Use this color-coded schedule to help your five groups navigate through Daily 5 Rotations. The "meet with teacher" time is built in to facilitate guided reading.
Each Monday we collaborate with our building's new and Dual Language staff members for a professional development session based on what the...
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!
Thinking about implementing a Daily Three reading structure for reading rotations? Check out this post for details and example activities for each roation.
Guided reading groups are one of the most complex areas of planning and instruction. I've narrowed the focus to upper elementary reading.
Happy Summer Break, friends! I hope this post finds you well, breathing deeply, and enjoying some time to refresh and relax. Of course, in between all this relaxing, you *might* be considering next year. You may not (kudos to you!) but if you are, I wanted to share how I begin training my 1st grade...
Read the tips for setting up a reading program for children using Daily 5, using leveled readers and book baskets. Create student reading folders with a FREE parent hand-out printable.
I use Daily 5 and the CAFE in my classroom. Here are a few resources you might find helpful if you are planning on implementing these structures in your classroom: Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 1 Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 2 Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 3 Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 4 Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 5 Daily 5 Book Study Chapter 6 Daily 5 Log I love this Rubric for grading weekly Daily 5 behavior Using a Digital Pensieve for Café. Reading running record form. I use these when I conference with my students. I love these adorable Monster themed Daily 5 posters from Totally Terrific in Texas! Perfect for a monster theme or just because!
Ever since I started Daily 5 in my classroom, it has run smoother, my kids are reading more, and I am able to teach more. I have begun to search for some organizational products for me and my students. I have been looking for something exactly like these cards. They are compact enough to be kept at their desks. It's going to be so much easier for students to keep track and for me. With just a glance I can see what they have done...and what they may need to be pushed to do. I have no idea who created these. I found them on Pinterest. There are also wonderful instructions on how to introduce each part of Daily 5. I am definitely using these next year! I apologize for not knowing who created these. If you know, would you let me know, so I can give credit. Here's another example of how to keep them really reading, thinking, and writing. This was created by The Fighting Texan. If you want the whole kit and caboodle, head on over here. Holy Cow! This has everything you need! AND IT'S FREE!!! The last thing I'm going to share today is a Daily 5 Rubric Who Knew??? I just love these ideas! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Have a wonderful day!
As far as I'm concerned, there is no "right" way to structure a literacy block. Literacy Centers, Guided Reading, Daily 5... there are so many resources and formats to choose from! Depending on how your schedule works, it can be super tricky to fit it all in. Sometimes, I find that it works best to take a little bit from each style and make your literacy block your own. 95% of our literacy block structure is from The Daily 5. I learned how to teach a balanced literacy block this way as a student teacher, and I immediately fell in love. Here is what our Daily 5 Board looks like in our classroom! It's right beside the CAFE Board, which displays our reading strategies. True life, people... it's February and the bulletin board border isn't as pristinely staying in place as it was back in September. You'll notice that at the bottom right corner of the Daily 5 Board, our rotations are listed. The stations the children visit each week are: Teacher Table, Read to Self, Work on Writing, Read to Someone, Word Work, and Listen to Reading. Now, for the tricky part. My kids have either two or three specials each day. While it makes for incredibly rich learning, it's hard to structure a consistent block of time dedicated to literacy. Here's how we make our daily rotations work! Rotation 1: 10:30 am - 10:40 am: Whole group mini-lesson - The mini-lesson varies! Our school uses Reading Wonders as a resource, so sometimes the mini-lesson will be a comprehension skill/strategy from Wonders. Other times, it will be based on a specific unit (right now, we're in the middle of biographies), or an interactive read aloud involving turn & talks and think alouds. In the beginning of the week, we'll usually cover a phonics skill. 10:40 - 11:00/11:15: Read to Self and Reading Group - I am lucky enough to have an assistant teacher with me all morning. She is THE BEST. In the morning, she will take a reading group while I hold individual conferences with the other students as they Read to Self. While conferencing with the children during Read to Self, I take anecdotal notes on these conferencing sheets. Usually, I'll conference with 3 or 4 children per day. The work that the children do in reading group varies. Sometimes they'll read a story and answer comprehension questions from the Wonders workbook, or anthology. I'm not a huge fan of strictly teaching whole group from comprehensive literacy programs, and in a small group setting, it's more meaningful. It's also a way to make sure that everyone covers important comprehension skills that week while catering to that group's individual learning styles! If they're not working out of the workbook, they may be working on the week's phonics or vocabulary skill. Part of what I like about Wonders is the scope and sequence of vocabulary strategies. The kids enjoy making these mini-books in reading group! You can find them in my TpT shop here! At 11:00 (or 11:15, depending on the day), the kids are off to specials. Then, we have lunch from 12:30 - 1:00, and afternoon recess from 1:00 - 1:30. