Reader's Workshop Reader's Workshop: Reader's workshop is an hour long period where students are taught for 15-20 minutes in a whole group setting, work independently for 35-40 minutes, and then gather back together to share what they have learned. The mini-lessons focus on the unit of study, for instance non-fiction. During the independent work time some students are conferred with one-on-one, some work in small homogeneous groups, while others read independently. This is a great way to meet all the individual needs of our students.