Terms of Use This ebook contains information from our blogs as well as brand new resources created specifically for viewers of our live workshop, What Are The Rest of My Students Doing: How to Keep Your K-2 Readers Engaged While You Teach Small Groups. This printable resource is the intellectual property of Anna Geiger and Becky Spence of. You have permission to use this file for personal or classroom use only. In other words, you may print, copy, and use this file only with the students you teach. You do not have permission to share between teachers/classrooms, alter this file, sell, host, email, give away, or store on any other site including a blog, Facebook groups and forums, 4Shared, Dropbox, Amazon Inspire, etc. Thank you for abiding by our terms of use. We pray that this will be a valuable resource for you and your students! Clip art & fonts by: PART 1: Teaching Small Groups Contents 4 A chart comparing guided reading and strategy groups 5 - All about guided reading 7 Guided reading lesson plan templates 9 Guided reading activities 13 Guided reading teaching points by level 14 Guided reading FAQ s 15 All about strategy groups 16 Strategy group lesson plan 17 Strategy group FAQ s PART 2: Keeping the Rest of Your Students Engaged 19 Labels for reading response folders 21 Chart: 4 Ways to Read a Book 22 Reading log 23 - Daily reading response 24 - Reading response journal questions 25 Labels for independent work folders 28 Roll & write word work menu 29 Roll & write word study menu 30 Editable word work menu 31 Editable word study menu 33 List of no prep accountability pieces for independent work
Teaching Small Groups
What s the Difference? A Chart Comparing Guided Reading & Strategy Groups Guided reading and strategy groups are both ways to teach reading to small groups, but the two can look very different. Guided Reading Groups Small groups of students grouped according to reading level The students all read the same instructional level text. The text is at the students instructional level. Groups are flexible, but only change as students reading levels change. Strategy Groups Small groups of students who share similar reading goals; they may or may not be at the same reading level Students may or may not read the same text. The text may vary in difficulty depending on the purpose of the lesson. Groups are very flexible and change often depending on students needs.
All About Guided Reading Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of readers. During the lesson, the teacher provides a text that students can read with support, coaching the learners as they use problem-solving strategies to read the text. The ultimate goal is independent reading. Features of guided reading The teacher meets with groups of 3-6 students. The groups are flexible and fluid; they change based on ongoing assessment. Children are grouped according to reading level. During the lesson, the students read a text that is slightly harder than what they can read without support. The teacher coaches students as they read. The parts of a guided reading lesson for pre-readers Teach a reading skill (2 m) - usually related to concepts of print. Do a shared reading of a level A book - We recommend getting a subscription to readingaz.com for your guided reading books. Talk about the book (2 m) - Ask simple questions as you encourage the students to talk about the text. Optional name work (2 m) If your students are still learning to read and write their names, do an activity such as a name puzzle or name tracing. Letter work (2-3 m) Choose a letter activity depending on the students developmental level. For example, you could have them sort letters by shape or sort upper and lowercase letters. Phonological/phonemic awareness (2-3 m) - Work on word awareness, syllables, rhyming, initial sound sorts, segmenting or blending phonemes, etc.
The parts of a guided reading lesson for emergent, early, and transitional readers Familiar reading (3 m) As you re handling other things in the classroom, have your students re-read familiar texts that they ve already read during other guided reading lessons. This builds fluency. Sight word practice (1-2 m) Grab a set of sight word or sight word phrase flash cards, and quickly practice them with your students. A tip: Put the cards on binder rings and flip down so that you can move through the cards quickly. Book introduction (1-2 m) Introduce the book quickly so you can get right into the reading. You might also do a picture walk or ask students to make predictions. Read the book (5-8 m) Students read the book independently with coaching. Talk about the book (2-3 m) - Prepare a set of questions in advance. Aim for a mix of 10-12 high and low level questions. Teaching point (2-3 m) Teach a skill or strategy that will help your students improve their reading. New sight word (1-2 m) Teach a new sight word. Word work and/or guided or shared writing (3-5 m) Work with magnetic letters and/or individual dry erase boards as students build and write words. For guided or shared writing, students can do a simple dictation (with help), or do a written response (again, with help).
Guided Reading Lesson Plan for Pre-Readers Teaching point - 2 minutes Shared reading of level A text 5 minutes Ask questions about the text 2 minutes Optional name work 2 minutes Letter work 2-3 minutes Phonological or phonemic awareness activity 2-3 minutes
Guided Reading Lesson Plan for Readers in K-2 Re-read familiar texts - 3 minutes Review sight words 1-2 minutes Book introduction 1-2 minutes Read the new book 5-8 minutes Discussion of text 2-3 minutes Teaching point 2-3 minutes New sight word 1-2 minutes Word Study or Guided Writing (if time permits) 3-5 minutes *If you use the same book for two lessons, you will likely have more time at the end of the lesson for extended word study or guided writing.