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the kids have another special from 1:30 - 2:00. Mondays and Wednesdays, we're back in the classroom at 1:30. Whether it is 1:30 or 2:00, this is when we resume the literacy block! Rotation 2: 1:30 pm - 1:40 pm/2:00 pm - 2:10 pm: Whole group mini-lesson - Again, the mini-lesson will vary! In the afternoon, I usually like to keep things reading comprehension strategy focused and pair the mini-lesson with an interactive read aloud. 1:40 pm - 2:20 pm/2:10 pm - 2:30 pm: CHOICE! While I am meeting with one group at the Teacher Table, the other students choose to visit either Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Word Work, or Listen to Reading. Of course, all of these stations were slooooooowly introduced, modeled, and practiced in the beginning of the year before everything was up and running independently. I keep track of who goes where with this tracking sheet! The students are allowed to visit the same station more than once during the week, as long as it's not two days in a row. The students also keep track of their own progress. This darling freebie was from Martha over at Primary Paradise on TpT! On the first day of the week, the kids each get a blank rainbow tracking sheet. Each time they visit a station, they color in the corresponding place on the rainbow! I've found that this tool inspired students to branch out and do less repeating of stations. They're SUPER motivated to fill in all five colors. Throughout the week, the kids keep all of their work from Daily 5 in a folder. At the end of the week, I'll collect the work from each student's Daily 5 folder, and staple it all together with the tracking sheet on the front. I usually won't meet with a reading group for Rotation 2 on Friday afternoons. Everyone has a choice of their Daily 5 station. This is when I'll collect each student's work from the week and put it together. As students are working in their choice station, I'll call them over to go over their work from the week. We celebrate new stations that were visited, progress on a certain skill, and correct work when needed. After this brief conference, they color in the last place on the rainbow, the teacher check. Everything gets sent home at the end of the week. It's nice for parents to see exactly what their kiddos have done throughout the week during Daily 5! Well, that's what a week of Daily 5 in our classroom looks like (in a nutshell). For my fellow Daily 5 friends, I uploaded my Daily 5 Tracking Sheet to TpT, for FREE! You can download it here or by clicking the picture below.
Many parents are willing to help their child become better readers but they aren't sure how. Most parents rely on saying, "Sound it out," or simply correcting the word for the student. One parent said to me, "I didn't go to school for this like you did. I don't even know what you mean by decoding." Thus, my inspiration for this guide was born! This Quick-Reference Guide can be sent home so parents can reinforce the same strategies you are teaching at school. This Quick-Reference Guide can also be used in the classroom. Refer to it during Guided Reading to anchor your student to the strategies. Teach your students to suggest a strategy when reading with a partner rather than just giving them the word. Includes: ⭐Decoding Strategies Quick-Reference Guide ⭐Parent Letter ⭐Matching icons for CAFE board or anchor chart ⭐Flip the Sounds Poster (vowels, c & g) ⭐Flip the Sounds Poster (oo, ow, -y, -ed) ⭐Posters for each Decoding Strategy ⭐Bookmarks ⭐Suggested use for all of the above ✙ an alternate version with the 3rd sound of -ed taught as /ed/ instead of /id/ was added. ✙ an alternate version with "two vowels go walking" being replaced by, "Do you see a vowel team? What sounds can it make?" "Great resource to use at teacher table during guided reading and with parents that are wanting to help their child at home, but not sure what or how to do it." -Shana C. "Our school engages in AR. While I do a lot of instruction with the students at home, conferences are just not long enough to explain how I teach them to decode and read in class. This handout is perfect for my book bags when they go home to families! Thank you for your time and effort! " -Enthusiastic Educator Be the first to know about new products, freebies and discounts! ★Click the green star to become a follower of my store ❤️my blog Finally in First ❤️Instagram ❤️Facebook ❤️Boom Store ❤️Pinterest ❤️Twitter Get TPT credit to use on future purchases: ⇨Go to your My Purchases page. Click on the 'Provide Feedback' button to leave a rating and a comment. You’ll earn TpT credits, which you can redeem on future purchases! ❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋ Copyright © Jennifer Bates. All rights reserved by author. This product is to be used by the original purchaser only. Copying for more than one teacher or classroom, or for an entire department, school, or school system is prohibited. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. This product MAY be used in secure password protected digital classroom platforms such as Google Classroom, if purchaser's students are the only ones who have access to it. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Intended for single classroom and personal use only.
