Teachers are faced with a dilemma when they know what good teaching is but feel pressure from their colleagues and administrators to use published test preparation materials to teach reading and writing. However, effective instructional practices and mandated testing demands can coexist if teachers choose methods that not only provide authentic learning experiences, but also prepare students to pass state tests. Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop are two such methods that enable students to practice authentic reading and writing for sustained periods of time while honing their skills. This article discusses how the use of these effective methods can help teachers facilitate student progress in reading and writing. To demonstrate how these instructional strategies are used, the authors provide lesson outlines as examples of Reading and Writing Workshops. These lessons may take one class period or can be spread over several class periods, depending on the amount of time available for Reading and Writing Workshops, the grade level of the students, and the attention span of the students.