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
I wanted to talk with you all today about getting started with guided reading. It is that time in the school year when we all are finished assessing students and are ready to pull small groups for guided reading instruction. If you are like me, you may struggle with exactly what is the best way to
This whole guided reading beast can feel overwhelming at first. Rest assured friends, it can be conquered! We'll walk through step-by-step so you can easily
Don't have time in your day to reach every student? My 10 Minute Reading Intervention resource can help you squeeze in lessons that are fast & effective!
Hi there, friends! I’m here today with a peek into my guided reading block. I’ll be sharing how I organize my guided reading materials, schedule out my guided
Check out my must-have guided reading materials and supplies for upper elementary grades and how I use them on this post.
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!
A blog for first grade and primary teachers with teaching tips for emergent readers including phonics, reading comprehension, and writing.
Organize student data for guided reading.
Today I'll be sharing ideas for making your guided reading routine a bit more exciting. Because if you do it every single day in the exact same way, it can get a little tired, right?
Guided reading notes made easy! Read how I use ONE guided reading form to help me stay organized and grab the template for free!
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!
These free and easy to use Guided Reading Notes Forms are perfect for recording your observations of student strengths and weaknesses along with on-the-spot lessons. There are also forms for tracking student assessment performance and reading goals for the year.
These Guided Reading Rotations and Teacher Organization templates are everything you need to organize your guided reading rotations! I use this format in my classroom and I love how simple and student friendly it is! I have included materials for up to 6 student groups and 6 rotations. I have also included teacher organization (group names, weekly schedule, and lesson plans)templates to help organize and plan your guided reading rotations. Rotations Included: -read to self -read to someone -read with a buddy -read with a friend -listen to reading -work on writing -meet with the teacher -teacher table -seat work -independent work -working with words -word work -word study -computer -iPad **ALL rotation cards are EDITABLE and come in color and black and white** Sizes Included: 8.5 x 11 and 2.5 X 3.25 What is all included? -15 rotation posters 8.5x11 (color and bw) **EDITABLE -15 rotation cards 2.5x3.25 (color and bw) **EDITABLE -station number cards #1-6 -group numbers cards #1-6 (space provided to write student names) -a glance at a typical week of teacher table activities from my classroom weekly station activities lesson plan template**EDITABLE -group members template -group #1-6 lesson plan templates (2 options included) **EDITABLE -group schedule templates (for 3-6 rotations) **This product comes in a ZIP folder. One file is a PDF and the other (editable) is a PowerPoint file. Please note: You must have PowerPoint to edit this file! Looking for other Guided Reading Materials? Check out below! Student Data and Guided Reading Organization Reading Comprehension Worksheets for ANY Story Reading Toolkits Phonics Interactive Notebooks- Short Vowels Guided Math Rotations
I have always believed the time my students and I spend at the small group table is THE most important time of our day. If you have followed my blog for
Find out about a variety of informal quick checks to obtain information about your students' literacy skills and track their progress.
