This whole guided reading beast can feel overwhelming at first. Rest assured friends, it can be conquered! We'll walk through step-by-step so you can easily
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
Are you concerned that your students are not getting the most out of your phonics instruction? It's easy to become frustrated and feel like we're not doing
Guided reading groups are so important. I have always cherished this time to reach a small group of students that are grouped at the same reading level. Not to mention this gives me time to sit down and not be on my feet! I make sure to do small groups EVERY day no matter what. In …
Hi everyone, I'm finally ready to reveal my new guided reading pack and I'm so excited about it! Last year, I made it my mission to improve my guided reading
Unlock strategies for 4th and 5th grade small group reading. Explore different focuses and a six-step process to use.
Planning your guided literacy time is bout to get so much easier. I get asked a lot about how to tie reading and writing together, while focusing on fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, writing, etc. I create this resource to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to make planning
This list of FREE online reading for kids provides you with engaging books and passages to use with your guided reading groups!
Visualizing the text is such an important strategy used for building your students’ reading comprehension. It is very versatile as it can be used in different ways with students of all ages and reading levels. I
The buckets are packed with goodies, and the kids were soooooo excited to start our new guided reading groups this week. I have 5 different groups with 4 students in each group. Each group will be reading a different Jerry Spinelli novel: Wringer, Report to the Principal's Office, Maniac Magee, Loser, and Fourth Grade Rats. We do guided reading each day, and all groups work at the same time. My resource teacher works with me during this time, and she meets with (runs) the same group each day - she works with my below grade level group. I meet with two different groups each day (I read with one group, then I work on the task with a second group). This way, I meet with each of my four groups every second day, and my group that needs help the most has teacher support every day. Our overall focus for the next four weeks is Literal Comprehension (this is our division focus for my school). Each group also has a subfocus they are working on in their groups (vocabulary, phrasing, expression, accuracy, and conventions). I know conventions isn't a typical guided reading group focus, but for this particular group, it is a necessity! On Tuesday we built our Literal Comprehension Anchor chart - establishing our learning goal and building our success criteria. Each student copied this chart into their reading journals. This is one of my student's journals. I was WOWED by it - such attention to detail! (Now, if I can just get her to stop spelling summary with an 'e' I will be one happy teacher!). Each day after reading the students have two tasks. First, they need to answer literal comprehension questions from their reading. They can discuss their answers as a group, but each student is responsible for writing their own answers in their journals. The next task is something new I started this year. I created a Summary of Learning sheet for each group which I posted on my bulletin board. Each sheet has the novel name and the groups' subfocus written on it. After each day of reading, students are required to write one thing they learned from their reading each day on a special coloured sticky note. This should relate to their group's subfocus. They then post their notes on their sheets on the bulletin board. I created a special "Summary of Learning" section in my guided reading binder to keep track of all these sticky notes. Each day as I take down the old sticky notes so the students can post their new ones, I will add it to their page (a piece of blank paper inside a page protector). It will be so neat to see the growth in their reflections. Happy Thursday!!! Reading Comprehension Strategy Bundle Book Report Bundle Building Better Reading Responses Reading Concept Posters Bundle InLinkz.com
As an ESL teacher, I often hear from classroom teachers that they don't always know where to start when it comes to working with beginning English language learners (ELLs), or newcomers, in small group instruction. In this post I'll share a typical "guided reading" lesson that I would give to my beginning ELLs, as well as a glance of at what a typical week would look like. Let me start by saying, the very first thing I do before I start instructing my newcomers is, I assess what they already know. First, I see if they have literacy skills in their native language...can they read and write? Then, I see if they know alphabet letter names and sounds. Next, I assess their reading level. Since they don't have English literacy skills yet, their reading level typically starts at level "A" (emergent). I can say that most