Workshop Structure

One of the most daunting tasks in running a readers' and writers' workshop in the classroom is determining the structure. Common questions include: what components do I need? how much time should I allot to each component? how do I incorporate both reading and writing into my limited amount of class time each day? I've gathered suggestions from a few experts in the field, and these suggestions are ones that have guided me when getting the workshop off the ground.

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In Mosaic of Thought Keene and Zimmerman list the following four components as the most effective supports for comprehension learning.

• Large group meeting time: The teacher thinks aloud about a comprehension strategy, then encourages children to share their thinking.
• Independent reading time: a long period during which the teacher moves among the students to confer
• Needs-based grouping: occurs during independent reading to address specific learning needs
• Reflection: A time for kids to reflect on their learning with others. This includes large-group sharing session, book clubs, written responses, one-on-one sharing, or discussion. 

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In Reading in the Wild Donalyn Miller recommends dividing the class period into thirds. Her daily minilessons alternate in focus from reading to writing according to the curricular learning objectives. She provides a weekly schedule for both a reading focus and a writing focus to illustrate how she utilizes her class time with kids. It's important to note that her school operates on a block schedule, so she has her kiddos for 90 minutes at a time.

Weekly Schedule: Reading Focus

Monday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 45 minutes are spent on vocabulary and spelling minilessons and guided practice. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Tuesday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 15 minutes are spent on a reading minilesson and guided practice. The following 30 minutes are spent on a writing a response to literature. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Wednesday: Identical to Tuesday's schedule.

Thursday: Identical to Tuesday's schedule.

Friday: The first 15 minutes are spent completing the weekly vocabulary test. The next 30 minutes is a readers' or writers' workshop. The students can choose which they work on. The following 30 minutes are used as an informal share time. Students can give book commercials, participate in discussions, or conduct read-arounds. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud. 

*Observation: Miller carves out time for independent reading and read alouds in her classroom every single day. Her weekly schedule includes the four essential components identified by Keene and Zimmerman as essential to an effective readers' workshop, but not each component is evident on a daily basis. 

Weekly Schedule: Writing Focus

Monday:  The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 45 minutes are spent on vocabulary and spelling minilessons and guided practice. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud.

Tuesday: The first 30 minutes are spent on readers' workshop/ small groups/conferences. The next 15 minutes are spent on a writing minilesson and guided practice. The following 30 minutes are spent on writers' workshop. Students independently write and Miller conducts one-on-one conferences. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read a loud. 

Wednesday: identical to Tuesday's schedule

Thursday: identical to Tuesday's schedule

Friday: The first 15 minutes are spent completing the weekly vocabulary test. The next 30 minutes is a readers' or writers' workshop. The students can choose which they work on. The following 30 minutes are used as an informal share time. Students can give book commercials, participate in discussions, or conduct read-arounds. The last 15 minutes are saved for a read aloud. 

*Observations: Her writing focus schedule is similar to her reading focus schedule, which allows for consistency for her students. She still allots 30 minutes a day for independent reading during an instructional unit on writing. 

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Nancie Atwell, who is perhaps the decisive authority on all matters regarding reading and writing workshop, makes an argument for considering the workshop the English course - not an add-on - in her book In the Middle. Atwell, who runs her own school in Maine, also operates on a block schedule. She describes a typical 90-minute class period:

• reading and discussion of poem (5 minutes)
• procedures/writing/reading minilesson (5-20 minutes)
• status-of-the-class conference about students' plans for writing workshop (3 minutes)
• independent writing and conferring (35-50 minutes)
• read-aloud from a chapter book or short story (10 minutes)
• independent reading, including roving status-of-the-class record keeping while students are reading (15 minutes)

Atwell also provides suggestions for teachers operating on a 50-minute bell schedule. She recommends giving the bulk of the class period to writing as she finds this is where kids need the most hands-on help, teacher demonstrations, and structured time.

Option 1: When a workshop approach is the curriculum

• Writing workshop on four regular, consecutive days (e.g. Monday - Thursday)
• Reading workshop on one regularly scheduled day (e.g. Friday) but with sharing and literary minilessons throughout the week
• A half hour's worth of independent reading as homework every night
• An hour's worth of writing as homework, done at the student's discretion between Thursday night and Monday morning

Option 2: When a required curriculum must be covered

• Writing workshop four days a week (e.g. Monday - Thursday) for one semester, with an hour's worth of writing as homework between Thursday and Monday morning
• The required curriculum four days a week for the alternate semester
• Reading workshop on one regular scheduled day (e.g. Friday) throughout the entire school year, and frequent sharing and literary minilessons
• A half hour's worth of independent reading as homework every night.

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Perhaps the best advice I've found regarding workshop structure is find the balance that works for YOU. None of the reading and writing gurus are advising teachers to adopt their workshop approach without a few tweaks. I have found that my workshop is a compilation of borrowed ideas. I take a few here and a few there and make something of my own that works for my classroom, my kids, and me.