your table so that you can share it with other readers during partnerships. I will know you have done this work when I see an informational book at the corner of your table.


Readers, Jimmy was reading so quietly to himself, with just a little whisper voice...that’s something we all can do, use a little whisper voice, like this (demonstrate reading in a whisper). He was reading his informational book like this (demonstrate). If you have not yet tried reading an informational text by using the pictures and diagrams you still have a few minutes to select one and try it. I know Mary has already read three informational texts and now she is deciding which one she will share partners. This is also something to think about. I’m going to start our timer again and see if we can add minutes to our “Growing Reading Minutes” chart, too.

Partnerships Readers, remember when I showed you during our Share time how Christopher and Jenny were sitting close together with one book in the middle. One book goes first, which means, one partner’s book goes first and one partner’s book goes second. Each will have a turn.

Let me see you try this with the person sitting next to you. I’ll wait while you show me what partners look like when they are sharing talk and reading.



Yes I see this partnership has two informational books to share...one is off to the side...one is in the middle. This partnership is ready to share their reading and talking. See if you can make your partnership look like this one here.

Teacher quickly adjusts partnerships as needed, stating what he/she is seeing, what’s working and coaching if needed to have partners seated and taking turns.

OK. You are ready to share your informational reading and talk. Make sure you read your informational text to your partner, at least the part where you were using the pictures and diagrams to understand the information.


Readers, I can’t wait to tell my teacher friends at lunch today that kindergarten readers were reading their informational text and learning new information but also adding information that they already knew while reading the text. This is such important work. Grown-up readers, like your mommies and daddies and our PRINCIPAL...read a lot of informational text. It will be important to learn many ways to read informational text.

Today you learned one way readers can read informational text by using the pictures and diagrams while talking and thinking about what you see and what you know. You can use this strategy every day, now, when you are reading informational text alongside your storybook reading. I also have to tell you...we can add 2 minutes to your “Growing Reading Minutes” chart!



Session 8


Teaching Point Readers read words they know by looking, pointing and saying one word at a time.

Materials

● Timer: Set it for minutes read and collect data every day● Table top Teacher’s favorite text: story, informational

books in a basket that matches readers tabletop baskets

● We are Readers- Anchor Chart● Simple but strong picture- one-word-match books (word,

alphabet, counting, concept book for demonstration)● Dogs, Gail Gibbons● ABC, Eric Carle

Tips ● Any book meeting the strong picture-one-word match criteria will work.● Lesson is useful for readers who need to master one-to-one match with print but not useful for readers

who have already mastered one-to-one or reading beyond level D. Plan to meet with these readers in strategy groups or conferences to adjust teaching point after the mini-lesson. Adjustments: Readers read their words by pointing under words that are tricky, Readers read words by moving their eyes along the print.

● The lesson connection starts with example and explanation. This instructional strategy could be used as the teaching portion also, if your group is mostly above level D readers.

● This should not be the first time that one-to-one correspondence has been modeled

Connection Readers, today I have a quick tip that is going to help you pay attention to more than just the pictures on your pages. In fact, I noticed many of you using this strategy yesterday as you used your pictures to read and talk about your informational text.

Readers, read words by looking and pointing to one word at a time. I saw Jacob looking and pointing to one word at a time as he read the picture in Gail Gibbons, Dogs book. Here on this page the picture is a diagram of a dog. It is there to teach you the parts of the dog. Jacob knew that and read like this... (demonstrate reading the words while pointing to parts of the diagram) LEG, BACK, EYE, EAR... See how he was looking at the words, pointing to each word and saying one word at a time?

I’m going to show you how you might do this is in your own books when you spend time reading to yourself today.

Teach Here in my crate I see I have Eric Carle’s ABC book. I’m going to read it. I want you to watch me as I look and point and say one letter and one word.

I will say one letter here, because I’m reading an ABC book. Watch. (reading and pointing) A - Ants (Turn page) B - Bird (turn) C-Crocodile.

Are you noticing that I’m looking, pointing and saying one word or letter? When I point to that letter, I say that letter, when I point to that word I say that word. Now, I’m going to turn the page and you will point in the air at the next letter and word. When you point you will look and say that letter. Then you will move your finger in the air, pointing at my book and word say that word. Are you ready? Get your pointer fingers up in the air...

Active Engagement (Turn the page) Teacher can point under D and say D or leave it to the class to point in the air alone.



Allow readers to point and say one letter and one word as you turn a few pages. Replay what you saw them doing that was successful with this strategy.

Readers, I saw you looking, with your eyes, pointing with your finger and saying just one letter or word. There are all kinds of books in your crates that will be great for practicing this strategy. Readers, say the words they know by looking (and thinking) pointing, and saying one word at a time.

Link Readers, you can practice this strategy today and every day when you are reading on your own. I’ll watch for readers who are using their eyes and pointing under one word and saying one word as I confer with you today.


Use this interruption to showcase a reader who has practiced the strategy of looking, pointing and saying one word. Or use this interruption to reteach or reinforce if you see readers are struggling...

Partnerships Today when you are with your partner, you can take turns reading your books by pointing and saying the words as you read.


Readers, I thought we would use our share time today to use our looking, pointing and saying one word to finish reading our Eric Carle ABC book. Get your pointers up in the air, I’m going to turn the page and watch you as you look, point and read or say one word or letter.

Let’s add Readers point and read one word or letter to our We are Readers chart so that we will remember this is what we readers do.



Session 9


Teaching Point Readers read the words they know and have ways of sharing their word knowledge with partners.

Materials


● Timer: Set it for minutes read and collect data every day● We are Readers- Anchor Chart● Post-it notes in all baskets of books or available for all

readers

● Table top baskets Leveled books: A-D with words mom, dad, me, I etc...

● Lesson uses: We Dress Up, Rigby PM Plus Level 1● Environment print as it is seen in the world (Target,

McDonalds, Taco Bell, Kmart, Toys R Us, Google, iPad)● Prepared chart with environmental print used and not used

in mini-lesson and/or additional leveled text with known words.

Tips ● By now, if you have had leveled text mixed into your baskets of books you have located conventional readers if you have many, this lesson will be appropriate. If you have none, you have to consider, what kind of word knowledge your readers have come to you with. This lesson could focus on environmental print vs. print in the text students are reading.

● If you have a reader higher than level D, this work is inappropriate for them. You will want to meet with these readers in a small group and explain that they may want to flag a page with an unknown word because they already know so many of the words on their pages. Creating a strategy group where readers flag pages with unknown words and using strategies to self-solve or use partners to help solve them, would be more appropriate for these readers.

Connection Readers, you are reading all the time. You are reading everywhere you go. Let’s say, you and your mom need a few things like laundry detergent and toothpaste and so you head to (pull out Target or Kmart) Target (readers may chime in). You are out shopping for a long time and you decide to grab a bite to eat at (pull out McDonalds sign) McDonalds. No wait. You want McDonalds but your mom wants (pull out Taco Bell sign) Taco Bell. See how you are reading words you know all the time.

