You’ve heard it said many times; reading and writing go hand in hand. It’s true. But how do you meaningfully connect the two in everyday classroom practice?
In The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge, authors and educators Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker share what they’ve learned from occasionally converging their separate reading and writing workshops into one literacy workshop helping you save valuable classroom time while encouraging students to uncover exciting connections in their learning—leading to stronger, more motivated readers and writers.
Find out what folks are saying about this forward-thinking book.
"The Literacy Workshop . . . shows us how to integrate reading and writing learning standards . . . all while keeping the specific children you teach right at the center of your decision-making."
"Applicable to both primary and middle grade classrooms, The Literacy Workshop by Karen Biggs-Tucker and Maria Walther, shows us how to integrate reading and writing learning standards, maximize learning time, leverage strengths in one area to support opportunities for learning in another, all while keeping the specific children you teach right at the center of your decision-making.” —Jennifer Serravallo
". . . Maria and Karen help us envision a less choppy and more connected literacy experience for all students.”
“The Literacy Workshop is the book that helps teachers create classrooms where students drive their own learning. By looking at common and complementary aspects of reading and writing, Maria and Karen help us envision a less choppy and more connected literacy experience for all students.” —Gravity Goldberg
“The Literacy Workshop by Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker is a professional gift to us all . . ."
“The Literacy Workshop by Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker is a professional gift to us all, offering a thoughtful merger of reading and writing workshop through a flexible lens of what it might look like when intention centered on students leads the way.” —Dr. Mary Howard
"The effective organization, key chart, and colorful figures make this book readable and accessible for teachers with a busy, tight, demanding schedule—that’s every teacher!"
“Time is the currency of education. Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker have written a smart, practical book that will show teachers how they can find the time to engage students in deep reading and myriad opportunities to write. The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge includes demonstration lessons for both primary and intermediate grades with perfect mentor texts and a concise, well-written annotation and rationale for selecting it. The effective organization, key chart, and colorful figures make this book readable and accessible for teachers with a busy, tight, demanding schedule—that’s every teacher! ” —Lynne R. Dorfman
"This book provides teachers with everything they need to make savvy decisions to create the cognitively-stimulating and culturally-embracing classrooms our students deserve.”
“The Literacy Workshop maps out a pathway for re-imagining the reading and writing workshop with authentic and engaging learning opportunities. Built on a foundation of strong pedagogy and diverse mentor text selections, Karen and Maria demystify the relationship between reading and writing with a depth of practitioner insight and rich student work samples. This book provides teachers with everything they need to make savvy decisions to create the cognitively-stimulating and culturally-embracing classrooms our students deserve.”
—Dana Onayemi, Founder, Executive Director, and Equity Coach—Project Imagine, LLC
"The Literacy Workshop feels like it’s closing an instructional loop that has been begging to be closed.”
“Imagine that someone took all your favorite professional thinkers—the ones on whom your practice is built—and then intentionally made connections between them in a way that amplifies their impact, both simplifying and adding complexity to the most compelling of reading, writing, and thinking work. The Literacy Workshop feels like it’s closing an instructional loop that has been begging to be closed.” —Amy Ellerman, Instructional Coach, Maple Grove Elementary, Golden, CO, Contributing Writer for the Two Writing Teachers blog
" . . . Karen Biggs-Tucker and Maria Walther have bottled up literacy magic."
“With The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge, Karen Biggs-Tucker and Maria Walther have bottled up literacy magic. In remixing the reading and writing workshop as literacy workshop, Biggs-Tucker and Walther model how to maximize the precious little time we have with students to reflect our priorities—kids engaging in the real work of readers and writers, questioners and ponderers, global citizens and compassionate humans. This book guides, confirms, lifts, and gently nudges us to take our literacy practices to a place of rich instruction with classroom-ready lessons paired with some of the best titles from today’s children’s literature landscape. ” —Jessica Walsh, Instructional Specialist, Indian Prairie District 204, Aurora, IL
About the authors
Teacher, author, literacy consultant, and children’s literature enthusiast, Maria Walther taught first grade for 34 years. She partners with teachers across the country to bring joy to their literacy instruction. The ideas she shares reflect her commitment to teaching, researching, writing, and collaborating with her colleagues.
Karen Biggs-Tucker is a teacher in St. Charles, IL where she has taught both second and fifth grade for 34 years. She recently finished her second professional book with Maria Walther titled The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge. She believes in lifelong learning through reading, writing, researching, and then sharing that learning with others—just like her own students do in literacy workshop.
