Planning your guided literacy time is bout to get so much easier. I get asked a lot about how to tie reading and writing together, while focusing on fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, writing, etc. I create this resource to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to make planning
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!
Fluency tends to be a commonly overlooked skill, but you can change that by learning about strategies for teaching fluency with your elementary students!
Planning your guided literacy time is bout to get so much easier. I get asked a lot about how to tie reading and writing together, while focusing on fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, writing, etc. I create this resource to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to make planning
I have a quick and simple tip for you today. Another teacher gave me this tip a few years ago and I love it! (I wish I remembered who gave me this tip and where they got the idea from so I could give the credit.) Do you ever start to give directions and you ... Read More about A quick classroom management tip
I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talking about doing a little spring cleaning with some of my TpT resources? Well, I did a little spring cleaning in my file folders on my computer as well. Yikes. Now THAT'S a bit of a rabbit hole. I got in a little deeper than I wanted to, but I figured I might as well finish the job. I got rid of a lot (a LOT) of cringe worthy products that just didn't make the cut anymore, and I got some major organizing done as well. BUT - you know what I found? THIS >>> It's a reading comprehension cootie catcher that I TOTALLY forgot I made! And since it resurfaced for me - I thought I'd resurface it for you! I'm sure I made it for you guys in the first place, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the blog. There's actually 3 different versions. They have different comprehension questions that can be used with any fictional book. They work great as a quick partner review game. You can download them here! Find any long-lost things in your spring cleaning, lately? Pin and Share this freebie:
While teaching students to read in my grade one classroom as well as during my reading recovery sessions, I found that for some students, reading fluency is not something that happened easily. My reading recovery trainer REALLY drilled that "la fluidité en lecture" has to happen EARLY, before students develop bad habits. Students have to be TAUGHT to read with fluency. It does not happen automatically. You have to take every opportunity to teach fluency in reading! Here are some suggestions: 1. During shared reading, try not to point to words with your finger. You do not want students to do it once they have "le mot à mot" so you should not do it yourself. 2. During shared reading, once in awhile read "comme un robot" without fluency. Students will quickly tell you that this is NOT the way to read! 3. As soon as students are ready, insist that they remove the finger from the book. "Tu es si bon que tu n'as plus besoin de mettre ton doigt sous les mots maintenant! Regarde-moi. Je lis sans mettre mon doigt. Je "touche" les mots avec mes yeux mais pas avec mon doigt. Ceci t'aide à lire plus vite et à mieux comprendre ce que tu lis! Ceci te permet de lire les groupes de mots ensemble et de lire comme tu parles. 4. Demonstrate by reading one page of the little book and then ask the student to read the next page "C'est ton tour maintenant. Lis les mots ensemble. Lis comme Madame." 5. You can also demonstrate by grouping words on a page as you read. For example, if the sentence is "Je joue avec mon petit chien brun.", I would say "Je vais lire des petits groupes de mots et tu vas m'aider." "Je joue"...Maintenant lis les mots ensemble comme moi (Je joue). Ensuite, je lis "petit chien" (L'élève répète les mots ensemble "petit chien") Ensuite j'ajoute un mot et je lis "mon petit chien" (L'élève répète...). Finalement je dis "Maintenant, nous allons lire les groupes de mots ensemble "Je joue avec...mon petit chien." We want the student to realize that certain words are grouped together when reading. Reading fluency certainly goes hand in hand with reading comprehension. By practicing this often and by congratulating success, this will become more and more automatic! In order to give the opportunity to practice grouping words together when reading, I created the following resource. It made an ENORMOUS difference with my students. It is all ready to print and use in a variety of ways. Click HERE to view one of 6 documents. Each resource contains 30 sets of 4 sentences with many sight words. A word or two is added to each sentence, forcing the student to read the "group of words", therefore encouraging fluency in reading. Here is an example: These can be used as is on a card with 4 sentences or cut up and stapled. Each set of sentences can be attached with a ring and placed in a literacy center. My students and parents LOVED the interactive notebook idea, which I simply put in their morning message duo-tang regularly. Here is an example: Check out the BUNDLE containing 6 resources by clicking HERE Give it a try with this FREEBIE
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
I have always assigned nightly reading. Why? I don't assign nightly reading because I want to give students "reading homework." I don't assign nightly reading
Are you wondering the best strategy for introducing readers' notebooks to your students?
