CNewman

Chapters 1-3 give an overview of what Reading Workshops are and how to organize the workshops.  The workshop block starts with a mini-lesson and read aloud followed by an hour of independent reading, response and reflection and sharing.  This program is compared to traditional reading programs. The major differences are in Reading Workshops the students are responsible for choosing their reading material, they write contantly and use alternate forms of assessment.  Chapters 2 and 3 show how to set up a classroom library and how to plan for a mini-lesson.  I use a form of reading workshops in my classroom that I feel is more appropriate for first graders.  The plan in the book seems to give the students too much unstructured time.  In addition it does not seem appropriate for beginning first graders who  mostly do not read or write yet.  I believe there are some good components in the Reading Workshop but it is more appropriate for older children. It should be used as a framework that teachers can use and tailor to their their own styles.