Guided Reading Routines

Hi, Friends! How are ya? Ready for the weekend? Me? Oh, yeaauuuuh! It’s been a doozy of a week! The highlight? I finally got to do my favorite thing on the planet! ….work with my kids on reading! TO TEACH! The beginning of the year comes with so many “must do’s” it’s almost as if the actual teaching gets put on the back burner. Welllll, being the type of gal that prefers teaching over assessing any day…..actually getting seated at the guided reading table with a group of kids was an absolute blast!

After introducing our last area for Daily 5, it was time to dig in to the meat of why we spent the 1st 20 days building stamina to work independently.

Last week, I promised to share a little more about our guided reading routines.  As we’re starting to build them….here’s a little peek into our 1st week!

Our guided reading block is a solid 2 hours. Every precious minute of it is jammed packed with mini-lessons and small group activities. The wonderful thing about our schedule is having extended instructional blocks. Our daily literacy block basically flows like this……Guided Reading, then Mini-Lesson, Guided Reading, then Mini-Lesson and Guided Reading, then mini-lesson followed by independent work (if time allows). In the past I had begun with a mini-lesson…..

I chose to start with small group instead of a mini-lesson because our literacy block falls just after intervention. By doing this, I make sure not to do any new teaching of concepts before my littles who may have been pulled out return to the classroom.

Each round begins with students “checking in”. This year, I added “teacher table” clipart to the check-in for the group that is rotating to the table to check in first.

The first thing we do is review sight words.

Students practice writing on a laminated sheet of paper. A whiteboard could be easily used instead. I chose to go this route because taking whiteboards in and out was a little too big and bulky for me. Last year, I used contact paper to adhere them to the table. This year, students and I are sharing the space at the table, so I’ve left them free standing. You can click HERE to grab them, if you think you’d like to use them.

After reviewing 3 sight words, students are introduced to their book for the week or begin rereading their book with prompting. The goal of this time is active processing. I want to see my students encounter challenges and observe them as they problem solve to decode words. It’s during this time that I take individual running records and make notes of student reading behaviors. It generally takes about 8 minutes or so.

After reading, we go over a quick discussion prompt that explores a comprehension strategy.

Then, one new sight word is taught. We go through the 4 activities below in order to learn this sight word. Each student has a little bin in front of them that houses magnetic letters to build the new sight word, pencils, a highlighter, expo marker and an eraser.

Finally, we complete one of two activities. Early in the week, guided reading lessons conclude with word study. At our school, we use Wilson Fundations. It’s at this time, that we work to learn phonics patterns. During visits to the guided reading table later in the week, we complete guided writing or reading responses to deepen comprehension.

My file cabinet sits just behind the table. On word study days, we use these cards for word building. On guided writing days, I provide an example of the graphic organizer students will complete on a small whiteboard. Because it is not used daily, I’ve attached it to file cabinet with velcro. Sticks when we need it….pulls free when we don’t! =)

Guided writing notebooks are kept on a shelf close to the guided reading table. The label on the front of each bin indicates the name of the group…blue, purple, green or red. The symbols also correlate to the leveled readers from our series that we use for guided reading. We’ll use these journals throughout the year to complete guided writing, reading responses, and graphic organizers. They do not leave the classroom.

Here’s an example of the graphic organizer we completed this week over sequence of events. The picture shows 3 out of my 4 reading groups. Same concept…differentiated. The first group responded by recording complete sentences from the story in the order of how they happened in the story. The second group, copied the time order words and illustrated what happened first, next and last. The final group, framed the verbs from their story’s pages and labeled each sticky note with an action from the story. That’s it! The End…ish.=)

Each rotation to the table lasts about 18 minutes…..jam packed from start to finish!

This is the little bin I keep close at hand during guided reading. For now, it houses little pointers, magnifying glasses, pencils, bloom’s questions, LOTS of sticky notes, stickers, coding dots, pictures for vowel sorts and letter formation cards. Other things may be added as the year progresses.

What are my OTHER kids doing while I’m at the table with a small group?

They’re checked into Daily 5. They’re moving through routines for read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, or word work to grow as readers and writers.

Of the 5 areas that students work on, I only have to prep materials for two of them. The first one of them is work on writing. There is one sterilite drawer at the writing table. In each of the 3 drawers is an activity to write on a given topic, focus on words, or build sentences. Each activity is complete with an I CAN statement to foster reading independence and a quick confidence boost!

The 2nd of these areas is word work.