Readers are reading all the time. We read the words we know and then we find ways to share our word knowledge or what we know with others. For example, we say, “Mom, there’s McDonalds” as you are passing in the car. You take the time to read the word and share that you have read it with your mom. You can do this very same reading and sharing of words you know in the books you are reading at your tables. Readers read the words they know, in books, and share those words with others.

Teach (Choose a leveled book that contains words most known by kindergarten readers: mom, dad, I etc… for the demonstration)

Yesterday, I was reading with Will. He was reading this book, We Dress Up. Will wasn’t sure of the title, but he told me that it looked like the brother and sister were dressing in their mom and dad’s clothing. He then showed me how he knew some of the words in the book. (Open to page) On this first page he said, “I know that word is I and I know this word is Dad, I know dad is D-A-D, see here it is!” He also showed me on the next page how he knew the word I again and this time the word Mom”. He said, “See, there is M-



O-M”. At that moment I taught Will something that I want all of you to know so that you can share the words

you know with partners in our class. If I am like Will and I see a word I know like the word “I” I can use a post-it note and mark that page. Now when I get together with my partner, I can show my partner that page. See how I have the post-it note sticking out of my book a little. If I place the post-it out a little then I can turn right to that page and show my partner the words I knew. I can say, “See, here on page, I knew the word I”.

Active Engagement Now, I’d like you to try locating some words you might already know. Teacher flips to next chart or displays leveled book with possible known words. As you read this chart or page, think about the words you already know. Would you place a post-it note here to share what you know with a partner? If there is a word you know on this chart or page swirl your finger in the air and point to it NOW!

I see readers pointing to Google, I see readers pointing to Zoo. Let’s try that one more time. Take your finger in the air and swirl your finger in the air, as you read the page point to another word you already know, NOW! Wow! Look at how many words you already know.

Link Today, this is our work. We are going to read and as we read, we are going to look for words we know. If we find words we know, we will flag our page with a post-it which you will find in your book baskets.

May want to have post-its in the bottom of your demonstration basket and show students how you pull one post-it from a stack and put the stack back in for other readers to use


Readers, please look this way. Do you see how Eli has flagged his page. He found the word dog on his page in this informational text. D-O-G that is a word he knows. So now he can show his partner during partnership time the exact page and share his new word.

If you are still reading and hunting for words you know, this is great. We will continue our reading time for a few more minutes and then stop for partnerships.

Partnerships Today in partnerships you may meet with the person sitting next to you. You will share a page that you flagged where you found a known word in your book. If by chance you didn’t flag a page that is OK for today. We are going to learn so many words that soon you will have to flag most pages because of all the words you know. Today either share known words you found and also listen to words that your partner found.


Readers, as I watched you talk with your partner today, I noticed that some of us really knew what it looked like to be a respectful partner and others, weren’t so sure. Today you were to share your flagged pages and listen to a partner share their flagged pages. There was no need to get up and walk away from your partner, in fact, when we leave our partner, we are leaving our work. (Look shocked).

Show me how you think partners should sit if they are sharing flagged pages. WAIT for students to scoot together in random partnerships Show me with your hand where one book would be. Pretend your hand is the book you are talking about. Where would your hand/book go?

WAIT for readers to move their hand to the middle of the partnership. Coach and adjust readers as needed based on what they show you.

Readers, I think a new chart with partnerships in mind is needed. I’m going to make a note that we practiced partners sit close together and partners have one book in the middle. Tomorrow we’ll add something else to our strategies for respectful and helpful partnerships.



Session 10


Teaching Point Readers pretend to be the characters in their books by studying the pictures and acting out the character.

Materials


● Timer: Set for minutes read and collect data every day● Anchor Chart: “We are Readers”● Anchor Chart: “Partner Power”● Post-it notes in all baskets of books or available for all

readers

Table top baskets

Tips ● Choose a familiar story book that has been read to the class for the demonstration● Ahead of time, ask a student to role-play with you and be one of the characters in the story● Post-it notes for flagging pages

Connection Readers the last few days in our reading workshop we’ve been thinking about our books and sharing our stories and information we’ve read with our partners.

I want to give you another way to think about your story books and another way to share with your partner. The animals and people that talk in your story books are the characters. Something you can do while you are reading and turning every page is think about how to become the characters in your stories and how you would act them out if you were the characters.

You are going to think about your talking animals and people, the characters; like they are in a movie...the only difference is that you are going to be the actor or actress, playing your characters. You will get to act out your characters for your partners during partner time, too!

Teach Watch me as I show you how I act out or become the characters in the story we all know, The Little Red Hen, by Byron Barton. I’m going to become the little red hen. Watch me, I’m going to act out this first page where she starts pecking the ground for seeds and then I’ll continue to act out this part where she asks her friends for help in planting them.

Watch me! (Get up and become a hen pecking for seeds, kids will laugh at the sight, but continue with your drama “I’m going to ask our friends if they will help us plant these seeds” etc...)

Did you see how I became the little red hen? I used what I knew about the story and used the pictures and the parts I understood to become the little red hen.

Today in your reading, you are going to do the same thing. You are going to read a story and think about how you could act out a part for your partner. You and your partner could even act out a story together during partner time.

Active Engagement

But first, I want you to try this. I’m going to turn this page here (pick a page where actions and words could be understood by the picture) in The Little Red Hen, remember this part? Think about what you would say and do if you were to act out the little red hen from this point. Take a minute and think about it.



Now, I want to see everyone becoming the little red hen here. I see Natalie using her arms to show the cutting of the wheat and I here Josh asking “who will help me?” They are acting out the characters in this story.

Link Everyone became the little red hen in some way. You will think this way with your own reading today. Think (tap head) what part of this story can I act out for my partner? What will I say or do?

When you have found a part in your story where you know you will act out for your partner, I’m going to ask you to put a post-it note on that page. Just make sure that your post-it note is stuck to the page and that it is sticking out a little (demo) so that you can find that spot when it is partner time.

The post-it note acts like a book mark and will let you turn to your page quickly so that you will have more time to role play your characters with your partners. You will only need one post-it note today. I’ll be watching for how you are reading and thinking about your stories and I may ask you about the parts you think you can act out. I’ll also be watching for readers to use their post-it note correctly on one page.


Readers, I was reading with Angel, and she realized that she couldn’t find the page she had picked for acting out because her post-it note was put on the page without leaving any of the notes outside of the book to see.

Remember these little notes are there to help us find the part we want to act out and talk about with our partner, so be sure to stick it on, like this, ( show) so that you can see part of the note and turn to that page.