students do have some literacy skills in their home language, and often times, many know some letter names and sounds. So now I've got my starting point! When I first begin working with my newcomers, the main components of reading that I typically focus on are building vocabulary, phonological awareness/phonics and sight words. So a typical week would encompass all three of these skills. Down the road I add comprehension skills, but they are not ready for that yet. Step 1 - Choose an appropriate book. I carefully select books that have relevant vocabulary. For the most part, my main focus is to build their vocabulary. The literacy skills in their native language will transfer to their new language, however, they have an extremely limited vocabulary, so... vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary! I chose this book because I wanted to teach my students the word "big." It's also about animals, and I know that most kids are interested in reading about animals! I used gestures to SHOW them what "big" means. It's important to be mindful of your students' age when picking out books. You don't want to give 4th-6th graders books about bunnies or teddy bears. Try picking age appropriate books; which I know can be a challenge if the selection is limited, but you don't want your students feeling embarrassed. Step 2 - Preview the book. Point to and say each animal's name and have the students repeat the names back to you, keeping in mind to speak clearly and to enunciate the sounds in each word. It's important for them to hear how to pronounce the names. A side thought...Think about "A" level books... they are not created with English language learners in mind. "A" level books have repeated sentences, which are GREAT, but they also have very specific vocabulary that students are expected to decode using picture cues. In the book my students read last week, the repeated sentence was, "We go to the _____." The pictures show the family in different locations like the pool, park, library, soccer game, etc. In one picture the family is standing in front of a large fish tank. If I asked English only students where the family is, some might say a fish store or they might even guess aquarium, depending on their background knowledge. Then they'd cross check their thinking with the word and see that it begins with the letter "a" and hopefully they'd say, "It's an aquarium!" But our newcomers don't know what a big fish tank place is called in English, so it's important for us to support our students by saying the names of each vocabulary word. Step 3 - Choral reading! Newcomers feel more comfortable in a choral reading setting. They need help pronouncing the words. They need to hear YOU pronounce the words. Choral reading helps to keep anxiety levels low. (In a few weeks, the choral reading decreases and I will start focusing on decoding.) Step 4 - After reading, review the animal names. Point to an animal and see if they can remember the name. Perhaps make a matching activity with animal pictures and names. Support as needed. Encourage a LOT! Step 5 - I always provide a guided writing activity based off of the book we just read. I use sentence frames to support their thinking and writing. Sometimes I create my own, like the picture below, and other times I'll use a graphic organizer as a follow up activity. On this day I wanted them to understand the meaning of "big," so their writing supported this goal. As they finish their writing activity, I'll ask each student to read some of their writing to me. Then they'll draw a quick picture, which I always ask them to label. I know that my newcomers don't understand every word in the book, and that's OK! They are being exposed to new words and ideas in a repeating format. I want them to get used to the structure of our lessons so that they know what's expected. So, here is what a typical week of small group work entails for my newcomers. Knowing what the focus is each day helps me to zone in on their learning goals. The variety keeps it fun and interesting, yet it's consistent so they know what's expected. As you can see, on Tuesdays I include direct vocabulary instruction, either using the vocabulary from the book, like the animals, monthly themed vocabulary, or content area vocabulary. October Themed Vocabulary (along with sight words and phonics review) One vocabulary activity I have my students do is called the K.I.M. Strategy. In their notebook they write the key word (K), important information (I), sketch a memory clue (M) and write a sentence (S). For my newcomers, I leave out the (I) portion. They are not ready for adding "information." Right now the goal is for them to learn the names of things and simple sentence structure. My higher ELLS definitely include all components of the K.I.M. Strategy in their notebooks. This is what the K.I.M. Strategy looks like. And this is how it looks modified for my newcomers... On Thursdays, I focus on building sight words. When teaching sight words, it's important to teach them in context. Your beginning ELs need context in order to make meaning of the