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. …
The Complete Set of Readers for the Continents present emerging readers with the opportunity to read independently for content as they are studying a continent! Each set includes 9 readers about that continent. These readers introduce phonetic elements with the same progression and color-coding as our Waseca Reading Program. First, a child reads an illustrated book to focus on decoding. Next, the child reads the text cards and matches them to the corresponding picture cards. They can use the numbers on the back of the cards as a control of error. Then, the child uses the masters to demonstrate confidence and comprehension by illustrating a copy of the story to take home. Find the lessons and masters in our A-Z PDF library. Each set includes 9 Readers that progressively introduce phonetic elements for young readers. These Readers correspond to the progression of the Waseca Reading Program and are color-coded to match. Each Reader includes a hardcover folio with pockets to store the tyvek Reader book and its text and picture cards, and each set of Readers comes with its own birch box for easy shelf storage and organization. (3 to 9 years) In lieu of the embossed icon on each reader folio, the Reader storage now includes a set of brass clips that highlight the icon and make it easier to read from afar! These clips slide snugly over the top of each folio: ten clips for the nine folios in each Reader set are included (just in case you need an extra). Item: 86CRS ISBN: 978-1-7331838-7-1 Includes: Guide to Presentation* Masters for each Reader story* North America Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box Africa Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box South America Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box Asia Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box Europe Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box Oceania Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box Antarctica Readers (includes 9 booklets with 6 picture and 6 text cards for each booklet) with 10 brass icon clips and birch storage box *available for download in our A–Z PDF library NORTH AMERICA The Red Fox The Muskrat The Jackrabbit The Marsh The Whipsnake The Vines that Choke The Wild Turkey The Bighorn Sheep The Polar Bear AFRICA The Fennec Fox The Goliath Frog The Ostrich The !Kung The Pygmies The Naked Mole Rat The Oxpecker The Chimpanzee The Cheetah ASIA The Yak The Camel The Chicken The Orangutan The Mongoose The Mouse-Deer The Clouded Leopard The Panda Dance of the Crane ANTARCTICA Antarctica A Trip Krill Plankton Penguins Seals Seasons in Antarctica The Emperor Penguin People in Antarctica SOUTH AMERICA The Amazon The Pantanal The Chinchilla The Limpkin The Vampire Bat The Rainbow Boa The Three-Toed Sloth The Capybara The Yanomami EUROPE The Red Squirrel The Wild Boar The Polecat The Red Deer The Alpine Ibex The Diving Bell Spider The Wood Grouse Mystery in the Alps The Hedgehog OCEANIA Numbats and Wombats Koalas and Gum Trees The Cuscus The Dingo The Carpet Python The Kangaroo The Emu The Platypus The Satin Bowerbird
When I saw the Raskog cart at IKEA a few years ago, I told myself I HAD to have it... if I could come up with a reason to use it! Finally, I came up with a great reason to use it- to store my guided reading supplies! First of all, let me just tell you how well made this cart is. It was easy to put together, and it is very sturdy. It doesn't wobble at all. And the wheels are very smooth, so it is easy to pull it out to use it and roll back when I'm finished. So I'm 100% thrilled that I purchased it, and I'm looking for a reason to purchase a second one. The Raskog cart has 3 tiers, and they hold a ton of stuff! The only things I don't have on my cart are my Guided Reading books and my big container of magnetic letters. I have a separate bookshelf for my Guided Reading books. So... on to the cart! The top tier holds the stuff I tend to use the most often. It has my Guided Reading binder which contains my Running Records, letter ID assessment forms, and group information. In the toolbag, which used to sit on my desk, I have various other supplies for teaching reading. (This toolbag is seriously the best- I have one at home for my tools too! It comes in several other colors, including pink, if you're into that.) 1. Guided Reading Binder- I keep my Guided Reading plans in a binder, separate from my regular lesson plans. Each group has their own tab with their lessons. I also keep running record sheets, letter ID assessments, and other stuff there as well. It tucks there nicely next to the toolbox. 2. Phonics Dance song- We use a program called the Phonics Dance, and I use my Guided Reading time to practice the Phonics Dance. At the beginning of the year, I do it with all the students, and later in the year, I use it with my struggling students who need extra practice with their sounds. This is also something they can do independently while I do a running record. 3. Timer/Clock- My classroom clock is behind where I sit, so having a clock is handy. I also use the timer to make sure I keep my groups within 15-20 minutes each. And yes, I took that picture at 7:31pm. 4. Dry Erase Markers- I use these to let the students practice writing words on my dry erase boards. 5. Magnifying Glasses- We use these for finding words, sounds, or chunks in our books. It makes it much more fun because they feel like detectives. 6. Sight Word Flashcards- I keep these handy on a ring. We practice our sight words first whenever we come to the table. 