**UPDATE: This product is now EDITABLE!!!! This product is an editable power point that you can print out for your use. It is made to assist Deanna Jump's Guided Reading unit found at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-Reading-101-Printables-Strategies-and-Word-Work-158699 This product contains a lesson plan format that will work no matter how many days you meet with your reading groups. There are 2 lesson plan formats and 2 lesson notes formats. The animals on the guided reading plan each stand for a different reading strategy. Eagle Eye - Look at the pictures for clues to help figure out the words Lips the Fish - Get your lips ready to say the first few sounds of the word Stretchy Snake - Stretch the sounds out slowly to figure out the word. Chunky Monkey - Look for a smaller chunk you know inside the word. Flippy Dolphin - If the short vowel sound doesn’t make sense then try the long vowel sound. Skippy Frog - Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence.. Then hop on back and try again. Tryin' Lion - Look back over the word or sentence and use another strategy to try again. Enjoy!
This product contains 40 word cards students can sort according to person, place, thing, and living thing. There are 10 cards for each. I have also included response sheets and a couple of activity sheets. These can be used during your Daily 5 stations, literacy centers and/or guided reading.
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!
As a fifth grade teacher, I was excited and hopped on the bandwagon of the Daily 5 in 2010. I loved the structure, loved the purposeful activities, and loved how it seemed that my students were engaged from the get go. But as the first few weeks of establishing routines, and building stamina came to a close, I noticed that not all of my fifth graders were engaged or using their time wisely with all the choices. I knew right away that changes had to be made. When looking at The Daily 5, I analyzed what choices seemed to be the most troublesome as far as classroom management. "Read to Someone" came right to the forefront of my list. Yes, "I" charts were made, routines were established, and stamina was practiced. But as soon as I started my guided reading groups at the back table, read to someone became an issue. I could see that students were not always fully engaged with their reading partner, and I sometimes had to interrupt my group to remind the students what their job was during this time. It became clear to me that this choice would be abandoned in my fifth grade classroom. They just didn't need to read aloud to each other anymore. The second Daily 5 choice that I eliminated was "Listen to Reading." This choice involves having devices in the classroom that students can use to listen to literature. My first dilemma was that I did not have anything to start with. I had to get a radio that had a tape player, then find tapes to go along with books. Once I had that set up, only one student could use it at a time. My school district purchased a device that would allow four students to listen to literature at the same time, but this became a management issue as well as I could see students not using their time wisely sitting next to each other. This was my second Daily 5 choice that went by the wayside. I was left with three choices: "Read to Self," "Word Work," and "Work on Writing." These became the foundation for my Daily 3 rotations during the school year. Below are some helpful tips and ideas that I have used to implement these three components in my classroom. 1. Read to Self This option is the most important one to me. This is a chance for my students to read books of their choice independently and to practice fluency and comprehension. This is a must choice every day for my students. The only requirement I have is I would like them to read from a variety of genres throughout the school year. They keep track of the books and genres they have read on a simple log in their reading notebooks. We have a free chart that you can download here. It is easy to get the students excited about books for read to self, either from my personal classroom library, or books they could check out in the school's library. I do book talks and even sometime show book trailers that you can find online. Click here for one such website that has numerous titles. This gets them fired up to read! 2. Word Work Word work has evolved quite a bit in my classroom. What started out as daily task cards has turned into a weekly word study. On Monday students are given a set of words based on a spelling pattern at their level. They are to determine what pattern(s) the words can be classified into. On the next day, they write down those words onto paper based on the categories they discovered. The third day is dedicated to sorting the words once again and using them in meaningful sentences. The sentences have to have at least five words and cannot begin with "I." The fourth day is two-fold. Students once again sort their words, but then they write them in cursive. You may hear moans and groans, but the practice of sorting and writing them in cursive will help them remember. The fifth day is always quiz day. You can match up partners from different lists and have them write their sorts on paper to be handed in. I can then check the papers and if there are any students that struggled with the sort, I can meet with them and see what issues they were having. This option basically ran itself after I got it up and running in my classroom. 3. Work in Writing The number one goal of work on writing is for students to continue to work on the piece that they were doing during writing class. However, there are times that students are either done or that there was no assignment. During these times, I love for students to have the freedom to write about what they want. To give them a little guidance, I created 40 engaging writing choices that my students could pick from. They loved the variety, and it made writing time during Daily 3 more exciting for them. You can download the writing choices for free here. If you would like 15 FREE Daily 5 Resources (that does include read to someone and listen to reading), you can access them by clicking here or on the image below! Here is to a successful Daily 3 schedule in your upper elementary classroom! Follow us on TPT! Pin from our Pinterest Page!
