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Jul 26, 2016

TCRWP Reading Day One with Lindsey Wilkes~ June 2015

This blogpost is from my small group session with the amazing Lindsey Wilkes. I had so much fun with her and her enthusiasm is contagious! 

Charts in the Room 


She has a map for the reading spots in the classroom. This is such a great idea for teaching mapping skills.



Below is an example of the folders Lindsey uses in her classroom. This is the inside left hand side. All the books are placed there at the beginning of reading workshop. This helps the children begin to make a plan. Some directions you can give are: start with your favorite book, your newest book, the easiest book. etc. if you feel they are beginning with the same book every day. 


As the children complete a book, they place it on the right side of the folder as seen below. This is an early example of a reading log. It helps the children keep track of how many books they've read. 
We don't want children to write much at these levels. We want quality over quantity... or children do not want to read. Children that read on a Level M would only need to write like 2 titles a week, while those reading on a Level D, would have to write tons a day! Not fair! You want them to read during reading workshop... not write titles! 


The front of the folder looks like this... 
The children really need to know what a habit is- Lindsey teaches her children that a habit is something you do all by yourself... a teacher doesn't have to remind you. 
A sticky note with each goal the child is working on goes on the "I'm Practicing This Strategy" side. After the strategy is made a habit, the sticky note goes on the "I Made it a Habit" side. 
The stars along the right side help with shopping for book levels. Simply use a vis-a-vis and mark how many of each level they need in their folder. 



Reading workshop is composed not just of children reading but a compilation of Balanced Literacy. It is also shared reading and read aloud. For shared reading, choose a text slightly above the level where most of the children are! You should begin with a warm-up (song, poem, chart, the daily schedule, etc) Make sure to tuck in some sight words and read and reread these! 


Another Great Chart Idea~

What's the Plan for Today During Partner Time? 
1. Echo Read
2. Read together
3. Play the What's Next?  Game (making predictions) 
4. Play the Do You Remember What Happened?  Game (carrying the comprehension)
5. Get on Stage! (act out what happened)

Stay on the lookout for more from Lindsay and my small group sessions later this week! 






Jul 25, 2016


Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project 

Reading Workshop June 2015


Hi everyone! I've been meaning to get over here to document my Teachers College visit since last summer! I got to experience it all again this summer and needed a place where I could document all the wonderful things I learned, so I decided to do it here, in order to share it with you! 

Monday, June 22, 2015 was the first day! We met at the gorgeous Riverside Church, which is adjacent to the Columbia Teachers College. In the above picture, you can see Lucy Calkins giving her welcoming speech. One of the quotes I took away from her speech was "what did you learn today? NOT what did you teach today?" Just think about that one for a few minutes! Then Lucy posed the question, "How do we get kids to 'read up a storm?" That is exactly what this reading workshop week is about. Getting kids to read and love it! Lucy studied teachers as readers and she wants to invite children into those habits.

Quotes and Ideas~


  • "When you are on fire to teach, things change!"
  • "You have to be open... most of us are fearful and/or anxious".
  • Must watch Brene Brown's Ted Talk called "Daring Greatly to Be Creative" 
  • "When there is 'fear-based' leadership, you go through a physical change and you lack peripheral vision. You are less able to be intuitive".
  • "If you're not failing, you're not aiming high enough!"
  • Lucy discussed teaching details through current events and theme. Very cool! 
  • "During Independent Reading, we think 'reading' is the keyword, but nothing is as important as 'independence." 
  • At the end, Lucy sang "This Little Light of Mine" and urged us to "take the light, and pass it on!"