words. I pull a sight word from our books and I include an extension activity with that word. (A link to this resource is provided at the bottom of this post.) I do teach sight words throughout the week, but on Thursdays we always have an extension activity for one of them. As an "exit ticket" I have them orally use the sight word. Today, I asked each student, "What can you do?" And they responded with "I can _____." Then they get a high five, a sticker (big kids like stickers too!), or some encouraging praise. I also include Word Study activities in my small group work. I like using the sorts from Words Their Way. Each Monday they receive a new spelling pattern. Remember, I assessed my students to see what they already knew. Most already knew initial sounds, so I started them with word families. If they did not know initial sounds, I would've started there. I do have one student in this group who does not know many initials sounds, so I spend a little extra focus with him on initial sounds. This resource is from "Words Their Way." My newcomers use this activity to learn spelling patterns AND vocabulary. They are introduced to their new word list on Mondays, then they have independent activities to do with their word list throughout the week in their gen ed classrooms. (It's so important to set newcomers up with meaningful activities that they can work on independently during Reader's Workshop.) Below is their Word Study Activities list. It gets glued into their Reading Notebook. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays they work on their independent activities. Friday is Word Study Quiz day! FREEBIE - Click Here And that's what small group instruction looks like with my newcomers. To recap, assess what students can do to evaluate your starting point. Focus on building vocabulary, sight words in context, word spelling patterns and choral reading to start. My guided reading lessons usually looks like... preview the book, front load main vocabulary, choral read, and end with a guided writing activity with sentence frames. Here's a TIP: Many times I make my own guided writing activity based on what I want the students to learn from the book. I'll write the activity in my notebook, make copies, cut them to size, then have students glue it into their notebook. Keep this notebook! You may get a newcomer next year, and when you do, many of your guided writing activities will already be made. You'll just need to find the book that goes with the activity. My notebook where I write out the guided writing activities. I know that many school districts lack ESL resources and often times the classroom teacher is the only one providing instruction. Knowing where to start with beginning English learners is probably the biggest challenge. I hope that this post gives you some ideas about where to start and what to focus on with your new students. To read more about the K.I.M. Strategy, click here. Affiliate links below for Sight Words and Word Study.
These free phonics reading passages have it all: phonics skills, fluency practice and comprehension questions. Plus, students love them!
What reading strategies do students need to know? Find out here and keep track with a free chart!
A blog about teaching, education and all things related to teaching elementary grade levels.
I posted two new products on TPT tonight! The first one is a set of Word Wall Words and the second is a packet of guided reading lesson plans. You can purchase these here! I was struggling to find lesson plans for my guided reading time, so I decided to create my own. These plans allow me to still use Deanna Jump's Guided Reading 101 Packet. They fit in with everything provided in her product and the two go perfectly together! Click here to Purchase this Product Well, That's it for now! I hope everyone is having a great week!! Only 2 more days until the weekend! Stay Blessed!
Creating plans for reading small groups can be a daunting task. Read how I plan and prep for the year and week by week for my small group reading lessons.
This is a set of two reading comprehension spinners for Kindergarten or 1st grade (one fiction spinner and one nonfiction spinner). Each spinner has a color and B&W version. You can use these spinners during small group / guided reading, and eventually have students use them with a partner during independent work. This resource is part of my Kindergarten partner reading pack and Kindergarten literacy centers pack. If you have one of those packs, then you already have this resource! :)
These easy reading response activities make fiction and nonfiction reading meaningful. Learn how these reading graphic organizers can work for you.
Learn all about how you can easily teach guided reading level D to boost all readers in this level and feel confident in your teaching.
Adding some fun games for reading in the classroom schedule will instantly get your kids excited to read! These 5 fun reading games are...
These easy reading response activities make fiction and nonfiction reading meaningful. Learn how these reading graphic organizers can work for you.