Like writing, each bin houses an I CAN statement. All of the materials that students need to complete an activity are inside the bin. These activities will follow a pattern throughout the year to build students’ independence and familiarity.

How do I motivate students to complete quality work? The simplest, easiest thing that I’ve found to motivate my students is hanging their work up for ALLLLLL to see!

A clip up comes with having your work framed as an example for your friends to follow too!

And how do my students feel about this time of day? Oh, just like I DO! They love it……

Thanks for being patient as it took me a little longer than expected to get this post up! Getting ready for the week ahead? Click the pic below to grab the activities that my firsties will be working on! You can click HERE to check out my lesson plan format.

Happy guided reading, friends!

Five for Friday~We did it!!!

Hey Friends! How are ya? Today was a great Friday! Two of my teaching besties and I presented training for the very first time! I know…yikes, right? Speaking in front of others doesn’t really bother me, but preparing to deliver training for adults is a LOT different from teaching 6 year olds! Luckily….our topic of choice was guided reading. THAT, I can talk about all day!



Ever find something you love and want to shout it from the rooftops for everyone to hear? Having the opportunity to present training allowed us an opportunity to do just that. We shared how implementing procedures from Jan Richardson’s The Next Step in Guided Reading enhanced our small group instruction and how we use The Daily 5 to manage our literacy block. Both have had a tremendous impact on the quality of our teaching and consequently, student success. I’ll be the first to admit that when I moved to 1st grade, my biggest fear was screwing up teaching kiddos how to read. After all, that’s what 1st grade is ALL ABOUT…..READING! I wanted someone to tell me….sit down at the table and DO THIS! Step by Step…..I signed up for training after training thinking, this will be the one! This will be the one that will guide me through this very important process and time after time…..NOPE! NADA….didn’t happen. I got exposure to great information about reading, about why it’s important and what skills I needed to address, BUT nothing that provided a step-by-step guide.

THEN…..last summer, my teaching buds and I stumbled across a book study online that was EXACTLY what we had been looking for…ordered it, read it, and improved our teaching with it! We took the next step….



Our kids from previous years, left having become successful…but this next step helped us to understand the research behind necessary procedures and to reach personal goals for growth. The biggest part of being successful is continuous improvement and growth. Don’t ya think?

To prep for training, we set up a table to provide an example of what the guided reading table might look like when preparing for small group. LOL….the little “whiteboards” are upside down. We fixed that later…..=)



Sharing resources was a biggie on our “to do” list. Our primary source for the information came from Jan Richardson’s website. If you’ve never visited it, you’ve gotta take an afternoon, get comfortable, sit back and browse it. She has tons of great supplemental materials to help guide the sequence of activities in your small group…differentiated lesson plans, lots of printables and video demonstrations too! Check out one of the clips we shared below…

We started the day with a fun icebreaker….I Have, Who Has….using Primer sight words! This game usually drives me a little bonkers, but is a great way to review sight words, parts of speech…you name it, and you can use it to sneak in a quick review. You also find out pretty darn quickly who’s paying attention when you play this game because each card is linked to the next, lol!



Lots of fun and laughter...



These ladies are the best! Having this time to engage in collaborative talk to enrich our literacy blocks was such a true gift! It was much more than training….we engaged in meaningful conversation. See those smiles? Nothing is as fun as learning in K/1!



Here’s a closer look at the resources we shared. You can find additional information about The Daily 5 HERE. Take a few minutes and sign up for email updates from The 2 Sisters. You can find additional information and resources from The Next Step in Guided Reading HERE.

Now….summer can REALLY begin! If you’ve used these resources or another that has truly changed the way you teach guided reading, please feel free to share in the comments! 

Happy reading, friends!

Five for Friday~Stolen Moments

Hi, Friends! How are ya? It’s been a doozy of a week! We’ve managed to play “catch up” after our snow day off. Yep! You read that right…SNOW day…! And guess what?! Today, it was over 70 degrees! That’s TX weather for ya!


In between switches from jackets to tee shirts, we squeezed in lots of smile worthy moments….



We completed another class book! As we’ve grown as writers, we’ve begun to really enjoy sharing our writing. One way we do this is through creating class books. Our goal is to have one for every student to take home at the end of the year. We’ve created them to practice abc order, sight words and as a way of making connections to our story of the week. I love that they’re writing! They love having personalized books to read. Win/win!



Word work in small groups took on the form of a mini-book of glued sounds. Students recorded the sounds we focused on for the day, listed 3 words and used them in sentences with their friends at the table. I never imagined this simple activity leading to me needing a tissue, but it did.