Okay, I have a new favorite reading lesson-- my asking questions lesson! When I got a chance to work with Scholastic last spring, they gave us a bag of swag that any teacher would love, and it included the book This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, which is perfect for teaching a reading lesson about asking questions! (I’ve linked it to Amazon here, but I also highly recommend finding it through Scholastic Reading Club :) On my CRAFT board, we list "Ask questions before, during, and after reading" as a reading comprehension skill (although some of my kids think it belongs under Response to Text, so we concluded that it could go as either!). This is a really important skill for some of my struggling readers, because some of them never question what they read. They are just reading to get it over with! (oops- took this picture before we added it!) Asking questions before reading gives them a purpose for reading and gets them engaged. When they are looking for the answer, students read more intently. Asking questions during reading makes sure they are thinking about what they read. Asking questions after reading causes them to be reflective about the author's choices and sometimes helps them draw a personal opinion about the text. Asking questions is a great place to start students’ thinking while reading! I love teaching questioning towards the beginning of the year, because this is a gateway skill to deeper comprehension. Asking questions about the text isn't too hard to do (especially with a well-chosen text!), so it helps to build the habit of thinking as they read. It's also a great way to get students started in their reading response journals because it's a pretty clear-cut type of response that most of my students feel confident trying. I used this book with my 2nd grade group and all the way up to my 5th grade group. It's great for teaching this skill because the title and cover instantly intrigue them. Kids wonder, "Whose hat is it?" and "Why is a fish wearing a hat?" I tell them we are going to look for the answers to our questions as we read, and we start the read-aloud. As we read, I stop every few pages and ask the students to whisper to their partner something they are wondering about the story. Then, I choose a few students to tell their questions out loud. (I get 100% participation this way, and more confident kids who are willing to share!) We keep track of our questions on a chart like this- both adding new questions, and putting check marks next to our questions that get answered. (My markers are dying—ugh!) Of course, the chart I made for my partner turned out even better. (Isn't that always how it works?) She actually laminated it so she can use it again sometime (which is such a great idea, especially for us as reading specialists who might teach a version of this lesson to each grade level!). This book also makes a great review for "the three ways to read a book," or using the pictures as readers to help us understand. (Actually, you could use this book to teach that lesson, too, but I just used it as a review.) The book is being told from the little fish's point of view, and so the text only tells us so much. If students don't read the pictures, they won't know the entire plot- and they won't enjoy the book nearly as much! (Here, the text tells us that little fish doesn't think the crab will tell anyone where he went... but the illustration tells us that the crab does tell!) The younger kids, especially, love "catching" the discrepancies between the text and the pictures. At the end of the book, the text stops and we just see illustrations. Some kids are always shocked by this! And, immediately, they all have opinions about what happened to the little fish. Some think he was eaten, some think he just gave the hat back, and some think he ran away. The ending of the book is left open and never actually tells us what happens, and so my students are always left with questions about the book after we finish it! (See why I think This Is Not My Hat is such a perfect picture book to teach questioning?) With the older students, we went a little deeper and discussed the author's choice to leave the story open-ended, and debated whether or not we liked it as readers. (Reviews were very polar in my group-- most kids either loved it or hated it!) The next day during another mini-lesson, I read aloud a different book (usually tailored more towards the group's grade level) and let students practice asking their own questions along the way in their reader's response journals. Eve Bunting's books tend to work really well for Asking Questions lessons (like The Wednesday Surprise), but I also love The Lotus Seed and Chicken Sunday for teaching asking questions. And don't forget to throw in a non-fiction book-- sometimes these are the most important ones in which students need to use the comprehension strategy of "ask questions!" Once we've practiced as a whole group and shared with our reading partners, I'm able to look through their notebooks and make sure they seem like they're getting it. (Glancing through their reading notebooks- even if you don't take a grade yet- is so important, because this is the perfect time to lead a strategy group for those students who need some extra support). From here, I like to let students use Post-It notes to practice this strategy in whatever they're reading independently. I also try to fit in a little time at the computer lab (or at a computer center) using the amazing site Into The Book. If you haven't used this free site, you are missing out! For each reading comprehension skill, there are videos, a song, and an in practice activity. Usually, there are at least two, so you can do one together (especially if you have a SmartBoard or something similar) and have students complete the other independently. Their questioning lesson is a great way to guide student practice of using this strategy to actually help them comprehend. A good list of mentor text suggestions: http://www.mauryk12.org/literacy/reading%20mentor%20texts.htm A great list of resources, including some sample lesson plans for teachers: http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/comprehension_strategies.html#questioning Share your tips in the comments below or on my Facebook page here! I would love to know your favorite books for teaching kids to ask questions and what other strategies you use.
