Writer's Workshop

I envision writer's workshop in a very similar way to reader's workshop. If a child does not like to read, chances are he/she will not like to write as well. I would try to create mini-lessons in my writer's workshop that tailor to various needs students have when it comes to writing. My goal as a teacher would be to show students that they can overcome their obstacles in writing. I don't want to have my students give up because they can't write a particular way. With their journals, I hope to see improvement in content, fluency, and creativity. I want to stress to them that no one is a great writer overnight, it takes time and effort to become what one feels is a great writer. Conferencing will be used as a way to focus on each individual and their personal improvements for writinig. I would want my students to feel special knowing that time is being put aside for them showing that someone cares about what they write about.

Collaborative Learning

I believe collaborative learning does support literacy because two or more students working together have different prior knowledge and experiences that can help the other students.. For example, two students are working on summarizing a story, one student has never had anyone read to him/her at home or ask questions about stories before. The other student has parents who would ask him/her to tell them what was the story they just read about. This student would be able to help the other student in strategies he/she learned about summarizing a story. Having students simply work alone does not take into factor that not every student has had experience with literacy before entering school or the classroom. Collaborative learning allows students to teach each other which may help them retain the information better since it is coming from a peer.

Reader's Workshop

I envision reader's workshop as a goal in my classroom for the whole year to get students to comprehend what they are reading better. This can be done through a series of mini lessons, conferencing, and journaling. Each mini lesson would consist of a skill that is used to better understand text, with an introduction to a skill, the students will work independently from there on and be assessed on their understand of the skill and their master of the skill through meeting with the students at least once a week about their reading and the skill and by reading their journal entries that are assigned. This gives the teacher the ability to check with each individual and see what are the next steps to take with him or her.The mini lessons must be quick and interesting. I see mini lessons as being just an introduction to a skill that will go into more detail through the journaling and conferencing. The introduction must keep the students' attention in order for them to work independently on their own in the future.

Online Stories

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories

Here is a website that I found a few years ago while looking for something to do with my little cousins. They love watching and listening to these stories over and over again. There is Little Red Riding Hood and Jack & the Beanstalk that were some of their favorites. I thought this was a great way for toddlers and preschoolers to see stories come to life. On the read and write tab, children can do worksheets by a topic like aliens or learn about the word of the week. This website can be used in a PreK-1 classroom as a center option. The children can go on the computer and listen to some stories. To make sure the students comprehended the story, you could have them tell you what the story was all about. For example, there is a story about how Anansi the Spider got long legs. If a student listens to that story, you can ask how did Anansi actually get long legs. I feel like this website is a great tool for a classroom trying to show students how stories can come to life and enhance vocabulary and comprehension on many topics.