Guided Reading

I am in my second year of teaching, and am just getting into the swing of Guided Reading.  However, the more and more I research and implement Guided Reading into my classroom, the more and more I love it.  It lets me see each child grow as a reader, and allows me to see the wonderful progress they make throughout the year.  I have also researched Daily 5 and LOVE IT!  It is a lot of what my reading revolves around.  Click Here to learn more about the Daily 5.  

In saying that, the things that I post are going to revolve around how I use it in my classroom...

My Guided Reading weekly lesson plans.  They help keep myself on track everyday.  I used a table format on Microsoft Word so that I could fit the whole week onto one sheet.  I write in any important notes.  To keep routine, my lessons for each day are the same every week, but the focus might be different. 

Miss Brown's Guided Reading Notebook- COMING SOON!

A view of what's behind my Guided Reading Table.  Lots and lots of reading manipulatives and supplies.

Front view of my Guided Reading area.  Most of the time I use it as my work area also.

These are the reading strategies and phonics strategies I post on my dry erase board that is behind my table.  The students can look up and be able to use the strategies we have learned.  I have cute Beanie Babies that help teach our different reading strategies, and we use Saxon Phonics for our everyday phonics lessons.  If you would like to learn any more about those two AWESOME things you can click on them!

This is my wonderful reading group organizer!  I love this thing!  It has four different colored shelves that hold each groups guided reading books and activities planned for that group each day.  Attached to each shelf is a piece of paper that has every students' name that is in that group.

This is my Parent Helper basket.  On days that I have a parent come in and help with Reading Groups, I leave a note in the basket of what I would like them to do, or work with the kids on.  Attached to the note is a copy of our reading group rotations so that the parent can keep track of the kids too!

                                                 

Here is a snapshot of our Reading Group Chart.  Anytime the kids need to be reminded of where they should be at a certain time during our block of Guided Reading, they can come up and look at the chart.  The chart displays all 4 color groups, who is in that group (written with Vis-a-vis so I can easily change it), and the different reading stations they will be going to that day during the block.  The different reading stations are Miss Brown, Work on Writing, Word Work, Computers, Read to Self, and Listening Center.  The kids go to every station every day, except Word Work and Read to Self...I switch those every other day.  So...on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday they are working on Word Work, and Tuesday, Thursday they are working on Read to Self.  Each student also gets to go to the Listening Center once a week.  When it is their turn to go, they skip their turn at the Computer station. 

Below I will explain each reading station.

These are the signs that hang by my guided reading table.  They have the expectations and a picture that both remind the students of how they are supposed to come over to the table, how to be prepared, and how to behave so that learning can happen.

                               

These are the Work on Writing signs.  They are posted at the station, and they have the expectations and a picture of what it should look like while the students are there.  

This is the Work on Writing station.  There is a poster that reminds the students of the expectations while at that station.  It also helps them remember where that station is.  

Here is a closer view of the poster.  I also put a picture of a student doing a good job on the poster along with the expectations so that students have a good visual if they need to be reminded.  The yellow cones are at the table so the kids know where they are supposed to sit.  I like them to be one chair away from each other to help lesson the talking :).  I got the cute little cones at Dollar Tree.

                                                

There is a Finished Work Folder at the Work on Writing Station.  On the outside of the folder are some of the students names.  If their name is on that folder, they have to sit at a cone at that table.  When they are done with their work, they place their paper inside the folder.  There is also a tub that contains any materials they might need for their writing assignment.  

I like the idea of them having a Guided Reading Notebook that they do all of their writing and other work in, and that would eliminate having a folder at the table, so that could be something I do for next year.

These are the Word Work signs.  They are located above the Word Work materials.  On the signs are expectations and directions of what the students are supposed to do.  

This is the Word Work Station.  This poster, along with the Work on Writing and other posters, it contains the expectations, and will have a student picture soon :)  

At the Word Work Station the students can pick from the 9 manipulative tubs.  Each tub contains materials that the students can use to help them write/spell their sight words.  Some of the materials I have in there right now are play-dough, stikki wikkis, colored pencils, markers, pens, stamps, magnetic letters, and dry erase markers.  We also use our 2nd iPad.  Every student gets to use it for Word Work once a week.  There are so many fun writing and spelling apps in the App store!  These things make practicing their sight words more fun for them! 

These are the Read to Self signs that are posted above the tub that holds the pillows.  They include the expectations and also a picture to show what it should look like when they are at that station.

Read to Self station.  Here the students can grab a pillow or bean bag and choose a spot around the room to read to themselves.  Again, I have a poster that reminds them of the expectations. 

These are the students' Book Boxes.  They keep their Book Boxes under their mailboxes.  They tend to get messy and mangled because they are on the floor and also located where there is a lot of movement.  However, there is really no other good place in the room to put them.

We use these collapsable crates that I purchased at Dollar Tree for our book boxes.  They work pretty good, but are still not sturdy enough for some of my messy or rough kids.  With 5-year olds you have to find things that are durable and will last.  "Most" of them will last, but I have about 5 that will need to be thrown away.

On the left is a picture of the outside of the book box.  Attached to the box is the students classroom number (based on ABC order).  The picture on the right is of the inside of the box.  Inside the kids have books they have made, books that come from our phonics program, and books from our classroom library that are leveled.  

They take their book box with them to every station during our guided reading block.  If they ever finish something early, they can always read a book out of their box.  They also need it for the Read to Self Station.

Each week I let the students come over to the classroom library and check out a new book from the leveled reader tubs.  Each tub is labeled and my levels go from A-G.  I let them check out from their current level or lower levels.  They then put that new book in their Book Box, and have 2-3 days to practice reading it while at Read to Self.  On Fridays, I usually have the Parent Helper listen to the kids read their book or I listen to them read.  This helps with keeping the kids accountable for practicing reading their book during the week.

These are the Listening Center signs posted at the station.  The sign has the expectations listed and also a picture that shows the students what it should look like when they are at that center.

This is the Listening Center.  I have two iPads that the kids get to use, and one is at the Listening Center.  There are many apps that you can get that have interactive stories that the kids really enjoy.

They get to pick from any of the stories that I have on there to read.  Once they are done reading/listening to the story, they have to pull a comprehension sheet out of their colored group folder and complete it.  Once it's completed they have to place it back into the folder.  I have two different comprehension sheets- one for my two higher leveled reader groups, and one for my at grade level or lower level reader groups.  This definitely helps with differentiated instruction.

 

These are the Listening Center comprehension sheets.  The one on the left is for the students reading At Level or Below Level.  The one on the right is for the Above Level students.

These are the Computer station signs that sit at each computer station table.  The signs help the students remember the expectation at the computer station, as well as reminds them of what they are supposed to be doing.