When I started at my new school last year, I came into a new reading program. I was used to doing almost all of my reading instruction WHOLE CLASS, but my school uses a guided reading model all the way up to 5th grade. I definitely had to rethink my reading block! I had done centers in the past, but wanted a really clear way to maximize the time and make the transitions clear for the students. Here's how I do my guided reading block! ROTATIONS We have Guided Reading/Centers Monday-Thursday from about 1:10-2:00 and I rotate through four groups. This means each center is 12 minutes long, with about 30 seconds for a transition. 12 minutes can fly by, so the students have to work on getting those transitions DOWN. I found a FANTASTIC resource by my friend Kristen of Chalk & Apples, and it has made centers SO easy. There are tons of different icons that can be easily swapped out on different days or weeks. I change mine up all the time! In a typical week, I do guided reading with leveled passages on Monday and Wednesday, and we do literature circles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. GROUPS My students are grouped according to DRA levels, because that is what my school uses. You might use AR, Lexile, or another measure. I have four groups: Low, Low-Mid, High-Mid, and High. Each group has a number, but I assign the number randomly so it doesn't match up to skill level in any way. I have 24 students in my class this year, so there will be 6 kids in each group. If you have a larger class, you can still make it work by having your higher groups work on their own while you work with a lower group and just check in! GUIDED READING I LOVE this close reading resource from Fifth in the Middle. I bought the entire bundle so I have TONS of options. Each reading comes in four reading levels, but they are on the same topic and look the same so students don't notice. There is also a paired text that I try to use for morning work toward the end of the week. There are several pages of activities for each passage, and I often have the students start these at the table with me after we've read the passage out loud. When it is their turn for guided reading, the students come to me at our back table with a pencil and a highlighter. I give them their sheets for that day and discuss what we will be looking for while we read (unfamiliar words usually) and we begin reading. I like to make sure each child reads, so however I have to break it up to make that happen. After reading through, I ask them to scan through again to find specific information. This changes week to week, so one time it might be looking for transition phrases, and another it might be looking for dates to create a timeline. Then, we talk about what everyone found and work on putting together the information on the worksheet. I, of course, provide a lot more scaffolding and support to my lower readers, while my high readers are able to do the activity on their own. LIT CIRCLES On the days that we have literature circles, the students still come to the back table with me, but this time they bring their lit circle book (which varies) and their lit circle binder. In their binder, they keep all of their jobs and their reading schedule. I have used about a GAZILLION resources for lit circles (including online blogs), but this one from Pocketful of Primary is my absolute FAVORITE: It is SOO easy to adapt to groups of different sizes and I found it very user-friendly for both the kiddos and for myself! I organize the jobs using a hanging file I found on Amazon. You can find it here: THE OTHER CENTERS So what do the kiddos do during their other blocks of time? Here's some options I cycle through: STAPLES: Partner Reading Each student has a partner from their reading group that they meet up with for this activity. I typically use "I Survived" books or similar short chapter books. I stock up through Scholastic! I have 6 shared books for the entire class, and I place a sheet inside the front cover so the students can write their names and where they ended each day they read. I always have new books ready to go for the students who finish. I do this strictly for fluency, so I don't do quizzes or worksheets. Silent Reading (KBAR) In my class, we call silent reading KBAR- Kick Back and Read. When we do a whole class KBAR, I sometimes take it outside. Spelling (Spelling City) I typically use Spelling City for centers, but sometimes do a worksheet instead. Vocabulary (Quizlet)Quizlet is AMAZING. I love using this for vocabulary! The students really enjoy it as well. Keyboarding (KWT) This is a tough one since monitoring the students' finger placement is so important. I don't do this OFTEN as a center, but throw it in now and again. Writing If we are working on a longer project (such as the state report), I have the students use this chunk of time for that. Otherwise, I sometimes provide a prompt or allow them to free write. Here's one of the resources I use: NoRedInk If you've never used this site, CHECK IT OUT! It's one of the best ways to get some extra grammar practice into your day! Be aware that the initial set up takes a bit of time because the students have to select a bunch of their favorites from different categories: books, tv shows, movies. What's neat is the site uses their preferences and their name + their friends' names when building the practice sentences. The kids get a kick out of it! Task Cards (small group) Students work with their reading group and record their answers on individual answer sheets. I have a huge selection of task cards that I keep in one of these bad boys from Michael's: Cursive (Can Do) I love that my school teaches cursive, but in fifth grade, we don't have a lot of specific time for it. To keep the kid's practicing, I assign pages from our cursive book during centers. Reading Comprehension (Reading Plus) We use Reading Plus, but there are many online reading comprehension sites. Use whatever your district provides or what works for your class! Games I will occasionally throw in a review game for the kids to play with their small group. The key is they have to be short and not too loud! Comment below if you have other questions or want to add some advice on running smooth ELA centers with Guided Reading!
