The Next Step in Guided Reading - Chapter 5

Gracious, I am behind!  Lots of catching up to do on the blog, TPT, and getting ready for school to start!  I usually get the itch to start working in my room and prepping for the year at the end of July.  We don't start until August 25th this year, so I feel like I have a couple more weeks until I go full blast.

FYI, I'm working on some Bright Stripes decor!  Last year I did the whole chevron thing.  I needed a change for this year.  Not a big one, but just something a little different.  I really like my bright colors with black, but I don't want to spend the time or money redoing EVERYTHING, ya know?  So I'm just changing out a few things to freshen it up and breathe some new life into my room.  Here are a couple pics to give you a sneak peek!  I'm TRYING to get it done and uploaded to TPT today, but it might be tomorrow.  It's taking me a lot longer than I thought it would!

Now for our book study on The Next Step in Guided Reading!  I am REALLY loving the meat of this book!

Chapter 5!  Did y'all enjoy it?  I have so many ideas floating in my head and I'm getting excited to start my guided reading groups this fall!  So here are my thoughts:

1.  What part of the reading caught your attention?  Maybe it's something you never thought about.  Maybe it's something that you've been trying to get a grip on.  Maybe it's something that you've never heard quite they way it was put.

Almost everything caught my attention!  Since the Transitional stage is where most of my kiddos left, I feel like this is where my brain is right now.  I thought it was interesting they way the lesson plan is tweaked for this level.  It has a lot of the same elements as the early guided reading plan, but at the same time it is definitely differentiated to more capable readers.  I always used the same format for all of my groups and just tweaked it according to their abilities.  Looks like I need to make some templates for each level!  I have this sudden urge to work on updating my guided reading binder in order to reflect the different levels and needs.

2.  How do you already incorporate this into your guided reading routine?  There's probably at least some part of the chapter that you're already doing!  Tell us about it!

We always preview and predict the book before we read it.  We normally take a picture walk to see what's going on and make predictions from there.  We also talk about different reading strategies as we go through the text.  

3.  What is something new you want to try next school year?  How do you want to make your guided reading time better or what new things do you want to try?

I absolutely want to incorporate more guided writing and more vocabulary introductions.  We normally don't talk about vocabulary very much, unless it's a big word that they can't pronounce.  How silly is that???  I often assume that my students know more than they do.  :(

My students always struggle with retelling.  Can I just say I LOOOOOVE the sticky note idea?  I love the idea of giving them some support by placing the sticky notes on pages at strategic places in the beginning, middle, and end.  Such a great idea for the kiddos that can't differentiate between the different parts!

4.  What are some resources that you ALREADY HAVE that you can use to teach what you read about in this chapter/section?

Lord knows I have a million sticky notes ready to go!  FYI, they have packs (90 notes) at Walmart right now for $1!  I stocked up yesterday!  I also have Amanda's Sticky Note Jot Spots, which I think can be used perfectly within these lessons!

5.  What are some NEW resources that you want to get or try to use to teach what you read about in this chapter/section?

I searched for some retelling products on TPT and found these cute little buddy checklists!  And they're FREE!