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!  

Classroom Digs - Blog Hoppin' Linky

Day 2 here for Teacher Week '13!  I'm so excited to reveal my classroom to you!  I'm so sorry I'm just now posting this.  I had mega problems getting my pictures onto my computer.  Ugh!  Somehow it magically decided to start working again...  Basically, this is going to be a huge photo dump.  A couple of the pictures are from my preview last week, but many of them are new.  It's very late and a friend and I are redoing our teacher's lounge!  Paint, lamps, fabric, Scentsy warmers, new tables and chairs...so I'm off bright and early to help finish it up!  I'll be sure to post some pictures.  ;)

This year I went with a Chevron theme...surprise, surprise!  I mean, let's face it.  It's THE fad this year!  You might be sick of it already, or you might be totally pumped.  I like it because of the bright colors and because it's not a specific theme, per say.  You may have read a previous blog post of mine about some of the chevron touches that I've incorporated into my room this year.  So here it is...all finished and ready to go!

Could I POSSIBLY have any more supplies?

Aren't these knobs the cutest???  Hobby Lobby!  50% off!

Posters, Crate Seats, Window Valance, and Room Preview!

Oh. My. Word.  Seriously.

I have been trying to put my room together and I'm just a mess.  It's mostly done, now it's all the teeny tiny little details that nobody really even sees.  You understand, right?  It's those things that drive me NUTS.

Anyways, I plan to go back and link up with the Applicious Teacher and write posts for all the weekly link-ups I've missed.  But for now, this post is a hodge-podge of everything.

First of all, I received a sweet message from a fellow blogger/TPTer/teacher who is using my reading comprehension posters.  I just use them on my focus board, but check out what she did with them!

Stacey used file folders and glued a poster on the inside of each one.  She's going to put a correlating activity in the folder to use for practice and reinforcement!  What a great idea!  Here's the link to her blog post about it to get more info:  http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2013/07/reading-strategies-and-comprehension.html

If you're interested in the posters, I have them for sale in my TPT shop.  My Reading Comprehension Posters, Reading Strategy Posters, and Grammar Posters are my best sellers!

Ok, we've all seen the cute and adorable crate seats all over blogs and Pinterest.  I decided they'd be cute and functional in my classroom at my reading table.  I love the extra storage they provide!  And they're a great height, too.  I got the directions from Ginger Snaps.

I bought the crates for $3-something at Big Lots.  I bought a foam twin mattress from Meijer for $7.99. It was enough double up the padding for 6 seats.  I bought plywood from Lowe's for $16-something and had a ton left over.  I didn't have a staple gun, so I bought one at Lowe's for around $20.  The fabric was around $8 from Hobby Lobby.  I bought a spool of ribbon from Hobby Lobby for $1.50.

I'm in love with them!  Such a cute, functional, and easy project.  Lowe's cut the plywood for me to size, so it really took no time at all.

So I have to tell you about my UGLY window shade.  It's a very old yellow color.  I can't take it.  I had to leave it up, so I decided to cover it up!

Here's how I did it:

I bought 5 yards of fabric from Hobby Lobby.  I trimmed off the white edge that was on one of the sides.  Then I spaced out ribbon every 18 inches.

I cut a slit towards the top and fed the ribbon through.

There is a metal rod that is already on my ceiling for some reason.  I fed the ribbon over top of it and pulled it around.  I tied a double-knot on each piece of ribbon and voila!  A no-sew window valance!  How easy is that?!?!

Ok, now here's a quick preview of my new classroom!  I will post pics of the final product sometime this week.  But for now, here's a glimpse into the ever-popular theme of CHEVRON!

Beanbag:  Meijer - $25

FREE Chevron Behavior Chart from A Cupcake for the Teacher:

Mini-bulletin board from Hobby Lobby: $14.99

Pen/Pencil cup from Target: $1 in the Dollar Bins:

Bucket Filler Posters from Blair Turner:

Lamp from Meijer: I honestly can't remember if it was $15 or $25?

Chevron Rug from Big Lots that I bought last year:  I think $25?

Calendar Headers from part of my Bright Chevron Decor Pack:

FREE Daily 5 Posters from Ginger Snaps:

Small tin pail from Walmart: $2.50