Partnerships Readers, today on your partnerships remember to get together and turn to the page with your post-it note. Talk about that page a little and act out the characters from your story with your partner. If you need your partner to be one of the other characters, tell them about the character and what they need to say or do.

I will come around and conference with partnerships as you are reading together and acting your characters. So, if you finish acting, then spend some time reading to your partner taking turns reading and talking..


Oh, readers, it appeared that you were really working on thinking about your story and thinking of ways that you could become your characters. I saw one partnership, reading Are you my Mother? and Quinn, being the little bird, kept asking “Dog, are you my mother?, Cow are you my mother?” and he sounded so sad and lonely...I could tell he was really trying to be little bird.

We will add “act out story” to our Partner Power chart to remind us that acting out our stories is another idea for how to spend time with our partner.

Tomorrow, I’m going to show you how we might act out information from our informational books...which not only helps us learn the information, but it also helps us teach it, too.



Session 11


Teaching Point Readers act out and use gestures to teach the information they’ve learned in informational reading.

Materials



readers

● Table top baskets Informational text with vivid photographs, diagrams, drawing (Suggestions: One Tiny Turtle, Nicola Davies and Frogs, Gail Gibbons)

Tips ● Choose informational books that will allow you to “act out” the information learned● 2 Informational books could have been read to the class previously, so that they are familiar ● Post-it notes for flagging pages

Connection Readers, remember yesterday, I told you a little about what we would learn today in reading workshop? (keep talking: please don’t ask for hands to go up) I told you that readers not only act out the characters and parts in their storybooks, but they also act out parts of informational text or they might use gestures with their hands and bodies to remember or teach the information they’ve read.

Today I am going to teach you how you can read, use the pictures and photographs to learn something in an informational text, and act out what you have learned to teach someone else about that information.

Teach Let’s say I’m in my reading spot and I’m reading this book titled, One Tiny Turtle, by Nicola Davies, you already know quite a lot about this informational book because we have read it four times, right? Well, on page 22 and 23 I love how I learn the way the mommy loggerhead turtle makes her nest. If I’m learning that readers can act out the information they’ve learned by looking at the pictures and thinking about what would make since I might teach someone acting and gesturing this far. I’m going to act out how mommy turtle makes her nest.

Watch me as I show you how I can teach you by acting. (Here the teacher will become the information. The teacher will gesture, act and use an explaining voice to tell the information while acting. Given our text suggestion, the teacher will crawl away from the sea, use her back legs as flippers to throw sand away for a large hole, lay eggs, and then use all four legs to cover the eggs with sand)

Active Engagement

Now I would like you to try this with your partner on the carpet. I have the book, Frogs, by Gail Gibbons. We have read this text, too. When I turn to this page about the frogs body parts and how the frog doesn’t hunt for food my mind already starts creating the gestures and how I can act like the frog to teach someone this information.

Looking at these pages, I’d like you to gesture and act out information to teach your partner something you have learned from these pages.

Comment and touch in with readers as they try this strategy



Link Readers, isn’t this helping us learn and remember lots of information about frogs. It might seem a little silly and even fun, but you are really being smart readers, who think about what the pictures and photographs are teaching you and in turn, you are using gestures and acting to teach other people the information you learned.

Today, I’d like you to use a post-it note to mark a page where you know you can act and explain information you’ve learned. I’d like to see you choose an informational book first today, one filled with facts and photographs. I’ll quickly come around and make sure we all have an informational book to read and then I will start conferring and taking my notes.


Readers, Ellie was reading Pandas by Anne Schreiber, for National Geographic and she realized on page 16 that the panda babies were really pink and tiny. So I asked her to show me with her hands how she would teach me that and she stuck her pointer finger out and said “well they look to be about the size of a grown-ups thumb so I think that these babies are about as big as my pointer finger”.

Do you see how she used gestures, her pointer finger and her words to describe what she was learning from the photographs? I asked her to find another place to place her post-it, because we still have minutes for reading, so that she can act or gesture information with her partner.

Partnerships Readers, today in partnerships, remember to take the informational book you were reading, the one that has your post-it note. I’m going to watch for gestures and acting as you teach each other what you learned from your informational text.


Readers, I’ve added “Readers act out and gesture informational text” on our Partner Power chart so you will remember to do this every day.

Today you read with the purpose of learning from your informational text and also with the purpose of teaching other readers with actions and gestures about your learning.

As I conferred with many of you today I noticed that when we read informational text, we are reading like researchers. A researcher wants to find out about the things they are interested in...like frogs or turtles or pandas. For example, I could be a researcher learning about frogs (hold up Gail Gibbons, Frogs) or a researcher learning about loggerhead turtles (Hold up One TIny Turtle). When I enter informational text, I’m thinking “what do I want to know about this?” If I think this way it will help me learn even more about the topic. So when you see a book titled, Butterflies and Moths, by Alison Adams (hold up book), ask what do I want to know about butterflies and moths?

Think right now (tap head with finger), what would you want to know? Turn and tell your neighbor one thing you would like to know about this topic, butterflies and moths.

That thinking you just did is a great way to get started with informational text because you can be on the lookout to see if the author included what you were hoping to learn.

I’m going to add “Readers ask what I want to know?” to our We are Readers chart, that way when you choose informational text, you will remember to think what it is you want to know about.



Session 12


Teaching Point Readers read informational text by sounding like a teacher or expert.

Materials



readers

● Table top baskets Informational text with vivid photographs, diagrams, drawing (Suggestions: One Tiny Turtle, Nicola Davies and Frogs, Gail Gibbons)

● http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals- pets-kids/birds-kids/wood-duck-babies-kids/ on Smartboard, Ipad, or desktop computer

Tips ● http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/birds-kids/wood-duck-babies-kids/ can be watched the day before the lesson and then again inside the lesson. The first viewing could be your read aloud with accountable talk. You are using digital text inside the read aloud instead of printed word text. It can also be viewed with less structure for familiarity. In the lesson we will ask readers to think about the voice of the reader: how he sounds like a teacher or scientist sharing his knowledge. We care more about the sound of the readers voice here than the engaging information to learn from the clip.

● Could substitute a clip at nationalgeographic.com/video/kids that meets the same end; reading voice that sounds like a teaching voice or sounding like an expert

● Could also be done without ever looking at the video clip and just listening; podcasts would work in the same way and also fit the digital text category. (Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Summer Institute 2013 recommends use of digital text for comprehension work at least once a week).

Connection Readers, yesterday we watched that fascinating video clip of the little hatchlings jumping out of their nest in the tree to their mommy. I really never knew that duck-like birds made nests in trees...I learned something by watching that video and I learned even more as I listened to the man that was reading the information to us. It was his job to read the information about this miraculous event so that we would know all the details around the hatchlings jumping out of their tree, into the water to their mom.