Thinking about implementing a Daily Three reading structure for reading rotations? Check out this post for details and example activities for each roation.
I started The Daily 5 this year in kindergarten and I am soooo excited about it! This is what we have been doing each day. Thi...
I have been wanting to make whisper phones for my class to use during Read to Self and guided reading groups. I found this picture in pinterest and was sad to see that the blog is no longer available :( If by any chance you come across the actual site please let me know so I can give credit. UPDATE: I have finally found the owner of this picture!! WooHoo! Thanks Kickin it with Class for sharing! So I decided to jump in and blog about it. I stopped by Home Depot and ask for a 3/4 in. PVC pipe. The pipe is 10ft long and it's only $2.18. I then saw a man in the aisle with a cutting machine and told him I was a teacher and was making phones for reading and asked very nicely if he could cut the 10 ft pipe into 3 1/2 inch pieces. I was going to buy individual PVC elbow pipes for 0.42 cents, but then I saw a bag of 10 for only $2.20 saving me $10 for a total of five bags. Once I got home I had my strong husband assemble them. He had so much fun! Once they were all assembled I wrapped color duct tape around them and WAALAA they are all set and ready to be used. My class loved using the whisper phones! Here's the price break down: 1 3/4 PVC Pipe 10 ft long = $2.18 5 bags of Elbow PVCs = $11.00 Duct Tape = already had it Total for each piece = $0.52 each phone (25 phones) Now thats an awesome deal!!!
Last week, I mentioned that I had the opportunity to see The Sisters speak about using CAFE in the classroom. You can read about that {here}. It was really great getting to visit with my Hawaiian blogger friends and listening to The Sisters talk about teaching reading. It was really motivating and got me thinking about how I've taught reading in the past. There were a couple of points that made me really think about how Daily 5 and CAFE apply to special education. Idea #1: Small groups should be 2-3 students. When I heard that I was like WHAT?!?! 2-3 students??? Since I've always taught special ed (except for a half year gig of teaching PreK), I've mostly done all small group instruction. Although, I don't think I've ever had groups as small as 2 or 3 students. My groups have typically ran 7-8 students at a time. The Sisters showed us some videos of them working with a group of 4 students. And guess what? Even The Sisters only got to interact and teach with 3 of those 4 students. I really got to thinking about how I've conducted my lessons, and they are right. Four or more students in a group is really too many. I know I could get a lot more quality instruction with a group of 2-3 students. How many students do you typically have in your small groups? Do you think 2-3 is feasible? Idea #2: Students should be reading their own books during small group instead of all reading the same book. This thought was another one that I really had to think over. I have always done guided reading where students are all reading the same book. I "try" to listen to each student read their book aloud, while the other students whisper read to themselves at their own pace. Honestly, I wouldn't get to all of the students or my groups would be way too long since I had too many students in each group. The Sisters mentioned that if all students are reading the same book the lowest readers will piggy back off the stronger readers. So true! I've witnessed that so many times with my students. If students have different books on their independent reading level, none of them can piggy back off each other. Brilliant! Idea #3: Everyone who teaches the child should be informed of what the other teachers are doing. The Sisters discussed how often students who are receiving services are pulled from the room and none of the teachers know what the other teacher did. I admit I've been guilty of that as the special education teacher. I pull students into my room, I teach them, and I send them back. The gen ed teacher has no idea what I've done or not done. Really, that can't be in the students best interest. One suggestion was to have a folder or notebook for the child and each teacher jot down the date they saw the student and what skill they worked on. If all teachers are teaching from the same thing (such as using the CAFE system), everyone can easily look at what was done by the previous teacher. Idea #4: Students should receive interventions in the classroom. The Sisters really emphasized that students should receive their interventions right there in the classroom. The students who are receiving these interventions are typically the lowest performing students. By pulling these students out, we are expecting them to remember bits of information from different teachers who are often