Reading Workshop

Packet

Name: _________________________Date: ________________Period: ____________

DO NOT LOSE THIS PACKET!This is to be kept in your binder and added to throughout the year. If you lose it you will

be responsible for replacing it at your own expense on the library copier.

Introduction: Reading is critical to our survival and growth. Without it we are confused, alone, and frustrated. With it, we can become knowledgeable, capable, and enlightened. This semester we will be using our reading workshop time to develop our reading skills. There are two essential things you need every day: this packet, which you must keep in your binder, and a reading book. If you come without either of these things you will be marked tardy.

Why do we have reading workshop?

1. To become real readers for a lifetime.2. To learn how to choose books.3. To learn new words and meanings.4. To learn from other writers about how to improve our own

writing.5. To discover books we love.6. To discover authors we love.7. To discover genres we love.8. To learn from each other about good books, authors and

genres.9. To have vicarious experiences.10.To escape.11.To learn what good readers do. 12.To become more fluent and proficient readers.13.To unlearn bad habits.14.To learn how and when to pace ourselves as readers.15.To gain experience with new ways of organizing information.16.To learn to read deliberately, with better understanding and

insight.17.To read often.18.To read a lot.19.To learn empathy and compassion.20.Because we enjoy it.

Rules for Reading Workshop

1. Read every day both at school and at home. You will have at least ten minutes in class and should read approximately 15 minutes at home.

2. You must read books, short stories, poetry, or essays in the assigned genres. Search out a variety of things that challenge, excite, comfort and intrigue you.

3. Don’t waste time on books you don’t like. Actively seek new material by using friends’ and teachers’ recommendations, looking at lists of titles, and browsing bookshelves. Develop your own criteria for choosing books.

4. It’s okay to reread books you love, but you will also be expected to branch out. You need to read one book from each genre category over the course of the year.

5. Keep track of all books you read in your book chart. This will help us map your progress. Complete one literature log for each six weeks.

6. Show respect for books and the people reading them. Do not disturb another reader. During Reader’s Workshop, our classroom becomes a place of ABSOLUTE SILENCE. Read and write the whole time. If you must speak, whisper (air, no voice).

7. Enjoy reading! Good readers do not consider reading a chore. They look forward to it and get excited about it. This is one of the reasons they are good at it. We are usually best at the things we enjoy the most.

Literature Log Assignment: Personal ReadingIt is important to read both broadly and deeply. Some students have a

tendency to only read one type of book (such as, the short kind!) Others are afraid to read anything that might use unfamiliar words or take longer than a few days. This year, you are going to push yourself to read books you might not normally choose. You may discover that you never knew you loved Westerns; on the other hand, you may discover for certain that reading them is like getting a tetanus shot. Both kinds of knowledge are useful. You are not required to like every book you read this year. In fact, I expect there will be some that you try that you will despise. However, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, the oh-so-wise author of Green Eggs and Ham, why not just give them a chance?

We will discuss genre in class. Your assignment for your personal reading is to read one book from each genre during the course of the year. You will record the titles of these books on the “Reading Record” form. Once you have read a book from each approved genre, you are free to choose your reading books for the rest of the year.

A word about finding the books: our library may not have all of these books. Many of them may be checked out. This is not an excuse for not reading them. It is YOUR responsibility to be resourceful and clever and find these books. You may have to go to the public library. You may have to borrow them from friends or relatives. You may even have to purchase one or two at a used book store. You might even have to ask for them for birthdays or holidays!

Some of these books may be on our classroom shelves, and you may check out books from the teacher’s personal library as long as you are careful and kind with the books. If you do not return a book from my library, I will expect you to replace it at your own expense.

Genre List: You must read a book from each of these categories during the year. Lists of possible titles sorted by genre are available in the classroom. Books we read aloud in class do not count.

Fantasy or Science Fiction Mystery or Horror

ClassicsAdventure or Western

Realistic or Historical FictionBiography or Memoir

Active Reading Strategies

Question: Ask questions of the text about what is happening and why. Ask questions about things that you don’t understand yet. Ask questions about characters and their motives. Ask questions about things that make you wonder. Look for and write down your answer if you find it later in your reading.

Connect: Think of similarities between what you are reading and what you have experienced, heard about, seen, or read about before. There are three kinds of connections:

Text to Self: make a connection between something in the book and something in your own life.

Text to World: make a connection between something in the book and something in the outer world (news, experiences of others, science, technology, current issues, psychology, human/animal rights, politics, government, sports, entertainment, etc.)