Use a sound wall in your kindergarten classroom with these tips, ideas, and suggestions about using a sound wall in kindergarten!
Teaching students reading strategies, as well as allowing them to interact with them, is crucial to their reading comprehension of both nonfiction and fiction texts. This reading comprehension strategies fan is a fresh, hands on and unique way students can visually see each reading strategy broken down for them. It is an alternative to reading response that will help you to reach all learners in your classroom. This reading strategy fan craft requires little to no prep, and the only materials needed are scissors, glue, and metal fasteners. Included are two options: 1 Book: Students write the title of their book on the “Fan Full of Reading Strategies” cover. 2 or More Books: Students write the title of the book they are reading on each fan blade. Students can use some or all of the strategies included. You can also print out multiple of the same fan blade to focus on just one strategy at a time. Strategies Included: Make Connections Determine Importance Draw Conclusions Make Inferences Make Predictions Ask Questions Create Sensory Images Use Background Knowledge Close Read Use Fix-Up Strategies Synthesize Information Use Context Clues Visualize
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
This is a visual for how students work their way up the Reading Ladder. Kindergarten is working within the levels 1 and 2 throughout the year. When working with your child, please focus on these skills so that they have a solid reading foundation. Success is earned and needs to be worked for. Thank you to Katelyn's Learning Studio for this amazing resource.
"It was like herding cats!" That was my answer to my husband the other day when he asked how my day had gone. Seriously, the days I have first and second graders are just hard - fun, but exhausting. That is until I found the SECRET to STEM and the littles! Are you ready for
Well, my school year has barely ended, and call me crazy, because I am already planning and creating for next year!! I have a list a mile long of new ideas that I can’t wait to try out for next year. My first one?!?! Close Reading Toolboxes!! This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you…
Reading logs are a popular tool used to track reading time or the number of pages/books read each day. As someone who values the joy of reading and learning, I've created printable reading logs and
How to plan for, modify, and implement successful Guided Reading in SPED. TIps and tricks with full lesson plan ideas at Mrs. D's Corner.
O guia para iniciantes em piano! Comece a aprender piano com este gráfico de acordes fácil de ler. Pronto para começar a aprender? Este gráfico de acordes para download digital é seu com o clique de um botão. Perfeito para estudantes e professores! Bom aprendizado!! *Observe que este é um download digital e NÃO uma cópia tangível que será enviada pelo correio. Após a compra você receberá um arquivo PDF e poderá imprimir quantos quiser! DETALHES: -A imagem digital mede 8,5 pol x 11 pol, perfeita para impressão em papel de impressora comum -Após a compra, verifique seu e-mail para obter o arquivo PDF para impressão :) -Imprima quantos quiser! -Quaisquer outras questões? Avise! **Sinta-se à vontade para entrar em contato comigo para obter mais informações ou se tiver problemas com o processo de download!** *Não satisfeito? Deixe-me saber o que posso fazer para ajudar!
If you teach a struggling reader, these 12 incredible resources for struggling readers are here to encourage you through practical tips and activities.
One of the things I do every year that really makes a difference in my students' learning is having them use notebooks to store notes, examples, work, and
The Gruffalo book activities unit with literacy printables, reading companion worksheets, lesson ideas for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade
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
Adding some fun games for reading in the classroom schedule will instantly get your kids excited to read! These 5 fun reading games are...
