The Next Step in Guided Reading - Chapter 6 and a FREEBIE!

This was a loooooonnnnnnggggg chapter!  Considering I teach 1st grade, the majority of my students are not at this level.  Every once in a while I'll get one or two, but a lot of this just went in my memory bank in case I ever switch grade levels, tutor, or move into a different position.  I still really enjoyed reading this chapter!  What did you all think?

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.

I noticed that with the fluent level, a large majority of the focus is on vocabulary and comprehension.  I knew it would take a hard look at comprehension, but I wasn't expecting the heavy emphasis on vocabulary.  But it makes so much sense!  Vocabulary is always a skill that can be taught, no matter what level a person is on.  Even adults can refine their vocabulary skills!

I was also captured by the VIP strategy.  A lot of my higher readers struggle with identifying the most important parts.  They get so caught up in the details that they miss the bigger picture!  I like the idea of having the small sticky notes on hand so that they can flag it when they read it.

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!

Even though my students aren't this high, we still focus a lot on comprehension.  We will occasionally stop during our reading and check our comprehension.  We also have a chat after reading the book about different aspects of the story.  I typically try to ask a lot of green (literal) and red (inferential) questions.

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 want to try and incorporate more yellow questions when we discuss the book.  Some of my higher groups could totally handle this.  I also love the idea of the reading notebooks for vocabulary recording, comprehension notes, and guided writing.  I probably won't have the opportunity to use this a lot since I teach 1st grade, but I'm glad I read it so that I know what to do in case I have kids at this level!

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

I have these retelling cubes that I love!  I actually use them with all of my groups.  Retell a Story Cubes

For nonfiction, I just wrote some simple questions on large popsicle sticks and put them in a cup.  The students draw one out and answer the question.

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?

Reading notebooks are the biggest thing I'd want to have on hand during fluent level groups.  Staples has a deal on notebooks for $0.17!  I got 24 for $4 and some change AND free shipping!  You should really snatch them if you think you'll use them!  This is seriously a great deal!

Staples Notebook Sale

I put together a little freebie for you all today!  Remember those green, yellow, and red questions?  Well, I made a little question card ring for reference during your groups.  You can make one for each student, have one at your guided reading table, or have it on hand for YOURSELF to remember what types of questions to ask!  :)  Click on the following link, photograph, or picture to download!  Enjoy!  :)

Traffic Light Questions

See you next week for the LAST chapter of The Next Step in Guided Reading!  Woohoo!

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!  

The Next Step in Guided Reading - Chapter 3

Hey friends!  Today we look at Chapter 3!  Our host with a freebie this week is Mrs. P's Specialties!

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.

I loved this chapter because it felt like the authors were really starting to get into the meat of what a guided reading lesson looks like.  I love the structure of the lesson plans that they suggest.  Even though most students are beyond the Pre-A level in first grade, some years I always get at least a couple that fall into that category.  It's really helpful to have a guide on what to do with those students.  I also love the Interactive Writing segment.  I honestly have never done much writing in guided reading because I always focus so much on the reading.  This is something I definitely want to incorporate this coming year.   

I also noticed that the author mentioned not doing 1:1 matching once you get to Level C.  Oops!  I've definitely done 1:1 matching with almost every group.  I can see why she wants to discourage it because it kind of gets in the way of fluency.  It makes their reading more choppy!

Did anyone else notice that it said NOT to read the book chorally?  That's how I've always done it!  As I think about it, I like the idea of having them read it independently first so that they can practice those strategies and figure things out on their own (since that's how they'll usually read anyways!).

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!

I have already been doing the Introduction of the New Book, Text Reading with Prompting, Teaching Points After Reading, and a short phonics practice.  I've never really liked what I've done with phonics during guided reading, so I'll definitely be changing that up as well.

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?

Next year I want to be more intentional with the text I select for the students.  In Chapter 3 it talked about choosing books with sight words that the students know.  It also said to have a new sight word in the book to teach.  I normally just pick a book at their level and go with it.  Time to get a little more selective!

I've honestly never done much with cross-checking, either.  Sure, I talk about it here and there when appropriate.  But she really emphasizes being able to cross-check before they get to Level D.

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

Our school is starting to build a guided reading library, which is fabulous!  I hope they continue to add more books to it in the future.  I also have plenty of whiteboards, pointers, and magnetic letters.

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 need to make some little guided writing books for the end of each lesson.  Fortunately, all I need to do is staple some paper together OR grab some little cheap notebooks when the Back to School Sales appear!  ;)

Make sure you check out everyone else's blog posts on Chapter 3!