I have a student that I’ve affectionately nicknamed ‘Halo’. I call him that because he is an angel. He’s the love of Christ personified in a 6 year old…genuinely kind, always thoughtful, hard working and just an all around wonderful person! As busy as our days become and with all that we have to do, sometimes we have moments that completely surprise us and remind us of why we do what we do. This activity led to one of those little moments. When I asked the kids at the table to use one of their words in a sentence, Halo, leaned over his book and began to write. When he was done, he lifted his head with a sweet smile swallowing his face and the entire room lit up! A sunray from the heavens shone down on his face. Then, I looked at his book to read the sentence he had so proudly written….

  Thank you for helping me.

….and my heart skipped a beat because he not only wrote a sentence, he wrote a message. A message that helped me to realize, that yes…we had things to do and to cover to catch up from the previous week’s day off. BUT, more importantly we had moments, messages, and milestones to enjoy, to savor, to completely be in the moment for.

Thank YOU, Little Halo, for helping ME!



When you work in a place where appreciation, uplifting, and positivity is the name of the game, it’s an easy thing to show up each day. Our school is more than just a group of people working together, more than friends…we’re family. A collection of dedicated, talented people with one purpose, supporting one vision. We take the time to enjoy special moments, uplift each other and encourage each other. We’re each blessed with unique talents that compliment each other and share them freely. It’s a blessing to walk into the atmosphere of our campus. Though my kids’ efforts and hard work often move me to tears, these ladies bring on nothing but smiles and sheer joy. They’re simply the best and we make one rockin’ 1DERFUL team!



As we all move toward 100th day celebrations, wrap up mid year assessments, plan for the end of the year while looking ahead to the next….stop, for just a moment. Lift each other up. Exhale. Enjoy the moment. Be silly. Be absolutely, 1DERFULLY, insanely silly…….TOGETHER! It’s a 1DERFUL, blessed life that we live.

 

A Closer Look~Guided Reading Groups

Hi-ya, peeps! How are ya? We’ve spent a relaxing Saturday at home, with the exception of a quick outing to spend a little Kohl’s cash. It would’ve expired tomorrow and I didn’t want to let it go to waste…waste not, want not, right?

We’ve been busily establishing routines for guided reading over the last couple of weeks. It’s hard to believe that we’re almost at the END of October already! It took 5 weeks to get our station routines in place….all to be able to successfully meet in small groups. Wellll, NOW all the pieces of our day are in place! Let’s take a closer look….at small groups!


 
Participating in FREEBIELICIOUS' book study of The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson last summer was some of the best PD I’ve ever had! I’m always curious, always looking for new ways to improve how I work with my kiddos. I leave each day thinking….what can I do to make it better tomorrow? Reading this book has helped me to focus on research based techniques to guide my firsties along their reading journey.  It’s been so exciting to launch  guided reading! They’re ALREADY showing growth!

Each day, our guided reading table is [mostly] clear. Ha! Vowels are on the table as a reference and to serve as a management piece. To avoid… “that’s MY seat” arguments, each student sits at the exact same vowel each and every time they come to the table. We’ve been using whiteboards at small group, BUT you’ll find out a little further down why they’re getting ready to go away.



My lesson plans are always handy. One…because the prompts and teaching points for each group are highlighted on them and two…because I need doodle paper. Once at the guided reading table, I transform into a doodling, anecdotal note taking, listening, prompting, guiding, questioning, running record taking octopus! OR…at least that’s what it feels like trying to do so many things at once!

The little chart at the bottom is an example of how I rotate my groups to meet for guided reading. In a perfect world, I’d meet with all of them every day. The students who have the greatest level of need are seen most often. 3 rotations at about 20 minutes-ish each + a mini-lesson in between each rotation adds up to our 2 hour literacy block being packed from start to finish. Did I mention we have enrichment during this time too? Thank heaven for a supportive principal and 2 awesome grade level helpers that assist during this time so that intervention and enrichment do not equal interruptions to our literacy block routines that we’ve worked so hard to build.



Students bring their book boxes to the table and place them neatly in between themselves and the friend sitting next to them. By doing this, they create a private area to review 3 sight words each day. Because they are divided by their book boxes, there is less of a temptation to copy from their neighbors’ boards instead of using their own visual memory to write the words we review to start each lesson.

