Units of Study for Teaching Reading
A Workshop Curriculum for Kindergarten–Grade 5
High Expectations, Achievable Goals
The reading units of study help teachers provide their students with instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete doable goals to help them meet and exceed any set of high standards.
Proven Tools and Methods
It is an understatement to say these units have been piloted many times. The teaching in these books has been planned, taught, revised, and retaught, through a cycle of improvement involving literally thousands of classrooms in schools dotting the globe.
A Clear Instructional Arc
Each reading unit represents about five to six weeks of teaching, structured into three or four “bends in the road.” Rather than tackling the entire journey all at once, it’s easier to embark on this series of shorter, focused bends, pausing between each to regroup and prepare for the next.
The 10 Essentials of Reading Instruction
Series Components
Units of Study
Grades K–2 include one foundational unit and three other units to address reading fiction and informational texts. Grades 3–5 each include two units in reading fiction and two in reading informational texts.
A Guide to the Reading Workshop
Describes the essential principles, methods, and structures of effective reading workshop instruction. (Available for separate purchase—ideal for administrators and coaches who are supporting implementation of Units of Study.)
If...Then...Curriculum:
Assessment-Based Instruction
Abbreviated versions of additional units help teachers meet specific instructional needs.
Reading Pathways:
Performance Assessments and Learning Progressions, Grades 3–5
Puts a system for assessing reading into teachers’ hands and into the hands of students.
Anchor Chart Sticky Notes (K–5) & Read-Aloud Sticky Notes (K–2)
Large-format sticky notes help teachers create and evolve anchor charts across the units and preprinted sticky notes for grades K–2 highlight possible teaching points during read-alouds.
Trade Book Packs
(recommended optional purchase)
Used as demonstration texts for teachers to model the skills and strategies students will try. Some of these books are also used for read-aloud and shared reading.
Online Resources
A treasure chest of resources, including bibliographies, short texts, reproducible checklists, pre- and post-assessments, homework, mentor texts, videos, and Web links.
Online Resources - Spanish Translations
Spanish translations of resources such as teaching points, anchor charts, and student self-assessment resources are provided, along with lists of Spanish-language mentor texts.
Grade-Level Video Orientations
In these video courses, Lucy Calkins and her colleagues provide an overview of the units along with tips and guidelines to help teachers get off to a good start.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Overview
- Series Overview Pam Smith (19:03)
- Why do a reading workshop? Lucy Calkins (1:59)
- What is different in the new Units of Study for Teaching Reading? Lucy Calkins (1:11)
- How are the reading and writing units connected? Katie Clements, Kelly Boland Hohne (2:33)
- What is the basic structure of the Units of Study for Teaching Reading? Lucy Calkins (2:06)
- How is explicit instruction woven throughout the Units? Lucy Calkins (2:04)
- How are the Learning Progressions used to raise the level of students’ reading in grades 3-5? Lucy Calkins (1:48)
- What are some examples of reading units that directly align with writing units? (intermediate grades) Katie Clements, Kelly Boland Hohne (5:15)
Getting Started
- Advice for unpacking your new units box. Lucy Calkins (1:34)
- Practical advice for ramping up in your first year with the units. Lucy Calkins (3:39)
- Classroom Videos from TCRWP
Grade-Level Support
- How do the units help kindergarteners get started learning to read? Natalie Louis (3:00)
- How does instruction progress across the kindergarten units? Natalie Louis (2:44)
- How does instruction progress across the first grade units? Elizabeth Dunford Franco (2:53)
- How is reading developed across the second grade units? Amanda Hartman (5:51)
Support for Specific Topics
- How do the primary reading units teach the reading process? Natalie Louis (1:32)
- How are students supported in applying word study learning in the units? Katie Wears, Lindsay Barton (3:35)
- How are tools used within the units to support instruction and engage students? Elizabeth Dunford Franco, Marjorie Martinelli (5:50)
- How is shared reading addressed in the units? Lauren Kolbeck, Angela Baez (1:46)
- How is read-aloud supported within the units? Lauren Kolbeck, Angela Baez (2:11)
- How are nonfiction reading skills developed across the intermediate units? Katie Clements, Kathleen Tolan (17:16)
- How is character taught across the units? Katie Clements, Kathleen Tolan (12:28)
- What should teachers think about as they set up classroom libraries? Lauren Kolbeck, Angela Baez (2:09)
Leadership
- How can administrators help teachers succeed with the units? Lucy Calkins (3:05)
- How can administrators support communities of learning in their schools? Lucy Calkins (2:35)
Purchasing Options
Series Bundles
Purchase Recommendation: choose the bundle with the Trade Book Packs if your library does not already include the mentor texts referenced in the Units.
Each Grade Level with Trade Pack
Each Grade Level without Trade Pack
Additional Units of Study for Selected Grade Levels
The TCRWP is a learning organization that is continuously building on their earlier work. These two additional book-length units fit tongue-and-groove with the original grades 1 and 3 units.
Guides to the Reading Workshop
A copy of the appropriate Guide is included in your Units box. These Guides are offered as an optional purchase for administrators and coaches.
