Reading Workshop Guidelines

Guidelines for Reading Workshop

1.    Come to class with enough reading material to last you the whole time.  Reading time is not for browsing the classroom or school library.  Remember, you can get passes to use those places or use them before or after school.  Also remember to bring home enough reading material, particularly for longer periods like weekends. 

2.    You must read a book.  The only exception is on a day when you finished your book as homework and have not yet had time to get a new one.  On these days, you may read a magazine or cartoon collection.  The rest of the time, you need to read a book because shorter pieces of text don't develop your reading skills. 

3.    Don't read a book you don't like!  Don't waste time with a book you don't enjoy when there are so many awesome titles to try.  Create your own criteria and system for abandoning an unsatisfying book.  When you abandon a book, write a few notes or a short journal about why you are abandoning it. 

4.    If you don't like your book, find another.  Check out the lists and displays in the classroom. Check your someday list.  Browse the class and school library shelves.  Ask me, the librarian, or a friend for a recommendation.  You can also bring in books from home or browse a bookstore. 

5.    It's okay to reread a book you love.  This is something good readers do.  But, you should not only reread the same book over and over; you need new experiences, too. 

6.    Skimming or skipping parts of a book if you get bored or stuck is something good readers do this sometimes.  However, if you are skimming and skipping more than you are reading straight through, you might want to abandon the book for something you find more interesting. 

7.    In your notebook, record the title of every book you finish or abandon, its genre and author, the date, and your rating of 1 to 5 stars.  Collecting this data about yourself as a reader will help you look for patterns and take satisfaction in your accomplishments. 

8.    Understand that reading is thinking.  Not only is this important for understanding and improving how you read, but also to keep a proper reading environment.  Try to do nothing that distracts others from “the reading zone.”  When you talk with me about your reading, use as soft a voice as I use when I talk to you: whisper.

9.    Take care of our books.  Sign out each book you borrow with the book slips posted on the bookshelves.  Be careful to copy the information neatly and correctly.  Put completed slips in the designated box.  When you finish with a book, return it to me and I will destroy your slip as long as the information on the slip and book match.  If you damage a book, don't stress over it.  Most of the time, the book is still readable.  If not, well, it gives me a reason to go to the bookstore for new books. 

10.    Read the whole time during reading workshop (unless you are conferencing with me). 

11.    Read as much as you can.