Today I want to teach you that when we are reading informational text, we make our voices sound like a teacher or scientist, like an expert of the topic. An expert is someone who knows A LOT about something. When I listened to the man from the video, I thought “Gosh, he sounds like he really knows what he is talking about”. His voice had a bit of power and he used words that were telling about what we were seeing. When we read informational text, we want to sound like this man. Oh, we won’t sound just like this man, because we are not him...but we want to sound like a reader of information. We want to sound like we are experts teaching the information as we read.

Teach I’m going to play that clip again...just a few seconds and then I’m going to tell you what I hear from the man’s voice that tells me he is trying to teach me something. Let’s listen. (Play 20 seconds)

Oh wow, he is talking fast but I also hear him slowing down in spots. I heard him slow down when he said “daunting and amazing”. He really wants me to think this is amazing. I also heard him list a bunch of information like “in a tree 15 feet up” and “in the woodlands of the Rocky Mountains” so he is using very


http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/birds-kids/wood-duck-babies-kids/




specific words, like 15 feet up, woodlands, Rocky Mountains. He could have just said up in a tree in the wood, but he didn’t. Doesn’t he sound like a teacher or expert?

Active Engagement I’m going to continue to play this clip. We will only listen to what this man is saying and how he is saying it. You will not be able to see the hatchlings jumping except in your mind. If you think he says a certain word with more punch or power, then try to remember that part by putting it on your thumb.

If you think he reads a certain part a little slower, or louder, I want you to remember that, too, by putting it on your pointer finger or your pinkie. It will be important to really listen for his expert voice because after you listen you will share what you collected on your fingers.

I’m asking you to listen to the man and then you are going to share parts you thought sounded like a teacher teaching or an expert was reading.

Play clip, do not show video. Watch for thumbs and fingers collecting evidence of teaching voice. You could model the same as you listen. Finish by asking readers to turn and talk about the parts they collected that sounded like a teaching voice

Link Readers, you collected s many places where you thought this reader, the man, sounded like a teacher teaching. (Replay what readers said or you replay what you were thinking). This is what I want you to work on today as you are reading. When you come to an informational text, remember to read in a way that sounds like a teacher teaching or an expert.

You will also have the opportunity to share your teaching voice with partners during partnership time. So make sure you have practiced what you will read to your partner in your teaching voice. In fact, let’s put a post-it on the page we know we’ve practiced. That way we will be ready to share quickly with our partner. We are still reading storybooks and favorites, but make sure you spend time with at least one informational book.


Readers, as I conferred and read with Eli, I really heard his teaching voice. He read this page like this...(read like Eli). He marked the page with a post-it, so now he is ready for his partnership meeting and he is continuing to read other books from his table top basket, reading in long stretches of time with informational, favorites and storybooks. You can do the same before independent reading time is over.

Partnerships Readers, Partners today will meet and read using their teaching voice in an informational text. Let’s gather with our partners and listen for their teaching voice.


Readers, I asked Evan and Noah to share with you their partnership meeting so that you could listen to Evan’s teaching voice and Noah’s teaching voice. Listen for how they sound like teachers, teaching you about their text.

Have readers meet in a circle with the demo partnership part of the circle, so all can see and hear the readers in action. List what was working for the duo based on the teaching point objective.

I’m adding “Readers make their voice sound like a teacher when reading informational text to our “We are Readers” chart.



Session 13


Teaching Point Readers read and sound like a grown-up when reading a book they know well.

Materials


● Timer: Set for minutes read and collect data every day● Anchor Chart: “We are Readers”● Anchor Chart: “Partner Power”● Post-it notes in all baskets of books or available for all readers

● Table top baskets Familiar storybook like: The Little Red Hen, by Byron Barton or Brown Bear, Brown Bear?, by Eric Carle(a book read numerous times to your students)

Tips ● Locate a few texts where the text is new to you or least you can pretend it’s new● Locate a few texts that you love reading, ones where you do or just about have the words memorized● Locate texts the readers will know well like read alouds from last year or familiar favorites like: Brown Bear

Brown Bear, by Eric Carle● By now, many emergent/Sulzby story books have been read four times. Multiple copies are separated and

available in the table top crates for readers to read.● By this time, you may ask readers to partner with someone close to their reading process and talk

behaviors. Partners will still be flexible, maybe week to week, then month to month as you get to know your readers. Partnerships change more frequently in Kindergarten than in other grades, especially throughout the first 3 months. You will want long term partnerships lasting a unit or more once most readers are reading conventionally. Depending on your population of readers that could be as early as October or as late as January. Make choices based on your group of readers.

Connection Readers, throughout this first unit of study we have been learning habits for being lifelong readers and responsible readers in our reading workshop. We’ve learned lots of ways to read and think and talk which is going to add to your habits you’ll use over your lifetime of reading.

Today I want to add to all the strategies and habits we’ve learned by teaching you something that so many of you already know, but you may not even be aware that you know....I want to teach you that when you are reading a book that you’ve known for a long time or one that you just love to read, you read it in your grown-up voice and make it sound like as if your mom or dad or even teacher were reading it to you. Even if you really don’t know what all the words look like or sound like...you still read it as if you do.

Teach I am going to teach you what I am talking about when I say “read like a grown-up”. I have this book, The Little Red Hen, by Byron Barton. You, readers know I love this book. I have read it at

least four times to you and I’ve read it hundreds of times to my sons. I barely have to look at the words when I read it, because my mind already knows what each page says. Listen as I read.

Read your favorite book like it’s music, think about pace and intonation. Think about the look on your face, smile, dancing eyes-show joy

Readers did you notice I was so happy as I read this book...and my voice was moving quickly, my voice would



raise and lower and I would get louder and softer-I sounded like a grown-up reader and some of the time, I wasn’t even looking at the words like I could...the pictures were reminding me that I had heard or read this story many times and i could read this story like a grown-up reader without spending any time studying the book.

Active Engagement

Readers, now it is your turn to practice listening for a grown-up reading voice, I’m also going to read and not sound so grown-up, in fact it might sound like I’m in a new book. When you hear my grown-up reading voice, then I’d like you to give me a silent cheer (Demo: arms in the air shaking with excitement, mouths mouthing but no sound)

If you hear my reading sound like I just got new book, and my voice doesn’t sound grown-up, just shake your head “no” back and forth from side to side like this (Demo).

Proceed to read from four texts: two sounding grown-up and two sounding like a new read. Watch for gestures as readers listen to you read.

Link Readers, I have already listened to many of you read books in our classroom in your grown-up voice. So continue to do that when you find books you know well. If you haven’t tried this with some of the books we have read four times or familiar books in our crates, please do. When you find one of these familiar books that you can read in your grown-up voice, put it at the top of your reading space so that you can share the book with partners.


As I look around the room, so many of you have already found familiar books and text that you can read and even sing in your grown-up voice. If you have already found a familiar read, then continue to read your informational text in a teacher voice and use your strategies for reading longer because I’m going to set the timer for 5 more minutes to grow our reading minutes...let’s see if we can focus into our reading and do it!