10 Activities to Increase Reading Fluency for your first grade students. Ideas for small groups instruction and stations.
Procedures, routines, printables, anchor chart examples, and mentor texts to support reading independence while launching reading workshop.
In this post, I use simple charts to show the differences between these important literacy routines!
I really love to teach guided reading groups. It is always interesting and you really get to see how every student is unique in how they learn and process all the information. I like to see them make progress and move up reading levels and also REALLY comprehend what they are reading on another level. Amazing. I know many teachers may have struggled with this question before like I have...What do I do with those high readers? In second grade they are just not quite ready to start literature circles, but the daily small group guided reading is too slow and boring for them. I try to do something in between. I still want to meet with them to make sure we aren't missing an important piece of their reading instruction, but I also want them to become independent and really connect with their reading. Here are a few ideas that I have used for those readers that are really ready to move beyond the small group guided reading. I create a reading passport for these students. We put their picture on the front. Every time they finish a book, they add the title to their passport. In the passport, they can keep track of how many fiction and nonfiction books they read. This passport can be used for all levels! Reading Passport I meet with the group to introduce their book and have the discussions about predictions, unusual vocabulary, and any connections we might have. Then they go on their own to read as a group to the assigned chapter and complete a portion of their Book Club Notes. We always discuss ahead of time what the expectation is and what portion of the notes I will be looking for at our next meeting. They love the independence and take this very seriously! Book Club Notes I also like to provide something more for some of my other groups that are working above level, but not ready for this much independence. I just continue with our regular guided reading groups, but have them use a small bookmark to add their thinking and summarizing. I have a fiction or nonficiton bookmark. I add this to their book bag and they complete a portion at a time and bring it back to group for our discussions. Reading Groups Book Mark (Fiction) Reading Groups Bookmark (nonfiction) Sometimes I need a few reminders about asking those higher order thinking questions...for all my groups! I like to keep this list of question starters in my guided reading binder to help me remember to push them to think about their thinking! Higher Order Thinking Questions I can't wait to really get to work in my guided reading groups!
How To Teach Making Predictions made easier for 1st grade teachers. Get ideas, activities and a free printable here for making predictions.
I have a fun reading resource for you! Book Talk is loaded with ideas to use for retelling stories, comprehending reading, and using books and tools to share some good conversations. Click here for a preview. Students will have plenty to do during reading time. Plus, there are some great homework ideas too! I recently updated this cover and added more graphic organizers and activities to this resource. Here are just a few examples of what's included: Questions to ask partners or questions for parents to ask their child about the book they are reading. It helps start and guide the conversation about books. If you ONLY want the Book Talk Questions, scroll to the bottom of this post. The questions come in a variety of ways. You can get them all on one sheet or on small papers like below. I put a ring on these and students have a ton of questions to ask themselves or with their partner. These are handy and ready to go on a moments notice. You can use these questions for any genre you are reading. This pack includes 5 book reports with directions and rubrics! Just copy and send home for homework projects. This pack has graphic organizers to keep the conversation going through writing. Over 40 graphic organizers included! Also some reading activities for students that finish early or need some more enrichment. One sheet is for partners to do together and one sheet is for the individual learner who can work at their own pace. You will be sure to find some reading logs in this pack too. There is even one for the entire class to keep track of the books you read together as a class. Plus so much more!!! All activities can be used with any book or any reading program you use in the classroom. You can find Book Talk here on my blog for a discounted price: Discounted Price:Sell ebooks If you ONLY want the Book Talk Questions, click the picture on the left. This pack has 10 pages full of questions students should be answering while reading their story. You can only purchase these questions here on my blog. Click to read more about it. If you ONLY want the book reports, Click on the picture below. Book Reports have 4 book reports with directions and a grading rubric. There are also 3 extra reports to use at anytime! You can ONLY buy this on my blog right now. Thanks for stopping by! See you soon,
Guided reading is an excellent instructional tool, but guided reading for ELLs is equally as effective--and maybe even more important!