Guided Reading Activities Before Reading The teacher chooses an appropriate text for the group. It should be slightly higher than the students independent level and give them a few problems to solve. In advance, the teacher prepares a teaching point, discussion questions, and (sometimes) an extension. The teacher introduces the text. S/he may introduce new concepts or 2-3 vocabulary words, give a brief synopsis of the book, call attention to a new phonics pattern, have the students do a picture walk or make predictions, and/or set a purpose for reading. During Reading Each student reads the text in its entirety. As the students read, they problem solve and ask the teacher for help as needed. The teacher listens in and takes notes about what strategies students are/are not using as they read. The teacher supports students by coaching them as needed. After the students read, the teacher engages them in a discussion about the book. The discussion includes a variety of low and high level questions. After Reading The teacher makes a teaching point appropriate for the level of the students in the group. As time permits, the students do word work and/or guided writing at the end of the lesson. Students may re-read the text during independent reading time and as a warm-up during future guided reading lessons.
Sample Pre-Reading Vocabulary Activities (keep it brief!) Have students predict what vocabulary words they ll find in a nonfiction text. Return to the list after the reading. Read a sentence from the text that includes a new vocabulary word, and ask students to use context clues to determine its meaning. Explicitly teach the meaning of a new word by giving a student friendly definition and giving an example of its use. Share a set of content-related words that are in the text. Then ask students to read the words and predict what the text will be about. Why do they think so? Write sentences with blanks for several featured vocabulary words. Have students determine which word belongs in each sentence. Sample Prompts to Support Students as They Read Find the part that s not quite right. What other word do you know like that? Try that again and see if it makes sense. What sound does this vowel make? Check the phonics chart. Run your finger under the word to check the sounds. Cover the beginning/ending. Now what word do you see? Put the parts together. What does this make you think about? Can you make a picture in your mind as you read this? Show me the part that s confusing. Tell me about what you read in just one sentence. What can you do to figure out what that word means? This word has more than one meaning. What do you think it means here? Make your voice show that this is interesting. Make your voice sound like the character who s talking. Notice the punctuation when you read. Slow down when you re reading a lot of information. That will make it easier for you to remember it.
Sample Questions for After Reading Who do you think is the most important character? Why? Give one word that describes the main character. Why did you choose it? What clues in the picture show you how the character is feeling? What lesson did the character learn? Where/when does the story take place? Point to a clue in the picture that shows the setting of the story. Would you like to live where the story takes place? Why or why not? What is the problem of the story? What happened after Name the events of the story in order. Which parts of the story could not happen in real life? Name the problem. How would you have solved it if you were the character? Find a label or caption that helped you understand the text. Tell one fact you learned from this text. What is the text mainly about? What is a good definition of? What is your opinion of? What did you already know about before you read this text? What do you think is the most important thing the author wanted you to know about? Tell what you learned in just 1-2 sentences. How did the author organize information to help you understand it?
Sample Word Work Activities Doing name puzzles Matching names Sorting letters Matching letters Naming or finding letters on an alphabet chart Tracing letters in a letter book Naming words that begin with a letter Sorting pictures that begin with particular sounds Playing rhyming games Reading, making, and/or writing simple sight words Change the initial consonant to make new words Sorting pictures by initial and final sound Sorting pictures by rhyming sound Sorting letters by feature Matching uppercase to lowercase letters Counting phonemes using sound boxes Changing words to make plurals Taking apart and making simple contractions Making possessives Changing words by adding simple prefixes and suffixes Changing words to create comparatives and superlatives Working with homophones and homographs Reading, making, and/or writing multisyllablic words Working with open and closed syllables Sample Guided Writing Activities Sentence dictation Writing a sentence about the beginning and one about the end. Writing three sentences about the story Writing about the problem and solution. Writing about the beginning, middle, and end. Writing about a character s feelings and how they changed throughout the story Writing facts about the topic Finding the picture that shows the most important event and writing about it Naming character traits, using evidence from the story Comparing/contrasting characters, events, or ideas
