For the next few weeks, I am pushing a few things in my guided reading groups. I currently am meeting with 6 different groups of students and their needs vary greatly. To try to explain what we have been doing, I’m going to call my groups by numbers. I do NOT use numbers in my classroom. My groups are constantly changing so I just call the names of my students or the book/activity that they are doing daily. This helps prevent the feelings of high, medium, and low in the classroom. I want all of my students to feel successful no matter what they are working on, and that is why I do not use numbers in my classroom.
For this post’s purpose here is what my groups are working on:
Group 1: reading with accuracy
Group 2: reading with fluency
Group 3: reading with a good rate
Group 4: reading for meaning
Group 5: going back into our text to find specific answers
Group 6: comprehension
All of my guided reading groups always start with some form of a game to help warm up my student’s brains. Currently the games that we are playing are from my Guided Reading Spring Edition Pack. My students are LOVING these games and getting so much out of them.
Special Sound Bingo is a HUGE hit right now and it is helping us get better at our accuracy.
They are also loving “match the picture.” This game helps warm up their brains for reading with meaning. In this game, my students have to match sentences to the correct picture.
I have my students take turns being the reader and the matcher for this game.
After a quick game, we dive into whatever we are working on. For groups 1-3 we are using my Spring Readers. I have them placed in garden bags that house all the tools my students need.
Each bag has a few things: the book that the group is working on, a fluency check list, dry erase markers, whispy phones, and comprehension stars. When my students are with me, we work through these books on the concepts that we are focusing on. However, my students are also working through these books during our Daily 5 time. During Daily 5, they can take the garden basket, their fluency check list, and work on filling up their boxes.
My students know that the way we get to be better readers is by practicing reading. Therefore, they are reading these readers multiple times to get better at accuracy, rate, and fluency. Every time they read their book, they get to check off a check point on their fluency list.
My students are obsessed with getting to check off their check list. I taught them how to do fluency checks with their friends and they are loving listening to their friends read the stories and checking off how many words they read correctly. When they have finished checking off their words, they ask their friend the question on their comprehension star.
Once they have checked off all their boxes, I give my students the comprehension quiz that goes along with each of my readers. If they get all the questions correct, they get to add a color to their rainbow.
Each student has a cloud hanging up in our classroom and they are trying to earn all the colors of the rainbow. Once they complete their rainbow, they will “level up” to getting the pieces of a flower. My students can also get rainbow colors by passing an AR quiz.
For groups 4-6 we are working on different concepts. These readers are working on digging deeper into their texts and finding meaning and facts in their books and passages. To help these readers, I created a nonfiction resource that they are LOVING. This resource is called “Inquiring Minds Want To Know.”
For this resource, I wrote magazine articles and passages that my students expressed interest in. I then printed them out and made 4 identical binders for these students.
My students love the real pictures and the texts that are providing them with a challenge, while teaching them very interesting things.
The topics that we are currently learning about are are: deserts
the Amazon River,
the ocean,
big cats,
and more!
Before my students read these articles, they record some facts that they already know about the topic they are about to read about. They also write down three things that they wonder about the topic. This helps get them focused and ready to learn.
Then, as they are reading, they jot down facts that they are learning.
After they have read the article, they love taking the quiz! We are using the skill go back and reread to find the answers!
My students are seriously making such leaps in their reading and I could not be prouder of them!
If you would like a FREE copy of the fluency check list, you can grab it by clicking on the picture below!
To grab my Guided Reading Pack for Spring you can grab it by clicking on the cover.
(perfect for students between an E-I)
If you would like the “Inquiring Minds Want to Know” pack (geared for readers between an H-L) you can grab it by clicking on the cover below!
I hope this blog post was helpful!
Wow. And that’s pretty much all I can say…. Wow. 🙂
Questions!! Where did you get your gardening bags and your blow up pointer questions? I love those, and this whole post!! Thanks for sharing!!