teaching different curriculum or materials. Is it really fair to expect our lowest performing students to retain all of this information and apply it? I've never taught inclusion before, so I don't feel like I can make a valid judgement on how I feel about inclusion. The Sisters made some sound arguments that made me wonder if inclusion is the best method for reaching all of our students. I feel like this model could really work if teachers are providing a lot of small group and individual conferencing to give those lower performing students more support and guidance. Idea #5: All of the teachers working with a student should meet weekly to discuss what's been going on and decide on the next steps. Of course, when they said this I'm thinking, "Sure in a perfect world all of the teachers would have a time to meet weekly but no way is that happening." Right? I mean we're all so overwhelmed with teaching and planning and assessing and now you want us to meet weekly? They actually had a great idea to make this possible and doable on a weekly idea. Once a week, the teachers who work with the student (i.e. SPED, ELL, aides, etc.), meet together during a Daily 5 rotation right in the classroom. Instead of pulling a small group during that rotation, the teachers would meet and the students would complete their Daily 5 rotation. Wow, another brilliant idea! I know what you're thinking, "My admin would never agree to this!" But that kind of collaboration could make a world of difference in helping meet students' needs. I've always struggled with finding time to meet with the gen ed teachers and really discuss the student. So there you go! Do you think any of these ideas could be implemented in your school with your students? Do you have any great ideas for how to best support our special education students?
How I implement and run guided reading and small group in my middle school and upper elementary ELA classrooms
Today’s Wednesday, and that means it’s one day closer to being break for me. And for the rest of you, only three more days ’til the weekend! Today’s post offers you another …
Do you love the concept of the Daily 5 Centers for your upper elementary students but don't know how to implement it? Here's help!
Here in third grade, we practice fluency daily with: -Word Lists -Phrase Lists -Passages/Running Records My Mental Journey I have had a love-hate relationship with fluency. As a third grade teacher, my students are subject to end of year, high-stakes testing for the first time. Fluency is not tested on these exams, students have
Small groups are an essential piece of every elementary classroom’s reading block. My first year teaching, small groups were not part of the instructional model. We taught whole group and then worked with individuals who struggled with that day’s lesson. I was brand-new to teaching. My students learned. I saw growth. Their fluency improved. …
October is here! One of my absolute favorite months of the year! I love the fall colors and all of the delicious fall treats! A new month means time to link up with Farley's Currently! Listening It might not be the most excited thing, but I always start the morning with the local news. Around these crowded parts, it is always good to check out the traffic before the morning commute! Loving My first observation is already over! Since I had spent most of September testing, I only had one week of teaching my new students under my belt before I got observed. It was kindergarten, too! I think everything went well and I am glad to have it done. Today is my post conference. Fingers crossed! Thinking Can you keep a secret? The other reading specialist and I are going to dress up as Echo the Owl from Fundations for Halloween. It is going to AWESOME, but we want it to be a surprise. Now, we just have to actually get it together... Wanting One of the tough parts of being a reading specialist is all of the unknown and the lack of control. My schedule changes each year. We are still trying to finish up my schedule, even though I have started teaching already in some rooms! Needing I really need to get moving on putting up my fall decorations. I love all of the fun decorations for this time of year. I just have to make sure I don't go overboard. You might say I have a bit of an obsession with fall... Treat! I just finished tweaking the lesson plan template for my upper elementary guided reading groups. It is a fillable pdf. I hope you find it useful! Can't wait to see what everyone else is up to!
first grade teacher blog
Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your
Hi, Thanks so much for stopping by! As my sons were growing up, I started writing stories about the topics they were most interested...
Thinking about implementing a Daily Three reading structure for reading rotations? Check out this post for details and example activities for each roation.
