from Growing Readers by Kathy Collins

 

Seven Guiding Principles of the Independent Reading Workshop

1. Readers have time to read just-right books independently every day.

2. Readers select their own appropriate books.

3. Readers take care of books.

4. Readers respect each other's reading time and reading lives.

5. Readers have daily opportunities to talk about their books in genuine ways.

6. Readers don't just read the words but they also understand the story.

7. Readers work in the independent reading workshop is replicable outside the classroom.

 

Bottom Line Habits

1. Strong readers read every day.

2. Strong readers talk and think about books with other people.

3. Strong readers read everything in sight.

4. Strong readers take care of books and protect their reading time.

 

Readers Build Good Habits

1. Readers have reading identities and share them with each other.

2. Readers take care of books and the classroom library.

3. Readers understand the reading workshop procedures so that all readers can do their work.

4. Readers stay focused on their reading.

5. Readers think and talk about their books with others.

6. Who am I as a reader?

7. What do I need to read well?

8. Readers have books that they think are special.

9. What are my goals for reading this year?

 

Readers Take Care of Books and the Classroom Library

1. Readers know what's in the library and how to take care of it.

2. Readers borrow and return books carefully.

3. All readers are responsible for library housekeeping.

4. Readers follow the system for taking books home and bringing them back.

 

Understanding Reading Workshop Procedures

1. Noise levels that are good for all readers.

2. Kind reminders for noisy or distracting behavior.

3. Be considerate to other readers.

4. Move smoothly and quickly.

5. Learners stay focused.

6. Readers don't interrupt reading conferences.

 

Staying Focused on Reading

1. ​Strong readers read the pictures.

2. Strong readers read the story.

3. Strong readers act out the story.

4. Strong readers notice details or new things when they reread their books.

5. Strong readers are reminded of things when they read.

 

Readers Think and Talk About Books with Others

1. Partners sit side by side and read with the book in the middle.

2. Partners plan ways to read together.

3. Partners take turns making decisions.

4. Partners talk about their books.

5. Partners solve their own problems.

 

Readers Get Their Minds Ready to Read

1. Readers take a book walk to help them get their minds ready.

2. Readers try to get a sense of the story during a book walk.

3. Readers remind themselves what the book is about as they read.

4. Readers pay attention to chapter titles and the cover blurb, and sample a page or two.

 

Acquisition of Print Strategies

1. Readers figure out words by saying the sound of the beginning letters.

2. Readers figure out words by noticing the ends of words.

3. Readers figure out words by moving through the whole word.

4. Readers always think about what makes sense.

 

Flexibility with Print Strategies

1. Readers are brave when they get to hard words.

2. Readers always think about what makes sense.

3. Readers ask themselves questions as they read.

4. Readers can ask for help.

 

Reading with Fluency

1. Readers think about the meaning of the sentence or story.

2. Readers chunk text to make it sound smooth.

3. Readers use punctuation as a clue to how text sounds.

4. Readers use clues in the text.

5. Readers use a storyteller's voice while reading.

 

Choosing Just-Right Books

1. Readers have strategies to tell if a book is just right.

2. Readers choose books carefully.

 

Retelling

Characteristics of Good Retelling

• Uses characters' names. (characters)

• Tells where the story is taking place. (setting)

• Includes the important parts of the story. (plot)

• Is told in an interesting voice. (fluency)

• Is checked with book to see if anything was missed. (text evidence)

• Is checked with book to see if teller understood everything. (comprehension)

1. Readers identify the setting when they retell.

2. Readers follow the event of the story when they retell.

3. Readers know how to balance the details when they retell.

4. Readers use time words when they retell.

5. Readers retell with expression.

6. Readers use evidence to clarify, confirm, or revise the retelling.

7. Partners read together and retell.

8. One partner retells, then both partners read together to confirm.

9. Partners take turns retelling.

10. Partners help each other retell.

 

Readers Have Thoughts as They Read

1. Readers react and talk back to the text.

2. Readers notice when they get a feeling as they read.

3. Readers make predictions as they read.

4. Readers try to picture what's going on in the story.

5. Readers pay attention to when they are confused.

6. Readers question things that happen or things that characters do.

7. Answers to readers' questions come from the book or from readers themselves.

 

Envisioning

1. Readers picture the story in their minds as they read.

2. Readers don't only see the story in their minds, but they also hear it, smell it, taste it, and feel it.

3. Readers envision the characters, setting, and actions in the story.

4. Readers envision "between the pictures" scenes.

 

Predicting

1. Readers stay involved in the story by predicting.

2. Readers predict by making pictures in their minds.

3. Readers use what they know about the text to make good predictions.

4. Readers use what they know about the kind of story and about life to make good predictions.

5. Readers know that not all predictions are correct or helpful.

 

Making Connections

1. Readers notice when books remind them of something.

2. Readers explain their connections.

3. Readers make connections to understand the characters and the stories better.

4. Readers stay focused on the story, not the connection.

 

Strategies for Checking Comprehension

1. When readers really understand, their reading voices sound smooth.

2. When readers really understand, they can picture the story in their minds.

3. When readers really understand, they can retell their stories easily.

4. When readers really understand, they just know.

 

Do I Catch Myself When I Am Confused?

1. ​Readers catch themselves when they are daydreaming.

2. Readers stop and think after reading chunks of text.

3. Readers check their retellings.

4. Readers check their book talks.

 

Strategies to Clear Up Confusion

1. Readers go back and reread to understand.

2. Readers read back and read on to understand the tricky parts.

3. Readers stop and make a picture in their minds to understand.

4. Readers read tricky parts aloud.

5. Readers talk to a partner about tricky parts.

6. Readers talk to someone who has read the book before.

7. Readers make sketches to understand.

8. Readers use clues from the book to understand.

 

Launching Nonfiction Study

1. Readers use the index to find the page with information they're looking for.

2. Readers decide where to start reading on a nonfiction page.

3. Readers research their topics by starting with the easiest books in the basket.

4. Readers use the features of nonfiction to help them find information.

5. Readers read nonfiction in special ways to learn about their topics.

6. Readers notice when they are learning something new.

7. Readers jot notes on sticky notes.

8. Readers look at different books to accumulate information about their topics.

9. Readers think about the information they collect and find new questions.

10. Readers connect the information they collect with other things they know.

11. Readers make theories about their information.

 

Favorite Authors Study

1. ​Readers gather and read texts by authors they love.

2. Readers notice similarities and differences among the texts by authors they love.

3. Readers try to find out more about their favorite authors' lives.

4. Readers wonder where authors get their ideas.

5. Readers look for themes that run through favorite authors' books.

6. Readers notice their favorite authors' writing style and craft.

7. Readers recommend favorite authors to other people.