Partnerships Please take your book where you practiced that grown-up reading voice and read to your partner. Make sure you and your partner both get a turn reading your book with that grown-up voice.


Readers, bring your familiar books with you to share time, today. I’d like you to read your book to a different partner here on the carpet.

Turn towards a person who is not your reading partner and using your soft partner voice read your story in your grown-up voice once again. Remember to allow the second person to read theirs, too so those who go first must listen well to the second reader.

Take the time to listen into reading and notice partnership skills and strategies. Comment on what was working with either the teaching point application or the partnership routines.

I’ll add, “Readers make their reading sound grown-up when they know a story well” to your “We are Readers” chart.



Session 14


Teaching Point Readers read text by connecting what is repeated in pictures and words and by using the word THEN...

Materials


● Timer: Set for minutes read and collect data every day● Anchor Chart: “We are Readers”● Anchor Chart: “Partner Power”● Post-it notes in all baskets of books or available for all readers

● Table top baskets Familiar storybook like: The Little Red Hen, by Byron Barton or Brown Bear, Brown Bear?, by Eric Carle(a book read numerous times to your students)

● New book, not introduced to class and unfamiliar. Could be big book or provided on Doc. camera or Smart board

● Lesson could use: Brand New Readers by Candlewick Press: Piggy’s Bath and The Big Fish

● The word “THEN” printed and visible to readers on easel● Add new leveled books A-D to crates if you are concerned

that text will not be new to readers.

Tips ● Refer back to books used yesterday as familiar reads.● Locate text that is unfamiliar to class but has repetition in pictures and/or words (ie: same character in

each picture or speech bubble on each page says “mom”● The active engagement in this lesson utilizes guided practice because there are numerous pieces to this

strategy and also to showcase varied methods of active engagement

Connection Readers, yesterday we worked with books familiar to us in order to use and practice our grown-up reading voice, It’s easy to use a grown-up reading voice if we know the books really well (hold up books from yesterday), but, we are not always going to know all our books well.

I want to teach you a strategy to use when you have chosen a book that you don’t know so that you can begin to read it in your own way by using the pictures and maybe even some repeated words.

Teach Today I am going to teach you that readers can notice what is repeated in each picture or what we see over and over on pages and connect the reading with the word THEN..

.I’ve written the word THEN on our easel because you are going to see how I use this word to read an unfamiliar book to myself by using what is repeated in the pictures and also the work THEN...Watch me...

I want to read this book (Do not read words, use picture for title. The book is The Big Fish by Phyllis Root)

It looks like there is a mouse fishing on the cover. I’m going to say Mouse goes Fishing and turn the page. Now the story starts. I see that same mouse again. See how it’s the same mouse, with the same fishing pole at the same lake. (Flip back to the cover to check similarities) I’m going to read Mouse caught a boot. I want to turn the page and connect my story, so I’m going to say THEN (point to THEN as you turn the page) Oh, I see mouse again. This time it looks like Mouse is throwing the boot back. So,



I’m going to read, Mouse threw back the boot. I’m going to the next page so I need to say (pointing) THEN, oh look, Mouse has caught a stick. So, I’m going to read Mouse caught a stick. Do you see how I am connecting my pages by noticing that Mouse is in each picture? So I keep saying MOUSE and then I add what I see Mouse doing. Before I go on to the next page I say THEN. By saying then, I’ll connect the page I’ve read to the new page. I want you to give this a try.

Active Engagement I’m going to turn the page...so we all have to say (pointing) THEN...(shared) Now think for a moment...what are you going to say for this next page? We want to connect pages and notice what is repeating, I see Mouse again and I see him doing something I have already seen him doing...so how might we read this next page...turn and tell your partner how you would read this page. (listen in)

I heard Ethan say “Mouse threw his stick back in the lake”, I want to go to the next page, so we have to say (point) THEN (shared) let’s look at the next page...Think first and now turn and tell your neighbor what you would say for this page (pointing)

I heard Joe say, “Mouse caught a fish” We need to say (pointing) THEN (drop your voice turn the page) Think...don’t forget what is repeating turn and tell your neighbor how you would read this page, “I heard Will say, “Mouse threw the fish back in the lake.” We need to say (pointing) THEN think...Mouse...turn and tell your neighbor what you would read here...(pointing) say THEN...oh my gosh...think look what will you read here??

I heard Logan say, “The big fish threw mouse in the lake”. You read this story using the repeated pictures and the word THEN.

This strategy will work for you when you are reading a book you haven’t read before and you aren’t sure of the words.

Link That was an unexpected ending wasn’t it! (Laughing) Did you notice that we could read that entire story by using the pictures, noticing what was repeated in the pictures? We also used the word THEN, to help us connect each page as we turned the page. You can do this work in your own reading work today.

I want you to find a book that’s new to you and read what you see, paying close attention to what is repeated in the pictures and using the word THEN as you turn the pages. I’ll be coming around to listen to you as you read books that are unfamiliar to you.


Readers, I was reading with Megan, she knew all the words in her book. If you know the words in the book you are reading, then you do not need to use this strategy. This strategy is helpful if you are reading a book that is new and you do not know the words.

Partnerships Readers, today in partnerships, please bring a book that you read by using the repeated pictures and the word THEN...If I met with you and you are not using this strategy then you already know that you and your partner have a different plan to follow. Partner up!


This is really becoming a Reading Workshop in action! I saw so many of you in your partnerships reading to each other. You were connecting pages by noticing what repeated in the pictures and you were telling the story as you saw it using the word THEN. You were busy readers today and we actually added 2 additional minutes to our “Growing Reading Minutes” chart! Congratulations!



Session 15

Concept III Readers share their reading and thinking with others.

Teaching Point Readers make plans for their time together by taking turns talking and reading.

Materials



readers

● Many Emergent Story books should be available in crates for readers’ choice. (AKA Sulzby, Star Books)

● Two emergent story books for demonstration● Possible assigned partnership list of students for the

duration of the unit

Tips ● Up until now, the teacher has orchestrated partnership meetings by interrupting class and assigning the partnership tasks. This string of lessons will move readers to play a more active role in making choices during partnership time based on previous and new teaching.

● Teacher could assign a partner that will remain the same for the duration of the unit at this point. Previously, it mattered, little, who was partnered with who.

● Teacher could ask staff colleague to assist with demonstration, acting as reading partner.● Teacher could ask student reader to assist with demonstration, acting as reading partner. (Choose carefully,

so that the student knows what to say and do during the demonstration (practice the day before) and will talk in front of the group.

● Teacher could film themselves and an adult partner, acting out the demonstration and show the clip during the demonstration phase.

● May want to sit within a circle, so that everyone can see teacher and reader seated on floor knee to knee. Or teacher and student should be knee to knee visible on chairs or stools.

