Starting Reading Workshop Easily and Successfully in Middle School

Read here for tips on getting started with reading workshop in middle school.

This is the second in a blog post in a mini-series on starting reading workshop in middle school.

If you are starting reading workshop in middle school, it can feel overwhelming. Although not simple, it can be done in a streamlined fashion to give you and your students great results. You’ve come to the right place! In this blog series, we will be talking all things reading workshop in middle school.

Read here for tips on getting started with reading workshop in middle school.

Middle School Reading Workshop: So Much More Than You Think

Many people who hear the term “reading workshop” see it as something that is too vague or only for students who are at grade level with their reading. Please know that I have used units of study by Lucy Calkins. I ended up modifying them to be more skills-based and practical. So I hear you! Just know that this blog post describes a method that can be used for all levels of kids. It is not just a series of fabulous lessons to engage high-level readers.

Starting Reading Workshop in Middle School: 6 Easy Steps

When starting reading workshop in middle school, consider 6 topics:

time
choosing units
digital or print
materials needed
room set-up
grading

Let’s dive in!

First Area to Consider: Time

For the most part, time will be dictated to you through your schedule, but you will see that you do have some control.

When I first started teaching language arts, we had a “modular” schedule, with language arts being 84 minutes every day! I taught half the class as reading workshop, half the class as writing workshop, and carved out time specifically for grammar and vocabulary. I found it very hectic and confusing. This was also in a time when kids did not have cell phones (gasp!). They were just not as distracted as they are now. I’m not sure I would still do it this way, but that is an option.

My current schedule allows for 53 minutes of language arts (quite a reduction!). When we first had that change, I opted for reading workshop on “A” days (our school as an “A/B” schedule). We did writing workshop on “B” days.

I found that kids were always confused about what to bring. My solution: I posted a wipe-away board outside my room with either “Reading Workshop” or “Writing Workshop” and a list of materials they would need for the day. Did it work all the time? Heck, no! It was a STRUGGLE getting them to bring the correct materials to class.

I eventually changed this, because I found it too chaotic. I decided to alternate between reading and writing units. So for example, in September, we started with a reading unit with a novel study so we can launch with having all students reading the same book. In October, we do a writing unit on personal narrative. I still have kids do an independent reading book during writing units, and I still have them write about their reading during reading units. I find this to work quite well.

Next Step when Starting Reading Workshop in Middle School: Choosing Your Units

Look at how many units you teach. I teach ten units, but I do combine poetry as a reading/writing unit.

I try to match up my writing unit to my reading unit. For example, mid-year I first teach an informational reading unit. I follow up with a writing unit on a feature article. Many of the skills are the same. It is so, so helpful to do this. Doing your reading unit first gives kids the skills that they see in action with published authors. They can refer to this when transferring these skills to their writing piece.

Once you have established what time and schedule you will use, select your units if they are not already selected for you. Here are some that I suggest for middle school. I suggested some correlating writing units to go along in case you would like to coordinate. Again, I do the reading unit first to give kids the skills.

Reading	Writing
Novel Study	Personal Narrative
Character Study	Literary Essay
Historical Fiction	Literary Essay on Theme
Informational Text	Feature Article
Reading Poetry (I do a novel in verse)	Writing Poetry
Memoirs	Memoir Writing
Biographies	Biography Writing
Science Fiction	Literary Essay (theme also works well here)
Mysteries	Writing a Mystery
Mythology	Writing a Myth

Keep your reading/writing units in pairs to maximize and apply skills!

Now: Decide on Digital or Print

You will need to make a decision as to whether you want students to work in an actual notebook, have materials online, or a combination of both.

When I first started doing reading workshop, the philosophy was to have everything printed or to present to kids in real time. We did this by writing on charts during the lesson. It was seen as more personal. I would gather kids around and explain the lesson and write on a large anchor chart as I went along.

Then, 2020 hit, and WOW, was it a lot of work to transpose years of lessons into something manageable for my Google Classroom™!

Today, I have settled on a combination of both. All of my mini lessons, notes, and assignments are available on Google Classroom™. However, kids do their drafts and also have copies of important notes in a composition notebook.

If you are looking for a short cut, I have lots of reading mini lessons available on TPT. I also have two free mini lessons:

This is a paid product, but is free to my subscribers.

I still love having kids create their reading notebooks by using a composition book. They decorate it with inspiring pictures. It’s just something that I can’t give up, and they honestly love it.

I do have kids do some of their work online, but I prefer a composition book for the most part.

Whatever it is, you will need to decide how you will do this before starting.

Materials Needed When Starting Reading Workshop in Middle School

Here is a list of recommended materials…it really is minimal:

Composition notebooks: I have kids bring in 4 at the beginning of the year as part of their school supplies so they have a new one each marking period. Or, if you are doing 5 reading units, you might want them to bring in 5. If your school lets you do this as an order, that’s great, too!
Your own composition notebook: to use as a class model (I highly recommend this).
Pencils, pens, markers, highlighters: either for kids to bring in individually or to use as a class (I do both). Kids have their own supplies, plus I put stuff out to grab as needed.
Tape: to tape in notes as needed.
Post-its: I recommend a few packs per student.
Large chart paper: for anchor charts; I also type these up and have them available online, but kids need them out to refer to them often.

The Room

You don’t really need a special setup for your room. When getting started, having your lessons and procedures in place is more important. However, I do have some recommendations for you:

Set up desks in tables of 4. Kids will have a partner for each unit, and they should sit next to their partner with another compatible pair.
If you have a dedicated bulletin board, that is great. Use it to hang anchor charts, examples of good student work, and any skills that you are teaching.
Establish your meeting area. This is so, so important. When we do mini-lessons, I have kids move up in their chairs with their notebooks/pencils and gather around the screen. It just helps to signal kids that this is their time to listen and focus.
A sharing area is great as well. I love having a carpet to gather and share, but do what works best for your classroom/students.
A dedicated shelf or area for student materials. This should be a place where they know they can go to freely use materials without having to ask. I have a shelf that is clearly labeled “Student Materials”.
Luxury items: carpet, bean bag chairs, a couch, lamps

Grading

Establishing your grading system at the beginning of the unit and clearly explaining this to your students before starting the unit is crucial. Here are some items to consider:

Drafts: Will you grade them? If so, how? I recommend grading for completion and length, not for every bit of mechanics.
Assignments online: If you are doing this, decide ahead of time. For example, I have my kids brainstorm ideas for their narratives. It is an assignment that is completed on Google Classroom™. It is only worth 5 points and is not weighted heavily.
Notebooks: Will you grade them? Again, I recommend grading for completion and length, not for every bit of mechanics. If you do, I would recommend a rubric checklist where you just check off each item that should be in there.
Final Assessment: You will want to do a final assessment piece. I mix this up. Sometimes, I’ll do a “cold read” of a short story from the same genre with multiple-choice questions. I also might have kids do some kind of brochure or creative piece.
Anything else? There might be something else that is important to you or in your school. Be sure to account for this.

*If you have different assignment weights (i.e. a draft should not count as much as the final piece), how will you handle this?

There’s a lot to Consider when Starting Reading Workshop

That’s a lot of information! If you are going step-by-step through this blog post series, you will feel more equipped. Be sure to reach out with any questions.