Possible Guided Reading Teaching Points Concepts of print: reading from left to right, reading to the end of the line and returning to the beginning of the next, matching the spoken word to print, difference between a letter and a word Emergent Readers Levels A-C Phonological & phonemic awareness: hearing syllables, hearing rhyming words, hearing initial consonants, blending and segmenting phonemes, substituting and manipulating phonemes Phonics: learning letter names and sounds, using beginning and ending consonant sounds when reading, using short vowel sounds when reading Beginning fluency: learning more sight words, putting words together in phrases, paying attention to end punctuation Comprehension: using the picture as a clue, making personal connections, self-correcting when reading doesn t make sense, look right or sound right, remembering details from a story, retelling with prompting Phonological & phonemic awareness: blending and segmenting phonemes, substituting and manipulating phonemes Early Readers Levels D-I Phonics: using consonants, digraphs, and blends to solve words, blending the sounds in small words, using familiar chunks to solve words, using short and long vowel sounds to solve words, taking apart compound words to read them, removing the ending from a base word to read new words, decoding longer words, decoding words with vowel+r, words with silent letters Fluency: Learning more sight words, reading in phrases, reading dialogue with expression, using proper intonation according to the punctuation, reading with more expression, stressing words when appropriate, changing one s voice for different characters Comprehension: making and confirming predictions, retelling with support, describing characters, making connections, making inferences, using text features, summarizing a longer story, reporting concepts in an organized way, naming the beginning/middle/end, naming the problem/solution, using a graphic organizer to retell with detail Transitional Readers Levels J-P Phonics: using known words and word chunks to solve words, using a variety of strategies to solve new words, reading multisyllabic words, decoding longer words with more challenging spelling patterns Fluency: reading dialogue with phrasing and expression, applying appropriate stress to words, reading silently, adjusting reading rate as needed, using proper pausing and intonation according to the punctuation Comprehension: making and confirming predictions, using background knowledge to understand a text, using text features, pausing to summarize a longer text at intervals to aid comprehension, summarizing chapters, reporting important concepts in an organized way, making inferences, identifying nonfiction text structure, stating and justifying an opinion about a text, using a fix-up strategy when meaning breaks down, understanding problem/solution, comparing and contrasting characters, events or ideas, describing the author s point of view
Guided Reading FAQ s 1. How many groups should I form? Ideally you would have 3-6 groups. 3-4 is ideal, because it gets hard to schedule 6 groups. 2. How many students should be in each group? 3-6 students is a good number for each group. Don t go higher than 6, or you won t be able to give them the attention that they need. 3. How many groups should I see per day? Set a reasonable goal for yourself. If you try to meet with every group each day, you ll burn out. A good goal is to meet with 2-3 groups daily. 4. How often should I meet with each group? This depends on how many groups you meet with per day. Meet with your lowest readers most often (up to 5 times a week), and your highest readers least often (at minimum, once a week). 5. How should I decide how to group my students? We recommend getting a set of benchmark books for each reading level. Then do a running record of a child s reading to determine how to group him or her. An affordable way to do this is through the website readingatoz.com. You do have a yearly fee, but it is extremely affordable considering all that you get. 6. When do students move up to a new group? When the text is continually too easy for a student, it s time to move to a new group. Remember that we want our students to problem solve as they read. If they don t need to do any problem solving, they need harder texts during their guided reading lesson. 7. Where do I find books for guided reading? Reading A to Z to the rescue! You can download hundreds of different books (no limit) for that one yearly fee. Their books are well written and engaging. 8. How do I keep the other students busy while I m meeting with guided reading groups? We recommend having them do meaningful literacy tasks, rather than just keeping them busy. The key is to teach them to use centers that are full of variety but keep the same format all year. Examples follow. Pocket chart station (build poems and sentences) Poetry station (re-read poems learned during shared reading) Word work (games, word building, etc.) Comprehension (do an activity in response to a book read during independent reading)
All About Strategy Groups Strategy groups involve a teacher working with a small group of readers who have the same need. The students may or may not be at the same reading level. The teacher meets with groups of 3-6 students. The teachers teach reading skills based on student needs. Lessons focus on skills such as fluency, decoding new words using familiar text, story sequencing, forming opinions about books, reading multi-syllable words, and more. Many teachers have students bring their bag of just-right books to the meeting; students practice the skill using a text from their personal reading bag. However, teachers may also choose to provide a new text for the lesson. The text may be at the students instructional or independent level, depending on the goal of the lesson. Groups change often, depending on student needs. Students may be part of more than one group at a time. The structure of a strategy group lesson Observation (1-2 m) - Observe the students as they read independently from their bags of just right books. Introduce the strategy (1 m) - Name the new strategy, and explain how it will help your students as readers. Show the strategy (3-4 m) - Demonstrate how and when to use the strategy. Guided practice (6-7m) - Help students practice the skill or strategy in an interactive way. Independent practice with coaching (7-10 m) - Have students apply the strategy to their own reading while you coach as needed. Optional writing activity (5-8 m) - Students may complete a writing activity that reinforces the strategy in their reading journals or on a graphic organizer.