Miss Rae's Room's Daily 5 Step Reading Lesson Plan Template is a... *Small Group Lesson Planning Template that is... *Structured Literacy and ... *Science of Reading aligned This template will help guide you with teaching small groups! It allows you to give your students explicit, systematic, and direct instruction to your students! What is included? 5 Step Lesson Planning Template - 2 options (both options in pdf and editable options) A Description of How to Implement Each of the 5 Steps in this template Paired link resources Is this editable? YES! What printable options do you get? This is a zip file. You get a pdf of the 2 template options, the description, and paired link resources and an editable Microsoft Document option of the 2 templates. * Please Note: These are NOT lesson plans, but merely lesson planning templates to help support your small groups. Grab my Guide to Designing Reading Instruction HERE! Check out my other products AND become a follower! Instagram! l Blog! l Learn
Do you teach upper grades? These strategies and tips for using Daily Five are perfect for grades 3-5. Learn how to make Daily 5 work in your classroom.
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
Hi, my name's Christie. This is how I feel. {I obviously have more hair, and no facial hair, but point taken} I really can only dream of a day when I am a tenured teacher and do not have to remove my things from my classroom and start fresh. It's so overwhelming to stand in a classroom full of stuff. Plus the fact that I may have a slight tendency to resemble one of my students who has attention issues. I finish only parts of things I'm working on then I need to move to other things. I go back and forth leaving all sorts of projects lying around the floor. I have wanted to take pictures for 3 days now, but by the time they're kicking us out for the day I'm so exhausted I can't wait to run to the nearest exit to sit in my car and enjoy... sitting... just that. On top of that, the mister's son is staying with us for the weekend, so I've been trying to enjoy some time here and there with them. I actually took a break today to eat some Olive Garden {insert angels singing here}. I'm so jealous, they went to Bear's training camp today. All kinds of sad and jealous about that one. I found out today, I tentatively have... wait for it... 24 students. That in itself is the miracle of the day. I could also only dream of the day when I would have less than 30 students. I'm hoping it stays that way, but the ink won't be touching those name tags until next Wednesday morning (which by the way, I think I should start practicing my cursive now, cuz... well... it's a extremely little rusty. I am hoping my FABULOUS aunt finishes my amazing seat sacks. We bought the fabric, but I'm not quite sure how they're going to come out. We shall see! Hopefully they're all kinds of ugh-mazing!! :) To all of you out there in Bloggy Land, especially anyone who has purchased or downloaded anything from me, I so appreciate your patience. A few short weeks ago, my turn around time I custom orders was maybe hours, now it's turned into days. For the most part everyone has been super understanding... I appreciate it tons and tons and tons!! Hopefully I'll have some time closer to this weekend to sit down and fill most of my current orders! :) I have been looking for a few things lately, so I sat down to create some things for myself. I posted a few in my Teacher's Notebook, and I have a few for you!! I also am still working on what I want my giveaway to be... it may be Friday before I figure it out for sure though. Here are some things for your enjoyment!! Bases Loaded @Teacher's Notebook {game to practice adding inflectional endings and making new words} How We Go Home! @Teacher's Notebook {makes it easier for the teacher to know who goes where} Before, During, & After Foldable @Google Docs {printable for readers to keep with them while they read} 3rd Grade Word Wall Words @GoogleDocs {includes sight, math, science, & social studies words!} Student Planner @Teacher's Notebook {easy for students to fill out, zebra themed} Match Fact Practice Sheet @Google Docs {perfect for students and you to monitor how much they practice their facts} Also I must mention I've had tons of requests for things that match the chocolate dots theme, so there are lots of items popping up that match that theme. I've had quite a few questions regarding pocket chart cards for Daily 5. They are posted in the store in 2 forms, a set of just them, and a set that goes with posters that explain what you can do at each activity. As a side note... I have decided against using these: I have thought about posting them on Teacher's Notebook, but I'm not sure anyone would want them. If anyone has any interest whatsoever let me know. They are extremely sturdy, made with 2 kinds of cardstock, and the letters are VERY thick chipboard. They are not laminating because of the chipboard. I can take more pictures of them close up or from the side if you are interested! Those letters were crazy expensive to just waste them! I've had a few people e-mailing me with ideas for things they have not been able to find out there in teacher land. If there's everything something like this you're looking for, let me know! I'm sure I've thought about making it, or I have it somewhere in my files!! I think it's time for bed for me. I'm stressed and very excited to get back into my room tomorrow. I promise I'll get to pictures and to the giveaway!! Any ideas of things you would want in a giveaway? - aside from a million dollars ;-)
Literacy Rotations for guided reading can be challenging to set up. These are my favourite tips for daily 5 rotations that run smoothly.
These free phonics reading passages have it all: phonics skills, fluency practice and comprehension questions. Plus, students love them!