● Assigned partners sit together for mini-lesson and meet for the duration of the unit.● Partnership time comes before independent reading.

Connection Readers, I was thinking about the way we meet in partnerships and realized that I really needed to teach you a few strategies or ways for meeting with your partners. I then thought about how partnerships can be a lot like having a friend to play with during recess or at our house. When you play with a friend, you and your friend talk and make plans for what you want to do together. You might say to your friend, “Do you want to draw first and then ride bikes?” or you might say “We could turn on the music and dance or we could play my new video game...what do you want to do first?” If you are at recess together, you might say, “Do you want to go down the slide? Or would rather go on the swings?”

Do you see how when friends play, they make plans for what to do together? Partnerships are the same in that way...partnerships need us to talk and make plans for how we’ll spend our time together.

That’s what I want to teach you today. That partners make plans for their time together first by taking turns talking and reading. There will be more I will teach you about making plans. But it is important we first learn to take turns talking and reading as part of our plan.


Reading Unit of StudyKindergarten: Launching the Reading WorkshopUnit 1Teach I want to show you what this might look like. It is really important that we are taking turns talking and

reading. We can use our Partner Power chart to remind us what partnerships look like (motion to chart), but before we even read our chart we need to make a plan with our partner.

Ashley is going to help me show you what this might look like. (Ashley comes to sit beside the teacher, Emergent Story books in hand for both. )I want everyone to really watch Ashley and I as partners, because you will have to tell your partner what you noticed about how we made a plan.

Hi Ashley, how are you today? We need to make a plan for our partnership-so I am wondering would you like to read first or should I read first today? Ashley answers. OK. I will read first, thank you. (Teacher positions her book part on her lap, part on Ashley’s lap)

Ashley, is my book fine there for you to see? Do you know this book? (Ashley answers) You do! Great! Do you want to read this book with me, or should I just read it to you by myself?

Readers are you noticing that Ashley and I are having a conversation. We are talking to each other about how we want our partnership time to go...just like when we have a friend to play with. We are talking about who should go first and whether we want to read our book together or alone. I hope you are really watching and listening to how we are talking to each other in quiet voices with friendship words. We are really trying to be kind to each other while we make our plan.

Ok. Ashley, let’s read part of my book together. (Teacher and Ashley begin to read) Ok. Ashley, my turn is over. It is your turn. How do you want to read your book? Oh, you just want to read it to me? OK. Go ahead. (Ashley reads. Teacher looks at Ashley’s book which has also been placed part on Teacher's lap, part on Ashley’s lap).

Wow Ashley, you sound just like a reader. I could listen to you all day. Readers, did you notice how Ashley and I came together as a partnership. Did you notice what we did?

Active Engagement

Turn to your reading partner, and together see if you can list what you noticed us doing as a partnership. What did we do first and second and third? How did we talk to each other? Go ahead and talk to your partner about what you saw Ashley and I do.

Link Today, you are going to meet in partnerships first, before independent reading. We are going to do this, so that you can practice our partnership plan making.

So, when I ask you to go to your reading spot, just choose one book. Then come right back here to the carpet and sit next to your partner. We will spread out a little so that we can hear our partner and not other partners. We’ll need to use our quiet partner voice (refer to chart) sit close together, stay together and make a plan by taking turns talking and reading.

We will stay close together near our meeting area so that I can watch how you are meeting together and conference with you quickly; if I need to teach you something that will help you make a plan with your partner. There is no boss in a partnership. So it is important that we ask who would like to go first and we can’t mind so much if we go second. Everyone will get a turn to talk and read if we are thinking about making our partnership really sparkle with friendship. I’ll be watching for partnerships that know how to be friends and talk and read taking turns.

Partnerships Readers will meet in partnerships before independent reading. Have readers meet near carpet area as you coach, confer, and demonstrate the lesson expectation. This

may last 5-10 minutes at most. It is independent practice, with the opportunity for guided practice by the close proximity of partners and teacher. This instructional strategy may be used until long-term partners are established or until partnership spots around the room are assigned or chosen. Independent reading minutes will come after independent partnership time.


Partners, I am really seeing you use friendship skills to make plans with your partners. Gavin and Emilia have their book in the middle, they stayed close and together, and I heard Gavin say “You can go first if you want” Emilia said, “ok” and she put her book on Gavin’s lap and hers. They are now ready to talk again...I wonder what Emilia is going to say to Gavin? Do you think she will tell him it is his turn? Do you think she will say “OK, now it’s your turn”? I’m not sure, but I bet she is thinking about how to be in her partnership as a friend and make a plan for how to work during partnership time.



Make sure you use the words, now it’s your turn or would you like to go first or second? Just a few more minutes to finish up partnerships today and then we will go to our independent reading spots to do some reading on our own.


Readers could come to meeting area sitting by partner. Readers, today’s reading workshop looked a little different, didn’t it? We met with our partners before we

did our own reading. I wanted you to have time to practice with your partner, the lesson from today. Each day, for the next few days, our workshop time may look like this because we are working on sharing our reading and thinking with our partners and really trying to be reading partners who use friendship to make plans by taking turns and reading and talking together.

I’m going to add “Readers make plans” to our Partner Power chart. I’ve drawn two people close together. Step 1 they are talking, See the speech bubbles? Step 2 They are reading. Step 3 They are talking again, because they have to take turns. And Step 4. They are reading. My cartoon partners made a plan, by talking and reading together.



Session 16


Teaching Point Readers make plans for their time together by choosing what to talk about; acting out characters or teaching informational text.

Materials



readers

● Many Emergent Story books should be available in crates for readers choice. (i.e. Sulzby, Star Books)

● Two emergent story books and Two informational text for demonstration

● Possible assigned partnership list of students for the duration of the unit

● Readers will need storybooks and informational text for independent practice

Tips ● Teachers should make teaching decisions responsive to their group, always!. Watch for where your class needs teaching and demonstration with regards to meeting with a partner. Substitute lesson objectives based on needs of the class. If your class needs, looking at partners, hands on books not each other, saying something back to your partner... some of this work can be done in strategy groups or partner conferences. If the majority of the class is struggling with an aspect of partner work, move that challenge into the mini-lesson slot.

● Ask same student to help with demonstration or see suggested alternatives to demonstration in lesson 13 tips.

● Film using ipad, iphone, Flip camera, etc... a partnership in action. Use clip for the Teaching Share to talk about what is working.

Connection Readers, yesterday we started the exciting work of making a plan with our partner. Yesterday I told you it was a lot like making decisions while playing with friends on the playground or at your house. No one likes a bossy friend to play with. Friends take turns and find ways to do some of the things they want to do, but also do some of the things their friends want to do. It will be the same with you and your reading partner.