Text to Text: make a connection between something in the book and something you have read about in another book, poem, essay or article.

Review: Recall and “tell back” what you understand so far. Include both main ideas and supporting details.

Predict: Try to figure out what might happen next. Always explain why you made this prediction (“I think this will happen because . . . .”)

Infer: Make an “educated guess” based on the “clues” in the reading. This guess can be called several things: making an inference, drawing a conclusion, or reading between the lines.

Evaluate: Give your opinion about the facts or events in the text, the characters’ opinions and action, and the author’s writing. Always include a “because” statement. (“My opinion is _____________, and I feel that way because . . . .”)

Author’s Craft: Identify and explain the author’s purpose, style, audience, genre, and use of literary elements. Be sure to use the correct terms.

Literature Log(To be used with your individual reading book.)

The literature log is a reader’s journal in which you will periodically write entries about the piece of literature you are currently reading. You must make several different types of entries during the reading of the piece, selecting at the last the minimum number of entries from each section.

At least one novel and literature log is due every six weeks. Remember, you have daily reading time and at-home reading time to work on this.

It is important that you have a feel for your reading selection before beginning the lit log entries. Do not begin entries until you are approximately a quarter of the way through the book. Also note that in each section there are entries that are best done after finishing the entire book, while others can be completed during the reading. You may wish to occasionally review your entries to see if you want to add to them as you delve farther into the book.

All entries must include the following: Date. The page you are currently at in your reading. The entire lit log prompt you will be responding to.

While you are in the process of reading a selection, I will occasionally check your lit log packets to evaluate work and your progress. A final grade will be given to your completed packet upon the due date.

Entry Options:1. First Entry: Do one for each new book. Title of book, author name, genre,

number of pages, reading level (if available), publisher and date.

2. All Entries. Do one option from each of the following categories for each book. Write in complete sentences.

a. Review: i. Report on what has happened in the selection so far.

ii. Describe a setting that is important to the story and tell why it is important.

iii. Draw a character from the book and write a brief description.iv. Recreate the plot of the story on a plot diagram.v. Draw three illustrations depicting different important moments in the

book. Include captions explaining your illustrations.vi. Create a timeline of ten or more important events in the story.

b. Connect: i. Write a three to five sentence paragraph explaining a connection you

have found to the text. (Refer to “Active Reading Strategies” handout for possible types of connections.)

ii. Describe a difficult situation that a character is in. How would you behave in such a situation and why?

iii. Comment on the relevance of an important passage in your reading to today’s world (why is it important nowadays).

iv. Reflect upon the learning or insights you gained from reading this work. What new knowledge or wisdom have you gained?

v. List two emotions you experienced while reading. Cite (list) words or ideas that made you feel this way and tell why.

vi. Using a Venn diagram, show how one character’s actions or thoughts compare and contrast with your own life. Each of the three sections must have at least five elements.

vii. Does the main character in this selection remind you of characters from any other works of literature? How are they similar and/or different?

c. Question: i. Write down two questions you have about the book at this point.

One can be literal (based on fact), but the other one must be either inferential or evaluative (based on clues).

d. Predict: i. Make a prediction about what will happen next in your book.

Remember to include a “because” statement: “I think ______ will happen because __________”.

e. Infer: i. Examine the positive and /or negative values of one of the

characters. What three things are most important to him/her and why?

ii. What do you think were the causes that make a character behave as he/she does?

iii. Write an original scene of dialogue for two or more characters from the novel.

iv. Rewrite the ending.

f. Vocabulary: Redraw and complete the following chart for one new-to-you word you have found in your book:

Word: Dictionary definition:

Synonyms: Context (copy the sentence using the word in the book):

Write your own sentence using the word:

3. Last Entry: Do one for each book. Answer all questions in complete sentences. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your answers.

a. Evaluate. Give your opinion about this book. Was it a worthwhile read? Did it meet your expectations? Why or why not? Would you recommend it to others? Who might enjoy it and why? Who would definitely not enjoy it and why? What would you change about it? Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite part? What surprised you? What do you still wonder about?

Keep all of your entries in your binder with your Reading Workshop Packet. I will collect them all at once.

Reading Record:Keep a list of all the books you have read this year, their titles, authors, and genres. Rate each book on a four star scale. This is due at the end of the year.

Title Author Genre Rating ****The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Jean-Dominique Bauby

Memoir

The Circuit Francisco Jimenez Memoir