Are your students having trouble identifying theme within a story? This step-by-step process scaffolds through several reading comprehension skills to help students get a thorough understanding of theme. Students will be able to determine the theme of a story, poem, or drama from details in the text by first
Students will love learning about a new animal as they create an informational report using this helpful guide!
Spending the first week of school teaching classroom expectations and procedures is essential for a successful year. Glue is a tricky school supply for many little learners and there definitely needs to be instruction dedicated to teaching learners how to use this tool.Glue BottlesWhen learners are not taught how to use their glue correctly things
This post breaks down how I teach reading in 5th grade and how my reading block is structured, including the materials needed.
Let's discover science of reading aligned centers. You will be able to fully integrate science of reading into your literacy centers.
Do you have elementary students in your homeschool? If so, you will find this FREE Elementary Reading & Writing Bundle so helpful! It’s full of useful homeschool printables for writing and reading assessment as well as reading comprehension. This limited time freebie will end on 4/26 so you will want to be sure to grab the...
How to teach ELL students to read challenging, on-grade level texts through Visible Reading, a differentiated, process-driven reading strategy.
With so many of my BIG KIDS struggling with fluency, I worked to make it a part of my daily work with students, a Tier 1 intervention that the majority of the class could benefit from. Reading fluency incorporates three main components: speed, accuracy, and prosody, which directly impact comprehension. While I have shared a great deal about incorporating 6-Minute Solutions, here are a few other ways I worked to make fluency fun for my 6th graders.
Palm reading has been around for hundreds of years and is a great way to understand your personality type and behaviors. Here's an in-depth guide on how to read palms and learn a little bit more about yourself.
A step-by-step introduction to crochet pattern diagrams. Plus my favorite free and easy crochet stitch charts for beginners.
Do you have struggling readers you just can't reach? This mega list of reading intervention activities will help you teach all students how to read!
You can create your own overlays by using whole sheets or cutting strips of transparent, colored report covers, dividers or overhead projector film. DIY Color Overlays Step one: Buy a variety of colorful transparent sheets. You can use - color, transparency film color, transparent report covers (plastic) color, transparent dividers (plastic) All of these options can be found at office supply stores. Step two: Everyone is different. Let your students try out the different colors and see which one they like the best. Step three: For some students, keep whole sheets so that students have the option of changing the background color of the entire page of text. Other students might like a thin strip of color, as it can help with tracking from one line to the next. I make them a variety of lengths and widths, and often let students decide for themselves. Note: The strips also make wonderful book marks. Step four (optional): Place a plain sticker on the end of the overlay strip or the bottom of a whole sheet so that students can write their name on it. Students can also pick out a sticker of an image too. Just make sure to keep all stickers on one end of the color overlay strip or the bottom of the overlay page. Step five (optional): For those students that get overwhelmed by to many words on a page, you can place duct tape around the edge of the overlay to block out competing lines of text. At the end of the activity, even if a few of your students don’t find color overlays helpful, they will still have a useful book mark. For more great reading remediation ideas, check out my reading games! You can even get a free sample game!! RELATED: Reading Instruction Enjoy! Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses. Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 GSL Blog: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news Stores: www.GoodSensoryLearning.com/ Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/694000
You might have seen the primal diet mentioned among other diets, such as keto, low-carb, and paleo, and it has been gaining popularity in the last few years. What is it, though? What are its basic principles? Let’s find out.
One of the things I do every year that really makes a difference in my students' learning is having them use notebooks to store notes, examples, work, and
Activities that boost fluency all year long…and that you only have to prep once!
What is dyslexia? Learn the signs, causes, and how you can help. Dyslexia is a learning disabiltiy that makes it difficult to read and spell.
This FREE 4th grade reading comprehension resource is perfect for guided reading, shared reading, close reading, homework, or morning work. It includes 2 high-interest, professionally written reading passages (1 nonfiction and 1 fiction) that are designed to engage your students. 11-12 text-dependent questions (and answers) are provided for each passage.Want an ENTIRE YEAR of passages […]