Today I want to teach you that you and your partner, not only will decide who goes first and the way you will read; together or to each other, but you will also decide what to do together. We have already listed some of the choices we have when meeting with a reading partner. (Read Partner Power chart) I’m noticing the first three points on our chart tell us how to sit with our partner, but point 4 and 5 actually remind us that we can act out characters in our stories and we can use gestures to teach in our informational books. These are two choices you have within your partnership. So instead of asking your partner if they want to go down the slide or play on the swings you are going to ask “do you want to act out characters or do you want to teach something from our informational books?” The great thing is that some days you will have time to do both. Just like at recess you may have time for slides and swings.

Teach So let me show you what this looks like, I asked Ashley to help me again, because you will remember us as partners from yesterday. You’ll notice we are sitting close together, our knees are touching. We each have books to share. In fact, today we have a story book and an informational book.



Readers, I want you to watch for what is new in mine and Ashley’s partnership...I’m going to ask you to talk about what Ashley and I do in our partnership that is added on from yesterday.

Ashley, why don’t you start the conversation today? Remember what you are going to ask me? (Allow student to ask, would you like to go first or should I go first?) Well, you let me go first yesterday, so you should go first today, if you want? (Carry on with a little of yesterday’s procedure. Read a page from each book to move quickly tell readers you are shortening reading to get to the new part...they will read entire book when working with independent partners.).

We took turns talking and reading we both read part of our books, so NOW we need to decide what we would like to do next. So, I’m going to ask Ashley, “Ashley, would you like to act out characters from our stories or would you like to find informational text and use gestures to teach each other from our informational books?

Continue the conversation with taking turns and demonstrating what has already been taught; acting out characters or gesturing to teach informational text. Each partner should play a role in either acting out from each person’s text or from one partners book.

Active Engagement

Readers, you saw Ashley add something new to our partnership time today that we didn’t demonstrate yesterday. What did we do today that we did not do yesterday? Turn and talk to your partner about what you noticed that we did new today?

Link Readers I heard so many of you saying things like, I saw them acting out characters in their story books. I heard people saying, they asked each other what they wanted to do after their reading. And you noticed that we took turns reading first, and then we talked about what to do with our books; either act out characters or teach each other from our informational text.

We are going to practice this now. I will place our book crates on the floor in-between a couple partnerships. I’d like each reader to select two books, a storybook and an informational book that teaches.

Once you’ve selected your books, you and your partner can begin talking, taking turns reading and then add that next part....decide if you first want to act out characters and then teach something from your informational books or the other way around. You are going to meet with your partners, right here on the carpet, just like yesterday. I will still coach and confer with partners as you talk, read and decide what’s next. You can look up at our chart, too. It shows those first steps with making a plan. Remember to say “What should we do next?”

Partnerships Readers will meet in partnerships before independent reading. Have readers meet near carpet area as you coach, confer, and demonstrate the lesson expectation. This may last 5-10 minutes at most. It is independent practice, with the opportunity for guided practice by the close proximity of partners and teacher. This instructional strategy may be used until long-term partners are established or until partnership spots around the room are assigned or chosen. Independent reading minutes will come after independent partnership time.


Interrupt to report what is working or what needs tweaking. If more demonstrating is necessary take the time to have everyone stop and watch and then try their partnership work once again.


Partnerships are so important to our work as readers. Readers are always reading, but they are always talking about that reading, too. We are learning important work for meeting with our partner so that we can meet this way every day. I want you to watch a partnership in action. I have asked Isabelle and Ellie to show you how their partnership was working today. Watch them and then we will talk about what we noticed and how we can all make our partnerships work, each day.

Use video clip or live partners in real time to replay partnership meeting. The rest of the class should act as researchers noticing what the partnership has under control.



Session 17


Teaching Point Readers use familiar parts and words they know to help other readers read on

Materials



readers



Tips ● You may notice that the Teach in this lesson is more Explain than demonstration. This was done in order to showcase varied teaching modes but additionally the concept here is not critically complex. Example and Explanation is an instructional strategy useful in teaching less complex strategies or skills and strategies that are being retaught. If you feel your class would benefit from a demonstration lesson here-change the approach.

Connection Readers, last night I wanted to make brownies, but I couldn’t reach the brownie mix box way up in my cupboard so I had to ask my husband to help get it. And that same day, I realized that I needed help loosening the pickle jar, as I made lunches, so I asked my oldest son to use his wrist muscles to twist the pickle jar lid.

You might be thinking that you’ve had to ask for help to get something or do something...think for a moment...have you ever needed help?(keep talking) Or maybe, you are like my oldest son, and someone has asked for your help. Maybe you were the helper. Think for a moment...have you ever helped someone? Readers need help, too sometimes. And readers can also help other readers, just like we help in other situations.

I want to show you today that as a reading partner, you can help your partner by remembering the parts of stories or words you know. When we share what we know as readers, it can help our reading partners read on and keep going.

Teach A simple way to help our reading partners is to say, “I can help you with that part, would you like help?” You may be listening to your partner read along and all of a sudden they are stuck. They don’t remember the next part. But you do. So you say, “I can help you with that part, would you like help?” And your partner thinks about it and says, “Yes, thank you.” And you then, you share the part you remember.

I have written that little “I can help” question on this sentence strip. Let’s read it together, it says “I can help you with that part, would you like help?”

Active Engagement

I’m going to pretend to be a kindergarten reader. Watch for times in this big book we all know where it looks like I need help. If you think I need help, I want you to say or read our question “I can help you with that part, would you like help?” and then I will decide if I want your help. Ok here I go.



Read a big book or emergent story book that everyone is familiar with. Pretend to forget parts, pause and think really hard while saying “I don’t remember this next part.” Allow the class to chime together the helping question. Then ask them to turn and tell their partners, how they would help.

We are not calling on individuals here . We want to keep engagement high, so all will talk to partners about possible ways to help after using the helping question. Listen in for helping ways and then use different ideas to get yourself unstuck. Get stuck at the story level and familiar word level).

Link Readers, you really helped me finish my story. Thank you. Now it is time for you to meet in partnerships. I have brought the crates to our meeting area again.

Choose a book to share with your partner. Remember our plan making and then we decide what we will do after we have each read. If you see a time when your partner needs help...use our helping question. I’ll watch and listen for people who are trying to be a helpful partner.



Readers, we must be careful to not help too much. If our partner is reading and simply taking a break or breath, we do not need to use the helping question. Watch for moments when your partners really look stuck. Your partner might ask you for help, too, like I asked for help with the pickle jar or brownie box.


Readers, today we learned that reading partners can help each other. This is true every day all the time. When you see your reading partner might need help and you think you can help them, use the helping question I’ve written here on our easel.

If you heard or saw partners using the helping question, certainly share those examples with the class. We will add: Readers help each other to our Partner Power chart



Session 18

Concept III Readers share their reading and thinking with others

Teaching Point Readers show interest in what others are saying by looking at the person and saying something back.

