Our Reading Workshop is the time of our day when we work on our literacy skills in many different ways. We work as a whole group, in small groups, in partnerships, and individually. There are three main parts to our Reading Workshop. They are the Daily FACE strategies, the Daily 5, and guided reading. During the Daily FACE mini-lessons, we are learning strategies as a whole group that will help us to be better readers. Then during our Daily 5 time, we get the chance to use those strategies as we practice reading and writing individually or with a partner.
The daily FACE strategies are designed to help young readers understand and master different strategies that good readers use. Each letter in the word "FACE" stands for a different category of these strategies.
Fluency: I can read accurately with expression, and I understand what I read.
Accuracy: I can read the words.
Comprehension: I understand what I read.
Expanding Vocabulary: I know, find, and use interesting words.
Each one of these categories contains several different strategies that good readers use when they read. These strategies are the basis for the Daily CAFE mini-lessons each day. You can preview or print the FACE strategies by clicking FACE Menu. Reading is a process that is very complex, and to become better readers, we need to improve our comprehension, accuracy, fluency AND vocabulary! This year, you will truly see your child take on the FACE of a reader!
The Daily 5 is a structure within our classroom that fosters and develops independence with literacy. The first several weeks of school are spent learning the routines of the Daily 5 to create independent readers and writers. These routines consist of 5 different literacy activities from which we can choose while guided reading groups and teacher conferencing are taking place. The five choices are Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, and Work Work.
Read to Self
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We fill our book boxes with books that are "good fit" books for us, books from our guided reading groups, and familiar books that we can retell. We choose a spot where we can focus on our reading without being distracted. We can sit in the tall chair, the rocking chair, a beanbag, on the couch, on a pillow, on the floor, or at a table. We read quietly the whole time in our spot. |
Read to Someone
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We choose a partner, and both of us get our book boxes. We choose a spot where we can read without being distracted. We sit next to each other, and both of us have a job to do. One of us is reading a book, and the other one is checking for understanding as the first one reads. We read softly the whole time in our spot. |
During the Daily 5, some of the students are working in guided reading groups with us. During these groups, we are reading books that are on our instructional level based on the most current DRA score and our classroom performance. We work on all 4 categories of reading strategies from the Daily FACE board. The groups may change from week to week, or even from day to day, depending upon what each of us needs at that point in time. Sometimes groups are based on reading level. Sometimes groups are based on a particular skill. Sometimes groups are mixed ability to give the lower readers a model of more fluent and expressive reading.