Cassie- I got the gardening bags from Amazon and the stars are pointers from Lakeshore Learning! 🙂 Thanks for asking! I’m glad you liked it!
I love all your ideas for your Guided Reading groups! I teach Kinder, but I can use most of your ideas with my higher readers. Thanks for all the great ideas! 🙂
Kristen, every time I read a post from you I feel a mixture of inspiration and overwhelmingness! How do you find the time to pull together such fab resources, and blog, teach, plan, create…and have a life outside of it all?? Honestly, you amaze me! You are such a rock star:)
SweetSchoolMoments
I think the same thing every single blog post too!
Wow! Your Guided Reading Groups are amazing! The gardening theme is so cute. I wish I still taught the younger grades so that I could use your packs!
Sara 🙂
The Colorful Apple
Your guided reading resources are SO impressive and well developed. I have so many on my wishlist right now!
You always have the best ideas! 🙂 I have those Lakeshore stars, too!
❤Teri
A Cupcake for the Teacher
Your my idol!!! I LOVE how much work you put into everything you do! It is so inspiring. Just wow! Your amazing! Your students are seriously lucky!!!
How in the world did you become such an awesome teacher?? You inspire me every time I read your post. This may be a question that could easily be answered by looking through all your guided reading posts, so please forgive me, if so. Do you send home guided readers for homework? I am using the Reading Wonders program that our school just bought. It provides leveled readers for the students to use every day in small group. Do you use the same book every day when you pull groups? Do you send them home for homework? If it’s easier to just email me, my email is lorieasterwood@oakmountain.us
Hello! Stopping by to let you know that I have nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger award. I love those gardening bags! So cute!
Head on over to my blog to find out the details!
Lindsay
http://www.ifyougiveateacheratreat.blogspot.com
OH MY GOODNESS. May I be in your class?!?!
Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement!
Erin
Little Miss Primary
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالرياض
شركة تخزين اثاث بالرياض
شركة نقل عفش الرياض
شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالرياض
شركة تنظيف بيارات بالرياض
شركة تسليك مجارى بالرياض
شركة جلى بلاط بالرياض
شركة تنظيف كنب بالرياض
شركة تنظيف منازل بالرياض
شركات فى المملكة
تخلص من الحشرات
نقل وتخزين الأثاث بجودة عالية
جلى البلاط والرخام
نظافة المسابح
نقل عفش بالمدينة
شركة عزل أسطح بالرياض
شركة تنظيف منازل بجده
شركة تنظيف منازل بالخرج
شركة عزل أسطح بالدمام
نقل عفش بالدمام
شركة تنظيف فلل بالرياض
شركات تنظيف بالرياض
شركة تنظيف شقق بالرياض
شركة تنظيف بيوت بالرياض
شركة تنظيف مسابح بالرياض
شركة تنظيف مجالس بالرياض
شركة تنظيف كنب بالرياض
جلي بلاط في الرياض
شركة تنظيف موكيت بالرياض
شركة عزل خزانات بالرياض
شركة تنظيف بالخبر
شركة عزل اسطح بالخبر
شركة نقل اثاث بالخبر
شركة تنظيف خزانات بالخبر
شركة كشف تسربات بالخبر
شركة تنظيف بالأحساء
شركة عزل خزانات بمكة
شركة كشف تسربات بمكة
شركة نقل عفش بينبع
شركة تنظيف خزانات بمكة
شركة تنظيف فلل بمكة
شركة تنظيف منازل بالمدينة
شركة تنظيف منازل بالدمام
نقل عفش بجدة
شركة عزل أسطح بالدمام
شركة عزل أسطح بالدمام
Just a quick question. Do you do any whole group reading lessons, or just small group?
I do both!
Love this post! We have eleven weeks left and I needed some new ideas! Love the gardening theme! As you know if you mention it we all want it. Lol. So thank you for letting us know where to get the bags and star pointers! But…. Where do we purchase the motivational clouds with rainbow parts and the flowers? My firsties need something like this to keep up their motivation!