Book excerpt: The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge is a first-of-its-kind resource that offers a practical process for creating an integrated literacy workshop using demonstration lessons that align with current curriculum standards. In this forward-thinking book, authors Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker share what they've learned over countless reading and writing workshops and combine into one literacy workshop. The authors demonstrate how you can save valuable classroom time while still empowering students to uncover exciting connections in their learning – leading to stronger, more motivational readers and writers. By weaving the common threads of literacy learning together, you can increase the time your students spend engaged in authentic reading and writing. Inside you'll find the following: A clear, succinct explanation of the literacy workshop structure, how to get started, and how to determine the best time to begin the merge 50+ demonstration lesson plans, appropriate for both primary and intermediate grade levels, that use strategies incorporating elements from recommended fiction and nonfiction anchor texts Substantial, printable resources and online tools to help make this instructional shift as smooth as possible. From the big picture to small, helpful details, The Literacy Workshop will be your guide as you blur the lines between your reading and writing workshops - creating space for students to apply their learning and practice the habits, behaviors, and actions of literate and engaged citizens.