Starting the year off with establishing routines and procedures for reading and writing workshop will get you and your students off to a successful year.  It took me years and lots of research to find the most efficient way to get organized with setting routines.  I like to start both workshops on the first day of school with a mini lesson on routines.  For example, on the first day of school the mini lesson for reading workshop may have to do with how to choose a book and enjoy reading it.  I start off by showing my students a variety of genres I enjoy.  I’ll bring in magazines, newspapers, novels, professional journals, etc. for my students to see the kind of reading I do.  One of my goals is for them to notice my enthusiasm for reading and that we can make choices of what to read. Your classroom library would be set up ahead of time by putting books into bins. 

For example, your classroom books can be sorted by author, genre, award winners, classics, favorites of _____ grade, science themes, etc.  You will want to encourage your students how to choose from these bins and return them to maintain the organization of your book collection.  Another mini lesson to do on the first day could be to encourage reading silently without chatting to others to demonstrate that readers think as they read.  This part is especially critical to set the routine while everyone reads independently while you confer or meet with small groups.

There are many ways to get started with writing workshop at the beginning of the year.  One of my favorite ways on the first day is to introduce using a writer’s notebook.  I like to survey the kids to find out about their experience with notebooks.  I also like to show them my notebook, which I feel empowered by keeping one myself.  Asking them why writers use a notebook is informative, too.   Ralph Fletcher, in his book Writer’s Notebooks, has a great analogy about getting started with a writer’s notebook.  He compares using a notebook to an incubator.  Some seeds in the notebook will hatch and become more than just a seed and continue to grow while others will stay as a warm seed idea and may not ever become anything more.  My third graders always make a connection to Fletcher’s thinking about notebooks.  For the next several days of school, some effective mini lessons to follow can be to show your students how to gather seeds for notebook writing, e.g. draw a self-portrait, record a memory about the summer, list favorites (unlimited topic!), sketching in the notebook, use of a Venn diagram or T-chart.  There are way too many suggestions to name them all.  I have found based on personal experience that utilizing a writer’s notebook in these ways at the beginning of the year sets the stage for writing projects across the year.  It sets you and your students up for success.

Some children’s literature which support using a writer’s notebook:
* Hey World, Here I Am – Jean Little
* Amelia’s Notebook – Marissa Moss
* Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street - Roni Schotter
* Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe  - Vera B. Williams
* I’m in Charge of Celebrations – Byrd Baylor

If you’d like to read more about ways to launch reading/writing workshop, a terrific resource is Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 by Irene C. Fountas & G.S. Pinnell; Guided Reading by Irene C. Fountas and G. S. Pinnell (for primary grades).    You will love the quiet and efficient use of time in your classroom by establishing these powerful and practical routines as you get ready to meet in small groups during guided reading and literature study.