1.+Workshop+Philosophy


 * Big Ideas**


 * __//Structures and Habits//__—The structure created by the teacher becomes the key management tool. After a period of adjustment, students will see that the predictable nature of the flow of class is the building block of the workshop environment. Things happen in expected ways throughout a workshop class. This predictability allows students to function appropriately within each class period.


 * __//Choice//__—Student choice is a key ingredient in the workshop structure. Students choose the books they read, the topics they will write about, the structure of their written pieces, the content and structure of their reading responses, etc. This choice is a big part of the student buy-in that comes with a well-ordered workshop structure.


 * __//We//__—Instead of cultivating an “I”-and-“You” environment, the workshop philosophy stresses the importance of the learning community. This sense of community is the key in unlocking ideas, concepts, and other fibers of the intellectual fabric that is essential to deep understanding.


 * __//Self-Initiation//__—In an environment structured to meet the needs of the student, each pupil also has an awesome responsibility. This responsibility lies inside each student’s desire to pursue more: knowledge of one’s self, knowledge about one’s world, and knowledge of the people in one’s community. Students will be called upon to read, write, and talk in ways that will ensure growth.


 * Components of Reading/Writing Workshop**


 * __//Independent Reading//__—Students choosing their own books with encouragement, guidance, and coaching


 * __//Collaborative Reading//__**—**Reading with a partner, a small group, or with the class with a stress on talk that will build thinking and reveal new ideas


 * __//Read Aloud//__—Teacher-led shared reading experience meant to model good, thoughtful reading with a focus on reading-as-thinking


 * __//Independent Writing//__—Students generate a list of relevant topics then choose to fit those topics into the current unit of study


 * __//Conferring//__—One-to-one direct instruction given to a handful of students each day, one-by-one