Workshop Wednesday: Reading Workshop

Welcome to Workshop Wednesday, hosted by Ideas by Jivey.

This week the focus is Reading Workshop. This week I will be sharing a way that I stay organized while teaching 4 grade levels, with 7 different groups of children, and over 50 students a day. As the Title I teacher I don't have a Reading Workshop but while the students are with me that's pretty much exactly what we do!
One thing I like to do, to keep me organized and maximize my 30 minutes per group is keep a small basket ready that has all of the essential supplies we might need during any given lesson.

The light blue basket is our main basket that holds all

of our reading goodies and essential supplies!

 I actually have 3 special baskets!  I keep one at our main group table and the other two are usually kept on an extra desk near my white board. I like to call these baskets my "Special Teacher Basket." Inside my  main "special teacher basket" I keep things like: extra pencils, dry erase markers, colored ink pens, Mr. Sketch markers, index cards, sticky notes, erasers, highlighters, and my guided reading cards. In my other two baskets I keep things that we don't use everyday but that I want to have handy when we need them. One basket contains scissors, glue, and markers. The other basket houses all of my white board markers, Mr. Sketch markers, and my "magic wand" (as the students like to call it); this basket is always located at my white board! It allows me to keep the area clutter free but I have easy access to materials.

 Look at my boys using the baskets! They know they never have to ask to use anything that's located in the basket(s). These are their supplies to use to keep from stopping instructions to ask for supplies. 

 Do you see the two dark blue baskets on the table under my board? This is where I like to keep them. The students know that if we need glue, scissors, etc. to grab the whole basket and bring it over. If I need my dry erase markers they are all right there! I love having everything super handy when it's time to use it. 

Having all of my materials ready, in advance, allows me to jump into my lessons the second we walk in the door! No really, I start teaching the instant the students are in my room. What time saving tips, or other helpful Reading Workshop strategies do you have? Head over to Ideas by Jivey's blog and link up or have a look around to get more ideas.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to come back Friday, October 25 at 8am EST to get some amazing reading strategies tips and freebies during the Super Sleuths Blog Hop!

Shanon