From "reading Groups (Reading Workshop)" Teaching Mode In American Elementary School Reading Instruction

The Reading Workshop model Offers students time to read, Choices about what they will read, and opportunities for conversations about their reading. Our Reading Workshop provides students with a supportive environment that involves them in authentic reading experiences that focus on the strengths and needs of each individual student. By modeling reading behaviors, providing direct instruction that focuses on strategic reading, and giving our students time to practice being "real readers," we are able to provide dynamic reading experiences for all of our students.The historical background of The Reading WorkshopReading ability is one of the most concerned learning skills in American basic education. In the background of globalization trend, the American community sees reading ability as an important prerequisite in participating in international competition, an important connotation in improving personal and national quality and an important condition in the implementation of lifelong education.The Elements of a Reading WorkshopThe Mini-LessonA Reading Workshop begins with a10-to15-minute mini-lesson that teaches concepts, techniques, and strategies while encouraging students to interact with good literature. Mini-lessons can be taught in conjunction with a read aloud. You can use literature to model reading strategies, to discuss literary elements or an author’s craft, or to focus on a particular skill such as cause-and-effect relationships. Because this is the most dedicated instructional phase of the Workshop, it is a pivotal time----it is your opportunity to provide direct instruction o the skills and strategies at hand. It is also the time for thoughtful discussion to over-arching goal of the mini-lesson and read aloud is to encourage students to enjoy time provides the opportunity for you to share information and to foster students’active listening and engagement with the text.Independent ReadingAfter the mini-lesson, students engage in independent reading. Independent reading lies at the heart of the Reading Workshop, because this is when students work at and practice their reading. They may read alone, in pairs, or in small response groups. During independent reading time, students frequently huddle together talking about a book. Or a student may scurry over to a friend to tell him that he’s "gotta read this book".During independent reading time, you have a great opportunity to respond to students’ needs and to respond to students’needs and to actively engage in conferring with individuals or small groups of students. Or you may spend further time teaching a guided reading lesson or having a small-group lesson on a specific strategy or skill.Response and ReflectionAt the last period of the Reading Workshop, all the students get together discuss and share their reading results. They can briefly recommend a book to their classmates, or have a discussion about the problem they met. Teachers can access their spoken ability and understanding ability.The reasons of choosing this thesis topic:From the theoretical study facet, having the purpose of reading, independent learning and cooperate study showed in Reading Workshop can guide our country’s reading teaching theory research. From teaching reform facet, we have done a lot of researches in reading teaching reform, the study of American’s reading teaching can show us a different style.This thesis uses survey, observation and case study method to do the research.