When studying learning and cognition in graduate school, I was drawn to the theories of Lev Vygotsky, a Russian Psychologist from the early 1900s that presented a sociocultural approach to learning and cognition. He offered a theory that I believe presents optimal classroom instruction for all learners. What is Vygotsky’s Theoretical Lens? At the heart of Vygotsky's theoretical lens is that social interaction plays a key role in the development of learning and cognition. Vygotsky claimed: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (inner-psychological) and then inside the child (intra-psychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals.” A second key feature of Vygotsky's theory is that one’s potential for learning depends upon the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). In the literature, ZPD is synonymous with the later concept, scaffolding, and suggests learning with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds independent learning. Vygotsky defined the ZPD as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers." Using the ZPD to Enhance Classroom Teaching and Individualized Instruction: It’s always best to keep your students in the ZPD. See the image above. On the one hand, when learning is too easy, students get bored and their attention drifts away from a lesson. On the other hand, if learning is too hard, then anxiety and confusion can result and when discouraged enough, students can develop a sense of learned helplessness. The “sweet spot” is the ZPD where students are challenged enough to maintain attention and they are able to learn new concepts with guided assistance and scaffolding. Then, as learning happens, the support structure is slowly pulled away. Eventually, students engage in independent learning and practice until they reach automatization. Learning to automatization means that one has fully learned a concept to mastery and the process of completing a problem is virtually automatic and requires little to no thought. What are Some Direct Applications of Teaching in the ZPD? Because every student’s zone of proximal development is different, it can be challenging for teachers to accommodate the individual needs of each learner. Here are some possible problems and solutions. Problem Solution A student is unable to answer a direct question in class. - The teacher guides the student to the correct answer providing some scaffolding and by asking them questions. Some students have already learned the concept and others have not. - Break the class into two groups. Provide challenging applications to the group that has learned the concept and scaffolding instruction to the group that has not learned the concept. - Allow the students that have learned the concept to teach the students that have not. My students have a wide range of experience and knowledge with a topic. - Create learning stations with hands-on manipulatives, guiding materials, and demonstration videos that teach the concepts of the lesson. Have beginners, intermediate and advanced stations that increase in difficulty. Help each student select the best learning station. When a student finishes the advanced station, have them assist the other students to mastery. Some students still have not learned the concept after the lesson. - Offer one on one guidance and scaffolding with yourself or a peer mentor. - Go multisensory, creative and colorful in your instruction. Provide opportunities for the student to watch a demonstration and then do it themselves. Eventually, have them teach the concept back to you. Some students are ashamed or hide the fact that they have not learned a concept. - Create a safe environment for students to ask questions. Provide positive reinforcement for students that communicate misconceptions and learning difficulties. - Create a box in your class where students can write down their questions and ask for additional help. - Ask students to anonymously rate your lessons. Let them rate their learning on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 = Didn’t learn it - 10 = Got it). Also ask them about how engaging the lesson was (0 = boring and 10 = interesting, fun and engaging). By tapping into each student's zone of proximal development, you can assure that you will be maximizing your students' learning potential. What's more, you will find that your students are more engaged, find joy in the learning process and become active learners. I hope you found this blog helpful. I would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.· Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/· YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1· Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/· Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/· Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/· Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400 · Private Practice: Learning to Learn
Rolling Through the Text Rolling Through the Text Original article and pictures take http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rolling-Thr...
Guided Reading Level D Curriculum is here! This level of Guided Reading will move students to a more independent level of reading with simple stories,
These Reading Comprehension Cubes are a great activity for whole group or small group review of story elements, story events, student opinions, and more! Instead of just calling on child after child to answer comprehension questions after a story, toss the cube to one another and answer the questions! Three cubes are included with varying levels of difficulty. Also included are larger cards to place in the popular large soft classroom cubes many of you may have. (Find these cubes at http://www.teachersparadise.com/c/beginning-math-roll-learn-pocket-cubes-p-46866.html or many other teacher resource stores.) Students will love these oral reviews and you will easily be able to assess their comprehension skills when using these fun cubes! Thanks for checking us out! Please feel free to follow our TpT store, follow our blog at http://kellyandkimskindergarten.blogspot.com, and check us out on Facebook at Kelly and Kim's Kreations also!