An InLinkz Link-up

Next Step in Guided Reading - Chapter 2

I'm totally a day late with this, and I truly apologize.  My son's birthday party is Saturday and yesterday I was running around like a mad woman trying to gather everything!  I spent 2 hours mulching the front yard and finished just minutes before a big storm hit.  Then our power was knocked out last night for a little bit due to the crazy storms.  Tis the season, right?  ;)

This week's host is Jennifer Tice at Rowdy in First Grade.  Be sure to stop by her blog to see her thoughts and grab a freebie!  :)

So Chapter 2!  What did you guys think?  This chapter talked about assessment, which is something we all HAVE to do.  A lot of what we do is district mandated, but I add in a few things of my own to give me a better picture of my students.

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.

The biggest thing that stood out to me was using dictation sentences to assess a child.  I have done every other assessment part that was suggested, but I have honestly not taken the time to use dictation sentences.  Maybe I'm the only one.  If that's the case, I am a little embarrassed, haha.  I definitely plan on doing this next school year.  I really see the importance of it and how it can tell you so much!  I also liked reading how to analyze their reading strategies.  

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!

The first couple weeks of school, all I do is assess!  It's annoying and frustrating at times, but I truly love it.  I love getting that picture of each child and learning about how they read.  I use SEVERAL assessments to help me determine how to group my students.  I use:

          -Reading Street Baseline Test

          -Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading Leveling System

          -AIMSWeb

          -Fluency check

From this information, I compile a color-coded list to see how each student ranks and where they fall in their overall reading capabilities. 

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 think this year I'm going to come up with some dictation sentences to add to the mix!  I might have to work on a new product.  ;)

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

Fortunately, we already kind of have all of the items I listed above.  

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 really need to find some fluency passages to use at the beginning of the year.  Our reading program doesn't have them, which I understand because they're still pretty young and don't have a lot of skills to be able to read a passage.  But I like seeing their progress and monitoring how they do.  I don't give a grade for them or anything, it's more just for my knowledge.  I've been pulling random passages from AIMSWeb and some other sources, but I just don't like them.  :)

What did you think about Chapter 2?  Were you able to reflect a little more on what you should be looking for from each assessment?  I know I did!  :)

Next Steps in Guided Reading - Chapter 1

Today is Day #1 for our book study on The Next Step In Guided Reading...!

There are a few of us who are teaming up with Teaching with Grace to bring you some food for thought and some GOODIES in your journey with guided reading!

Did you get a chance to read chapter one?  I read it yesterday and it was a quick read!  It made me realize that I seriously don't take enough time to get my kids used to centers.  Guilty, right here!  I usually try to introduce everything and make them jump right in within two weeks so that I can get my guided reading groups going.  It's seriously going to take much more time to get my kids established so that I don't have to worry about them in the long run.  

Last time I posted I came up with 5 questions for each chapter.  Here are my thoughts and I invite you to answer the same questions by posting either in the comments or on your own blog. 

I came up with 5 basic questions for each week's reading:

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.

What caught my attention in this chapter was the different ways to group students.  I am also guilty of keeping my kids in their groups based on their guided reading level.  It was just always easier to keep them in the same groups so they could rotate through everything.  I think this year I'm going to give each student their own individual schedule to follow for the week.  It might take a LOT of time up front to create them, but I think it will be worth it!  I'll share a view of what I do in the fall once I create it.  I'm actually kind of excited about them!

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!

I have been using The Daily 5 as my centers during guided reading.  It has worked well for the past 3 years!  It has definitely made for easy planning where centers are concerned!

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?

Next year I'm going to add computers (I'm going to purchase a subscription to RAZ Kids) and a fluency center.  I'm also going to spend the suggested 5-6 weeks to introduce centers to make sure that they are completely independent before starting my reading groups.

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

I already have my Word Work centers created, printed, and in baggies ready to go for the year!  If you need Word Work suggestions, check out my TPT shop for what I use.  It's 10 centers that stay the same for the entire year...the phonics skills are the only things that change!  It is WONDERFUL because I don't have to waste time explaining them every week!  I have a free Short A set if you'd like to try it!

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 need to find some easy centers for the students to use as I'm teaching the literacy centers throughout the first 6 weeks.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I'm going to set out a tub of blocks, a box of books, and some clay.  I wonder if there's anything else out there that might have a little more substance to it that they could handle?  Hmmm.  

So what about you?  What are your thoughts after reading Chapter 1?  I'm excited to keep digging into this book with you!