DWilson

The aspects of independent reading were covered in chapter 7.  It is during this part of Reading Workshop that students have time to read their book selections, share in conversations with other students, and conference one-on-one with the teacher.  Teachers must provide an orderly environment and help children choose the right book.  To encourage communication between readers, students may participate in partner reading, story chats, or guided reading.  This chapter also provided information on different types of conferences.  I liked the "teacher to teacher" idea of wearing a hat to let students know that you should not be disturbed while conferencing or leading a small group.

Chapter 8 focused on effective assessment.  Listening to a student read provides information on fluency and reading level.  Other means of assessment are student interviews, anecdotal records, running records, checklists, oral and written retellings, and informal error analysis.  Rubrics are also useful for assessing students.  I thought the example of a rubric conference [pgs. 144-46] was interesting.