Materials



readers

● Many Emergent Story books should be available in crates for readers choice. (AKA Sulzby, Star Books)


● Readers will need storybooks and informational text for independent practice

● A partnership willing to demonstrate the teaching point chosen by you in advance so that you are assured they will demonstrate exemplary skill. or the use of older readers 3rd-5th graders, who will demonstrate.

Tips ● This demonstration could be filmed previously and played, with adult readers or student readers.● This lesson uses a fifth grade partnership for the demonstration.

Connection Readers, you know I have been paying special attention to the way our partnerships are working this week. Something I’ve noticed that I need to teach you is that when someone is talking to you, you have a job. Did you know that you have a job, when someone is talking to you? Your job is to look at the person who is talking...that’s the first thing and then you have to listen to what they are saying-that’s the second thing and then you have to say something back- that’s the third part of your job.

So I want to teach you that when you are with your partner and they are talking you 1. Look at them 2. Listen 3. Say something back. I’m going to call this the “1, 2,3” of partnerships. I wrote and drew on our Partnership Power chart Readers 1, 2, 3 - Look. Listen. Say something back to remind us.

Teach So often, in partnerships, I see someone reading their story to their partner or a partner is talking about something they learned in their informational reading and the other partner is not even looking at the partner who is reading and talking! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? I really couldn’t. I knew I had to teach you once I saw what was happening because it is so important to be the kind of partner who can look and listen and then say something to your partner.

I asked Jett and Blaze to come from their fifth grade reading workshop today to show you what the 1.2.3. of partnerships looks like. You are going to watch as they talk to each other. Watch for them to LOOK. LISTEN and SAY something back. (Set up the demonstration beforehand so that the older students are prepared to demonstrate book conversation with looking, active listening and saying something back to their partner)

Did you see what these boys just did? That was amazing book work. They really were making sure to look at each other, I could tell they were listening because I saw Jett nod his head while Blaze was talking, and I saw Blaze laugh when he heard that funny part Jett shared. I was so thrilled to see how they listened and then they said something back to their partner. They really kept their conversation going.



Active Engagement

I’m going to ask the boys to continue their talk. When you see them looking at each other hold up 1 finger. When you see listening; like nodding, smiling, head shaking, hold up 2 fingers. When you see and hear them say something back to each other, hold up 3 fingers. We’ll keep track of their 1.2.3.’s in their partnership.

Teacher, too, will guide by holding up the correct finger number for the action. Teacher role can drop off if readers are gesturing on their own.

Link Readers, I know that these boys are fifth graders, and that’s a bit older than you. But I certainly think we can begin to think about what our job is while we are with our partners. It will be important today to look and listen and say something back to your partner, just like our fifth grade friends have. I will leave our chart out so that you can look up if you need to as you move through your partnership reading and talking. The books are near you here in our meeting area. You are seated by your partner. Select two books and begin your partnership planning. But don’t forget to look at your partner when they are speaking and make sure you are listening, so that you can say something back. It’s as simple as 1.2.3. RIGHT?



Interrupt to report what is working or what needs tweaking. If more demonstrating is necessary take the time to have everyone stop and watch and then try their partnership work once again.


Use this time to think about partnership work but also reading process work occurring during independent reading. We are balancing both. If you need to teach something valuable to independent reading it can fall into this time slot, just as much as more partner work can. Pick one target for this time, however, not both.



Session 19

Concept III Readers share their reading and thinking with others

Teaching Point Readers celebrate their reading success by sharing it with others

Materials



readers


Tips ● It is suggested that every unit culminate with a celebration slanted towards the work of the unit. This celebration could last one session or two but will allow readers to feel that the days and minutes they’ve put into their reading work have changed them in some way. Some teachers invite families for one unit, school personnel for another and possibly a buddy class for another. Other teachers keep celebrations more internal to the class. At times, there may be punch and cookies...A mix across the year will add layers of engagement. Treat celebrations as you see fit...just don’t forget to celebrate!

Connection Readers, we have worked so hard these last few weeks in our reading workshop. I have watched you go from the kinds of readers who just turned pages, to the kinds of readers who choose what they like to read, think about their reading and share their reading work with other readers. I am so proud of your reading work. I’ve been telling almost everyone I know about this smart work you’ve been doing. I told my husband last night and yesterday I was talking with the first grade teachers about it and this morning I even shared what you’ve been doing with our Principal!! Then I said to myself, “I wonder if my readers know that they too should be celebrating and sharing all they have learned to do with people outside of our class?”

So I decided to invite your moms and dads to our Reading Workshop, today. They are going to read with us. Like partner time. We might read to them, or teach them something out of informational text using our gestures or maybe even pretend to be characters together.

So today I want to teach you and our guests how you can celebrate by sharing what we’ve been doing (refer to anchor chart) during our reading time together.

Teach If I look at our We are Readers chart, I see we have learned so many ways to be readers. Today we will meet in partnerships. Your partnership might be you and your reading partner and your

reading partner’s mom or dad. It could be just you and your mom or just you and your dad, if both you and your reading partner’s families are here. But I want you to move into partnership reading first today. During that time, I’d like you to use our Anchor chart to share with our guests all the ways we’ve worked on being a reader. For example, let’s say I am here today with my mom. I might say mom, “let’s read together and pretend to be the characters in Mean Soup...you be the mom and I’ll be the child” or I could say, “mom, I’m going to teach you a few things from this informational book on dogs. Watch me use my gestures to teach



you.” Do you see boys and girls how you can share what we’ve been doing in reading workshop with other

people?

Active Engagement

Now, I want you to think for a moment, about what you would hope to share with our guests. When you have an idea of what to share, show me your thumbs-up. (wait for think time)

Now, see if you can think of a second idea share with our guests (wait for think time) When you have that idea in mind, give me your other thumb-up. You now, at least have two ideas in mind.

Link Our room will be a little louder today because we have so many more people, but let’s really try hard to use our reading partnership voices, and show our guests just how quiet we all work together. If you were one of my readers who really didn’t have an idea in mind of what to share, I’d like you to stay on the carpet so that we can meet in a small group before you head off with your guests or partners. I’ll still be coming around to confer with you and maybe even meet with a small group. I’m going to set our timer, just like all the days. We’ll see if we can add some reading minutes to our partnership time.


Use an interruption to showcase some of the sharing and activity that the guests and readers are involved in. Make sure to tie it back to your teaching point of the way readers celebrate.


Readers, today we really were celebrating weren’t we? I heard laughter and I saw readers talking and reading and pointing and thinking. What a fantastic way to wrap up our very first study as readers.

I’m going to add to our chart, Readers celebrate because celebrating hard work is important. And one way we can do that is by sharing what we’ve learned. You did that today. You celebrated by sharing with our guests our reading workshop in action.


kindergarten: launching the reading...

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