Classroom Snapshots: Reading Workshop organization

Wow!  I have been AFB (away from blog)!  Sorry about that.  We had parent conferences this past week.  I really enjoy meeting with my cherub’s parents, but it takes a lot of prep!
Enough about that!  I am writing about Reading Workshop today.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love doing Reading Workshop everyday!
I do a modified version of Daily 5.
I do 2.5 rounds everyday. 
How can I do .5?  I will explain below.

Everyday everyone does Read to Self.  Then, I have a computer rotation.  I only have 3 computers in my classroom, so only 3 cherubs can go on the computers per “round”.  So, if you are not on the computer for any given day, then your second round is Read with Someone.  So, maybe it is more like 2 and 1/4 rounds.

Up until this year, when my mini-lesson were finished, I would go through the routine of asking each kiddo what they were going to do for that round.  Did it take up a whole lot of time?  No, but it did take time.
Here is what I came up with this year:
As part of our “Morning Business” the kiddos choose their partners for the day.  Every kiddo has a “chip” with his her # on it.  They pick their partner by asking a friend, then they put their chips together.  You aren’t allowed to move anyone’s chip but your own, so you have to go and ask your friend and you move your chip and they move theirs.   
The list that you see below the 4 arrow has everyone’s name and number, but the kiddos learn each other’s numbers pretty quick.

1. This is my computer rotation.  All of my kiddos numbers are listed and I move the clothespins to choose who is on the computers for the day. I do 2 rounds, so 6 kiddos total will be on the computers during Reading Workshop.
2. These are my guided reading groups.  They change often, so I write them on sticky notes.

3.  These are the “round” numbers.  We do 2 everyday.

4.  These are the kiddos who are on the computer.  I choose these partners to make sure that the kiddos who are on the computers are partners with other kiddos on the computer.  

5.  These are the kiddos who will be reading with a partner during each round (the kiddos know that no more than 4 sets of partners can read together during each round).

6.  This is where the chips go at the end of the day.  A kiddo moves them everyday during our cleanup time!

Clear as mud right!  
So, during round 1 on this day:
#’s 3,6,7 are on the computers.
#’s 20 and 18, 9 and 19, 16 and 17 are reading with their partners
and everyone else is reading to themselves.
I will meet with group 2 then do individual conferences.

During round 2:
#’s 5,2,4 are on the computers.
#’s 1 and 11, 14, 21, and 19, 13 and 10, 8 and 12  are reading with their partners
and everyone else is reading to themselves.
I will meet with group 3 then do individual conferences.

So after my mini-lesson is over, all I have to do is say “Happy Reading!” and everyone knows where to go.

If you are in my reading group, then you go and do your choice round when we are finished.  I try to encourage the kiddos not to chose to read with a partner when they know that they are in my group, but it doesn’t always work out that way, so their partner just reads to themselves until they are done with Reading Group.  This is working beautifully in my room!  If I want to meet with more than one group during a round, I just put up the sticky notes of the groups that I want to meet with and call the groups one at a time.

Do you give your kiddos the choice during Reading Workshop?  How do you organize your time?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  ðŸ™‚


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