In schools of every description, teachers are working to turn their classrooms into reading-writing workshops. They're filling bookcases with the best of childrens literature, and students are tucking writers' notebooks into their bulging backpacks.

This new look calls for meaningful change in teaching practice, but many questions about implementing literacy workshops remain. In this clear and practical book, Joanne Hindley takes a hard look at how to make every minute count and offers specific suggestions for creating rigorous, efficient, and successful reading and writing workshops.

Grounding her story in the lives of her third graders, Joanne tackles difficult issues and offers thoughtful direction and ideas you will appreciate:




how to manage a productive workshop setting in a crowded classroom;
how to launch writer's notebooks with your students;
how the study of one genre can help you manage the reading/writing workshop;
where to get ideas for mini-lessons for the reading/writing workshop;
guidelines to help you improve your conferring with individual readers and writers;
how to assess student progress in a process-oriented classroom.

In the Company of Children is a treasure trove of fresh ideas and strategies that teachers-in service and preservice-will draw on and adapt for their own classrooms.