Differentiation Made Easy:
Teaching with a Workshop Approach

Reader's Workshop

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In my classroom I use the 2sisters CAFE board to teach the various reading strategies to my students during minilessons for the whole group.  The C stands for Comprehension, A for Accuracy, F for Fluency and E for Expanding Vocabulary.  These are the main areas that good readers need to be strong in.  Each student has a reading goal and strategy that they are working on when I confer with them.  An example might be, the student's goal is Comprehension with the Strategy of "back up and reread".  After a minilesson, I'll select a student to make a card to put on the CAFE board.  So, the workshop structure still holds true: minilesson, conferencing/small group instruction while students work independently, and meet together for another minilesson or to share.



During minilessons, I'll feel that students should talk to each other to brainstorm or to reinforce what was just taught.  I'll have students turn and talk to each other.  Before we turn and talk, I teach them how to do it.  Below is a video example of a teacher using turn and talk during a minilesson during reader's workshop.  I have a signal that shows I want the kids to talk and I use a signal that lets them know they need to end and make sure their conversations are finished.
I use the 2sisters Daily 5 for the independent choices that my students are working on while I am working with individuals and small groups.  The Daily 5 are the 5 literacy activities that research shows are proven to help kids with their reading.  What I love about the 5 choices is it requires little teacher prep time to have it run smoothly each and every day.  As I teach the class about each of the 5 choices, I post them in our Reader's Workshop area of the classroom along with the anchor charts we create as a class for each choice.

Daily 5 Signs for Classroom

work_on_words_and_daily_5.sig
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: sig
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work_on_writing_and_listening.sig
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: sig
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read_to_self_and_someone.sig
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: sig
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I printed these out and cut them in half.  Then, I mounted them on colored construction paper.  I choose to mount it on the color that the words are outlined in so it all coordinated.
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Here is a download for the headings for the CAFE board.  The files were created with the Print Master program.

CAFE Board Headings

comprehension_sign.sig
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: sig
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accuracy_sign.sig
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: sig
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fluency_sign.sig
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: sig
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expand_vocab_sign.sig
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: sig
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The Word Collector goes along with the Goal of Expanding Vocabulary.  This is a whole class board, during read alouds we will add words along with their meanings to the word collector.
The fantastic Beth Newingham, has a video of all the components of her reader's workshop.  You can get a peek inside all the elements needed for a workshop.  I have included a link to a page on her blog HERE so that you can read about it and watch the few minute video clip.