[MOSAIC] Beginning Reader's Workshop

[kimberlee hannan]

Well, the wonderful thing about Reader's Workshop is it's incredibly
versatile.  If it were me, I would do the workshop during the Social St. and
Science time, using historical fiction, expository texts and scientific
fiction, as read alouds.  I would use the mandatory textbooks  as whole
group texts to teach reading strategies non-fiction texts (if I HAD to).  I
would pull out Nancie Atwell's Coming to Know, Stephanie Harvey's Nonfiction
Matters and use those as guidebooks, both books about how children read or
write nonfiction to help them understand the topic.  I would teach various
ways of responding to expository texts, poetry about bugs, animals,etc.  I
would make sure my topics were broad, conflict;  diversity, the holocaust,
change...huge broad topics can encompas both science and soc. st. together.
Ultimately the independent reading time would be their choice, but I would
focus my booktalks and read alouds around the content area.  I would make
sure my topics were broad; conflict  diversity,  the holocaust, change... I
would stuff my classroom library with expository, historical fiction, and
science fiction.

Hope that helps,
Kim



-- 
Kimberlee Hannan
Department Chair
Sequoia Middle School
Fresno, CA

kxhanna at fresno.k12.ca.us