Our lessons begin and end with writing sight words. What we have quickly discovered is handing them out, putting them away and taking them out again is annoying! After talking with another teacher on my team, we discovered we weren’t the only ones who thought so. She solved this problem by attaching laminated strips of writing paper to her guided reading table. *LOVE*! I’ll be stopping by school for a few minutes tomorrow to do the same. I’ve seen pins showing teachers using placemats as their whiteboards, but wanted something permanent, that I won’t have to move.



What’s the BEST thing about meeting in small group? Differentiation! You get to meet students exactly where they are and stretch them as far as their little minds will take them! The pictures above are from my transitional reading group. They’re each reading above grade level…the name of the game for them is comprehension and BIGGER words! After beginning small groups with a sight word review, students are all given a “go” signal at separate times to begin reading softly. Each student quietly reads at their own pace while I listen in and either take running records or address teaching prompts about something previously taught. We do not choral read or partner read at this time. Guided reading is all about using our strategies to decode words and draw meaning from them.

The book each student reads is a leveled text that will work well for the comprehension and word attack skills we’re practicing throughout the week. During our first meeting of the week, I take a quick running record as students read in order to be sure the book they’ve been given is a “good fit”. No forms, no copies….just a quick check in “doodle” format on the back of my lesson plans. These doodles will also help to guide any changes that need to be made in grouping students. We’ve already made a few switcheroos!

Having taught 1st grade for the past 4 years, I’ve always pulled small groups for reading. The difference for me this year, is the inclusion of guided writing. When you know better, you do better…..and share it for the benefit of all!

      

Different book…different group. Same comprehension skill. Same focus, but leveled for their ability. This is the emergent group. They’re reading on grade level. If you take a close look at this friend’s notebook, you’ll see something that was not on the previous friend’s page. With this group, lines have been drawn to help students differentiate between letters and words and to guide the spacing in their sentences. Just a little added support. I provide a sentence. Students echo, then write. The lines help to make sure they have all of the words in their sentence too! =) We’ll use these notebooks for reading reflections, graphic organizers, and other activities as we progress through the year. They will only be used in small group.

The green dot simply serves as a reminder to begin on the left. They'll only be used until routines are committed to memory. I’m very, very visual, so I tend to teach with a lot of visual cues.



I have 4 groups in all. The remaining 2 groups are Pre-A to emergent readers. They’re groups are smaller and they receive additional instruction in phonics. We use Wilson Fundations. They’re books primarily contain repetitive phrases/sentences, are highly predictable, and have a lot of picture support. Students that are in critical need of letter knowledge or phonemic awareness skills remain at the table after their group has been dismissed in order to play games and learn by way of the handy dandy iPad. The best part of it all? Every reader walks away feeling successful!



By the end of our very first small group each week, my lesson plans are no longer neat and tidy. I’ve written in information that will help guide each student through the rest of the week and to help guide planning for the next.



Every thing at the guided reading table serves a purpose. Sticky notes are a must! Expo markers, erasers, pencils, fun pointers, picture sorts, sound boxes, and magnetic letters for word building are always close by. There is an alphabet chart attached to the middle of the table and on the board just behind where I sit {to model word building}. The 3 sticky notes just below the alphabet chart are used as sound boxes! We *LOVE* sticky notes!  Sight words charts for the transitional reading group are being prepared as well. I keep these things in a caddy or little bins that are easily moved out of the way until we need them.



Each guided reading group consists of time to review 3 sight words, quiet reading with teacher prompting, teaching points after reading, a quick discussion (if appropriate) and learning of one new sight word…..TIMES 3 groups!!! Wiping the sweat from your brows yet? We’re not through!

Sound like a lot! It is! BUT it’s my FAVORITE 2 hours of the entire day!!! Think it ends there?

Nope….
 
….last, but not least, I have to look it all over to analyze it before we move forward with our next book. We keep each book and do repeated readings of it over the course of a week. Repeated readings help to build fluency. When I’m looking at each student’s behaviors during guided reading, I’m looking and listening to tell what kind of miscues they’re making and to determine how accurately they’re reading the text. Monitoring accuracy does not equal assessing fluency. That’s different.



On Fridays, we assess our comprehension, turn in our guided reading books and return all of our “good fit” books back to the class library. On Monday….the cycle starts all over again and makes me one happy, happy, happy teacher!
 
Thanks for reading though this quick run of our small group routines! Click the pics below to grab a couple tools to add to your guided reading tool-belt! The pictures can be used for picture sorts of your choice. The lined paper is what I’m heading to school to attach to my table so we don’t have to haul out those pesky whiteboards anymore!

Happy reading! Laters gators!

Clipart courtesy of Dots of Fun