Reading and writing workshops
Habits of Readers and Writers
As a team, we will brainstorm what habits good readers and writers share. We will create a list of Habits of Readers and Habits of Writers and rubrics that help us define what it means to embody those habits.
Click the links below to access rubrics created last year.
Habits of a Reader Rubric
Habits of a Writer Rubric
Click the links below to access rubrics created last year.
Habits of a Reader Rubric
Habits of a Writer Rubric
Reader's workshops
This year, we will be reading a variety of texts as a whole class, in small literature circles, and independently. We will practice reading skills as a class and students will apply these skills to their independent reading. An important part of this class is developing a strong and positive relationship with reading, so it is crucial that students are reading every day. Students will maintain reader’s notebooks where they will apply critical thinking skills to their reading. In class, students are expected to engage in regular discussions about their reading in order to develop comprehension and critical thinking skills. As a class, we will share and celebrate our reading lives, support one another, and challenge each other to grow as readers!
writer's workshop
Throughout the semester, students will use writing as a way to find their voices and communicate their ideas. Writing is a powerful tool for expression, and it is important that we have the skills to express ourselves clearly and thoughtfully through our writing. Students will keep a writer’s notebook where they will have opportunities to write freely. Students will also write in a variety of structured styles, often connected to our projects. In order to improve their writing, students will engage in a process of critique. Writing is a process, and it takes many drafts and support from others to create beautiful work!
Writer's Notebooks
We will use writer's notebooks regularly during writer's workshop. These notebooks are a place where students will write, re-write, respond, pre-write, create, shape, take notes, and play with their writing. Here students will also keep lists of ideas for their writing. They will be encouraged to observe the world around them and write what they notice and what interests them. These lists will be a bank of ideas when students get writer's block. In their writer's notebooks, students will also record words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that that stick out to them in their reading. Students can later use these words/phrases/sentences as inspiration for their own writing, using the words they like or imitating the styles of other authors.