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Setting Up for Guided Reading

This post was UPDATED with NEW INFORMATION...HERE!

It's already October and we have finally finished several weeks of pre-testing.   My kiddos have been put through the ringer with NWEA testing, state MEAP testing, Benchmark Reading Assessments, On-Demand writing prompts and much more!!  It's amazing that we have had any time to TEACH!!  I guess that is the new reality in public education these days.  The good thing is that I have collected A LOT of information about my students that will help to guide my instruction in all subject areas.

In our school district we give all students the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment in reading several times per year.  It is a very time-consuming process (taking about 15 minutes per student), but goes a long way to help me to determine a student's reading level and offers other valuable information about their strengths and areas of need in reading.  I use this information, along with my NWEA Reading MAP reports to help me when forming my guided reading groups.

My guided reading groups are not only based on a student's reading level, but I also group kids based upon skills and strategies they may need to work on.  By third grade, most of my students will be focusing on reading comprehension skills during our guided reading lessons, but I will also have several who will still be working to improve their fluency and accuracy.   My groups are flexible and will change every few weeks as needed based upon the needs of the students.

After forming the groups, I created a weekly schedule for meeting with my groups.  I am soooo lucky to have a competent student teacher this year, so together we will be able to meet with four groups each day.  My two highest level groups will not have a group every day, but will meet 2-3 times each week instead.  Here is what my schedule looks like so far:

This year I used my NWEA data to create a list of "I CAN" statements for each of my guided reading groups.  Here is what that looks like:
I will use these lists of objectives to create weekly lessons for each of my groups.

I also set up binder for guided reading plans, group notes, conferring notes and other tools I will need for teaching and record-keeping.  I also keep my conference notes for writer's workshop here too!

Here are the highlights:
Great resource from Lesson Plans SOS

A copy of the CAFE Menu

Tabs for Each Group

Leveled Lesson Plan forms by Jen Bengal (very helpful)

Prompts for Conferring

Questioning Prompts
Reading Conference Record Sheet..I record the date I meet with each student.  It gives me an overview of when I have met with each student. I have a separate one for writing conferences.  I keep one for each student behind numbered tabs:

A calendar for setting up conferring appointments with students.

Reading conference notes.

Writing Conference Notes
(My students keep track of their own conference notes too, in their reader's and writer's notebooks.

This a "word work" sheet.  It is a t-chart slipped into a clear page protector and used with dry erase pens.  Students use these for any word sorts we might do during our guided reading group.  

Elkonin boxes for stretching out words during a writing conference.  Also kept in a clear page protector, used with dry erase pens.

I also keep reading data, such as student reading levels, in this binder for quick reference!

As you can imagine, my binder is rather large, but it is really helpful to have everything in one spot so I'm not scrambling during  our limited time for guided reading.

I would love to hear how all of you keep organized for guided reading!!  I plan to post more about guided reading in my next few posts...so stay tuned!

Many of the record keeping papers you see above can be found in my TpT products:

 

Love and Peace,

3 comments

  1. I have a 3rd grader. Trying to figure out what the other children are doing while 1 group maybe with the teacher. My daughter says they are in groups that might read to each other without a teacher,or a few may get on a computer because those are limited. She has only read with the teacher during benchmark testing. She struggles with comprehension and sounding out words. Should she not be reading with the teacher? Ever?

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  2. I have a 3rd grader. Trying to figure out what the other children are doing while 1 group maybe with the teacher. My daughter says they are in groups that might read to each other without a teacher,or a few may get on a computer because those are limited. She has only read with the teacher during benchmark testing. She struggles with comprehension and sounding out words. Should she not be reading with the teacher? Ever?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, where can I get the I CAN charts? I would really love my students to keep those in their folders next year! Thank you for the help. I am only a second year teacher but have learned so much from your blog-love it!

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