7. Pointers- I have a variety of fun pointers that we use for finding words, sounds, or chunks. I like to mix it up. The kids love the different ways they can look through their books for different things. Inside the toolbox, I have some other items that I like to keep handy. 1. and 5. Dry Erase Boards and Erasers- I love the smaller dry erase boards. They came from the Target Dollar Spot several years ago, but I've seen them since I purchased these. The dry erase erasers also came from Target. They are usually available around back to school. 2. Reading Strategy cards. These have a different reading strategy on each card that I can display when I am teaching them a new strategy. I printed these 4 to a page so they are small. 3. Alphabet Flashcards- I keep these handy for all students at the beginning of the year, and I taper them off as we go. We use them to practice letter recognition and sound recognition. 4. Pointer fingers- These are especially helpful at the beginning of the year, because it helps the students remember to use their finger and point to each word. 6. We use Slinkies for breaking and stretching out words. We s-t-r-e-t-c-h out those words and use the Slinkies to help. My toolbox has little side pockets that are great for holding cards. 1. Oddity Task Cards- These are a quick and easy way to help my students with phonemic awareness and sound discrimination. The ones you see are Beginning Sounds, but I also have Rhyming Words, Middle Sounds, and Ending Sounds as well. I switch them out as needed throughout the year. 2. Word Attack Strategy bookmarks- Once we've learned a few strategies, I use these with my students so they can try using more than one strategy. We go over which strategies we've already learned and they can reference it while reading. 3. Elkonin boxes- These are great for breaking and segmenting sounds. The BEST thing about the Raskog cart is that it has 2 more tiers for lots of Guided Reading materials! 1. Glue Sticks- I use these if we do printable sorts, sight word scramble pages, etc... 2. Retelling gloves and strings- We use these for retelling stories after we've read them. 3. Timers- I use these to do quick activities. One activity my students love is where they have one minute to write as many words as they can. 4. Cookie Sheets- I bought these small cookie sheets at Ollie's. They are great for doing a sight word mix and fix activity. I can put the letters they need on the cookie sheet and hand it to the student. The magnetic letters stay on the cookie sheet and can be passed back to me easily. 5. Smarties- I give Smarties as a treat when a student does a great job. I call them "Smarties for my Smarties" and I hand out a few whenever a student or a group does a great job. 6. Scentos Markers, because... why not? 7. Pencils and erasers are great for writing activities that we do in my small groups 1-4. This is something I had brand new this school year, and I absolutely loved it. I made different cards for each sound that I teach, and organized them in library pockets. Whenever we are working on a sound, or they need a review, I can pull out the cards I need and we can do an impromptu sort. 5. M&Ms- I keep these as a treat for a group that does a great job. They are also great for using with Elkonin boxes. 6. Erasers- I have a bucket full of small erasers that I keep at my table. I use these for Elkonin boxes. They slide the erasers into the boxes to blend the sounds together. I switch these out with the seasons, so sometimes they are pumpkins, or snowmen, or hearts! So that's how I organize most of my Guided Reading Materials on one handy cart! Apparently IKEA doesn't sell the turquoise RASKOG cart anymore (tear), but they do carry it in a beige, a redish-brown, and black. There are also several other carts that would work if you really have your heart set on blue, like I did. I've also heard that other stores carry similar carts. Or you could purchase one of the IKEA carts and paint it to whichever color your heart desires. Here are a few different options from Amazon that aren't too expensive. And this one from Michaels is also an option! I hope this post helped any of you who are struggling with keeping your guided reading materials organized and accessible! Having so much necessary stuff is a struggle, but it helps to have everything at your fingertips so that you can get your groups running and ready to go quickly!
How I implement and run guided reading and small group in my middle school and upper elementary ELA classrooms
Find out how to create a reading graphic organizers file box to save you time when planning for your reading small groups.
Small group organization that actually works and keeps your materials at your fingertips. Perfect for guided reading & intervention teachers!
Download this FREE Help Your Child Learn to Read reading tips brochure for your students' parents to support their child in learning to read.
Make EVERY MINUTE count with your guided reading groups and see what you can accomplish with these effective strategies!
Make your guided reading planning quick and simple with these easy to follow tips. Each week your students should be meeting in a guided reading group and these tips will help you to plan those groups without wasting time!
In this blog post: Find ideas for how to organize your small group guided reading table, what to include in your student supplies, and download the free Science of Reading Small Groups Toolkit to set your students up for success. As you are planning for your Science of Reading small groups this year, you might […]
Intervention in reading can be the difference that changes a student's path. What teacher doesn’t want to be that difference? But, finding...
Teaching guided math small groups have been a game changer in my classroom! Read about how I plan for my math groups, differentiate my instruction and more!
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
I remember when guided reading first came out many, many years ago! Then suddenly people stopped talking about it. I’m extremely happy to see that it’s trending again because I’m a firm believer in it. Guided reading can mean many things to different people. For me, guided reading is a small group lesson that requires […]
A LOOK AT LEXILES and Text Complexity While delivering PD yesterday, a teacher asked me, "What's a Lexile?" I wanted to say, "where have you been?" But the reality is--I commend her for not being afraid to ask what we think is such a basic question. We forget that some people have been so busy working in the trenches that they haven't been able to keep up. (They've been too busy administering tests, Student Learning Objective assessments, state exams and more.) So, listed below are the basics of LEXILES 101. Essential understandings: The Common Core has defined where "college and career ready" (CCR) students should be reading and it's a 1450 Lexile. Therefore, they scaffolded in reverse levels to graduate students at the appropriate level. These Lexile levels are more difficult than where typical students are reading. Lexile is an algorithm. It is a mathematical assessment of a linguistic product. Lexiles (and other readability statistics) are fallible. (For instance, it is not valid for prose or drama and is less valid for fiction in 1000+ Lexile range.) The parent organization to the CCSS, (CCSSO formally called the Governor’s convention) recently released a white paper verifying the validity of text complexity. Therefore, we have to pay attention to this essential shift to embrace "rigor" in reading. To read the recent white paper from the Council of Chief State School Officers click here. This article compares a number of algorithms and the summarizes text complexity for the CCSS. Text complexity formulas were meant for instructional purposes. Pleasure reading should be allowed at any level and this is validated in the Common Core, Appendix A, page 9, paragraph 1: It is very interesting, to compare the variables used among the six different "approved" complexity measures. Metametrics (Lexile) uses the simplest measure of only word count and sentence length. (Lexile.com provides a search tool for books, but many are missing.) Other companies including Accelerated Reader (ATOS) and Pearson, DRP, etc... add additional measures of review such as punctuation, a 100,000-word vocabulary match, and more. Therefore, we would conclude that the ratings of the latter companies would be more accurate picture of complexity and appropriateness. This quote from page 17 of the white paper puts it diplomatically: "There is no clear "gold standard" measure of text difficulty against which to compare the various metrics. Instead, we compared each metric against various reference measures based on grade level and student comprehension data for five sets of passages gathered for the study. These are defined and discussed in the sections following. Although there are limitations in the validity of these indicators as measures of text difficulty, the variety in their construction allows us to observe the robustness of the metrics and consider how different reference measures might affect their performance." Be sure to note that Microsoft Word's Flesch-Kincaid measure has also been proven valid. This picture shows how to "turn on" readability statistics within Word: Readability statistics, is only one characteristic to examine for instructional materials. Please see the charts below to identify correct grade levels and Lexiles - or level of complexity. The Common Core has asked teachers to evaluate classroom materials for quality as well as quantity. Complexity is only one piece of the puzzle. In addition, a teacher, librarian, or educator, has to pay attention to: • Complexity - Lexile, vocabulary • Qualitative measures -value • Reader and the task -is there enough in the text to foster good discussion, value -added assignments, and begin a knowledge exploration. How can I use this novel or passage to foster critical thinking skills? Every reading program (F and P, AR, Reading Counts, etc.) uses as its baseline, some metric to measure difficulty or "readability". Here is a chart by Perma-bound, which correlates the different reading measures:
Product Description 30 Fill-in Personal Posters for Students to Display with Pride Invite students to tell all about themselves in writing and pictures by completing this motivating, literacy-boosting graphic organizer. A great back-to-school icebreaker! Details: 30 posters plus teaching guide 17 x 22 Grades: 3-6
(ateachersplan.blogspot.com)
Let's Celebrate Reading! A full breakdown of a guided reading block! Lesson ideas, reading lessons, literacy centers, literacy stations, word work activities, writing station ideas, ELA activities, listening station, phonics ideas, spelling activities, word study, and taking notes during guided reading are included!
Cause and effect is an essential reading skill that our readers need in able to adequately and effectively comprehend. It helps students understand how one event connects or leads to the next event. I thought it would be so fun to give my cause and effect resource a little makeover with a fun newsroom theme. Students will be reporters to report on the cause and effect relationships in the story. They will cover what happened (THE EVENT) and what made that event happen (THE CAUSE). These activities, anchor charts, and crafts will help you plan a mini room transformation for your students. Get ready to transform your classroom into a Cause and Effect News Studio! As far as transforming your room goes, I am all for less is more in this instance. You could cover their desk pods or tables with plastic tablecloths and lay the printable microphones on each student's spot. I included a banner that you can print to hang at the front of your room. You might want to make a backdrop up there, too, with bulletin board paper for when students do their reporting. You could also move a piece of furniture or some desks to that area for reporters to sit. I think it would be really cute if you dressed as a reporter and have students dress as one at the end of the unit for one final cause and effect news report. I give instructions in the resource on how to print the anchor chart as a poster. You can laminate this and use a dry erase marker on it when you go to model identifying cause and effect relationships in the text. The posters can be printed and hung near your anchor chart for student reference. For the opening activity, have students gather on the carpet. Explain to them what a cause and effect are and that they will be reporting on different cause and effect relationships in texts. Show them these picture cards all mixed up. Have students help you match the causes and effects and display them on your board or in a pocket chart. Model with the microphone how you might report on these events. I always tell students to identify the effect first and then to find the cause. I have found that this strategy is helpful for students. You really can use any fictional story for cause and effect, but there are some texts that just lend themselves well to teaching this reading skill. Some good ones include The Rain Came Down, A Bad Case of Stripes, any book by Doreen Cronin, Alexander and the No Good, Horrible, Very Bad Day, and any of the Laura Numeroff books. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs would be another good one, since it's about weather. Fictional books about weather events would be great for the news reports! For the first day, I would give each group one of these envelopes filled with the graphic organizers below. These are normally used for cooperative groups or centers and each will have its own text. I would actually read aloud one text for the whole class and then have students go prepare their news reports with their tables. There are two graphic organizers included, the first only has one cause and effect relationship and the other has three. You can choose what would be best for your students. After identifying the cause and effect relationships have each group come up front to deliver their news report. Have a discussion on whether or not students identified the same or a different relationship and explain that stories can have many different ones just like in real life. Use different texts each day so that students are exposed to more examples of cause and effect relationships. I have included different crafts and graphic organizers below that you could use each day. There are enough to even come back to cause and effect later in the year. I always strive to give you lots of options so that you can meet the needs in your classroom. The news report and microphone crafts are sure to get your students excited about cause and effect! After making these, you can hang them in your room to add to your room transformation. I tried to make these look like hats reporters would wear back in the day. I think they would be so fun for your students to wear after one of your lessons! For exit tickets, you can use these printables or have students use their whiteboards. I would display a short passage or story and have students identify a cause or effect. This will let you know if they understand the vocabulary of cause and effect. I actually changed this badges after taking this photo to press passes for students to have access to your newsroom throughout the week. Give students these bookmarks to use during their independent reading time to apply the skill. I always include these book club templates and discussion cards in case you have book clubs meet each week like I used to do. I miss them so much! Students would review the skill on Friday while eating popcorn and discussing the text that day. I hope you love this resource as much as I do! As I am updating all of my reading comprehension units, I am trying to add as many fun themes as possible. Up next is updating my point of view unit with a fun 70s theme! These themes are what keep me excited to teach and help aid in not being burnt out. It doesn't take much to get students excited, so you can make a transformation as small or as big as you want. My students would get excited just over the paper microphones! Ha! You can check out the resource HERE or by clicking on any of the photos. It is sold separately and in a BUNDLE. If you already own it, be sure to download it again. Thank you so much for reading!