Strategy Group Lesson Plan Independent reading / Observation 1-2 minutes Jot your notes here. Introduce the new strategy 1 minute Demonstrate the new strategy 3-4 minutes Guided practice 6-7 minutes Independent practice with coaching 7-10 minutes Optional writing extension - 5-8 minutes
Strategy Group FAQ s 1. Can I do guided reading groups and strategy groups at the same time? Yes! You might have a total of four guided reading groups and three strategy groups: one for word solving, fluency, and comprehension. Some teachers do guided reading four days a week and meet with the strategy groups on Fridays. 2. How many students should be in each group? 3-6 students is a good number for each group. Don t go higher than 6, or you won t be able to give them the attention that they need. 3. How should I form my strategy groups? Keep a notebook where you jot down names of students who need help with particular skills, such as those that need help reading with expression, those that need help reading multisyllabic words, and those that need help retelling stories. When you have 3-6 names listed under each skill, you re ready to start forming and meeting with groups. 4. Should every student be assigned to a strategy group? The important thing is that all students are receiving small group instruction as they need it; this will look different for each student. If you are doing strategy groups exclusively, and not meeting with guided reading groups at all, then all students should be assigned to one or more strategy groups. 4. How often should I meet with each group? This depends on how many groups you meet with per day. Meet with your lowest readers most often (up to 5 times a week), and your highest readers often (at minimum, once a week). 5. How often should I change the groups? The groups will likely change often, depending on when students demonstrate proficiency with a new skill. For example, you might take a student out of a fluency group when s/he is reading fluently with expression. At the same time, you might add another student to the group. 6. What specific strategies should I teach? Teach strategies related to word solving, fluency, and comprehension. For specific skills, we recommend The Reading Strategies Book, by Jennifer Serravallo.
Keeping the Rest of Your Students Engaged
Cut out and use these labels to create independent work folders for Reading Workshop, Literacy Centers, or The Daily 5. My Reading Response Folder Name: My Finished Work My Unfinished Work
Cut out and use these labels to create independent work folders for Reading Workshop, Literacy Centers, or The Daily 5. My Reading Response Folder Name: My Finished Work My Unfinished Work
4 Ways to Read a Book Read the pictures. Read the design elements. Read the words. Retell the story.
My Daily Reading Log Each day, write the title and author of one book you read. Title: TH URSDAY WEDN ESDAY TU ESDAY MONDAY Author: Title: Author: Title: Author: Title: Author: Title: FRIDAY Author:
Daily Reading Response Draw a picture about one of the books you read. On Friday, circle your favorite book from the week. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY TH URSDAY FRIDAY
Cut out questions and glue/tape into the front of a notebook. Reading Response Journal Questions DIRECTIONS *Write the name of the book or article you are reading. *Choose one response question. You may only repeat a choice two ti mes in one week. *Date each journal entry and write the number you have chosen. 1. FIND A WORD *Find a word in your reading that you do not know. *Find and read a definition of the word. *Write the definition in your own words. *Write a sentence using the word. (Optional: Draw a picture.) 2. M AK E A CONNECTION Answer one of the following questions with at least two complete sentences: *Has something like this ever happened to you? *Have you seen or read something like this before? *What do you think? / How do you feel about it? *What is important or meaningful to you from your reading? 3. ASK QUESTIONS Write down at least two questions you asked yourself while reading. 4. MAKE A PREDICITON (for fi cti o n) Write what you predict will happen next in your book. What makes you think that? (Write at least two complete sentences.) OR RECALL FACTS (for nonfiction) Write at least two facts that you learned from your reading. Be sure you use complete sentences. 5. DRAW A PICTURE Draw a picture to show something interesting from your reading. Write at least two complete sentences about your picture.
Reader Response Journal Questions DIRECTIONS *Write the name of the book or article you are reading. *Choose one response question. You may only repeat a choice two times in one week. *Date each journal entry and write the number you have chosen. 1. FIND A WORD *Find a word in your reading that you do not know. *Find and read a definition of the word. *Write the definition in your own words. *Write a sentence using the word. (Optional: Draw a picture.) 2. MAKE A CONNECTION Answer one of the following questions with at least two complete sentences: *Has something like this ever happened to you? *Have you seen or read something like this before? *What do you think? / How do you feel about it? *What is important or meaningful to you from your reading? 3. ASK QUESTIONS Write down at least two questions you asked yourself while reading. 4. MAKE A PREDICITON (for fiction) Write what you predict will happen next in your book. What makes you think that? (Write at least two complete sentences.) OR R ECALL FACTS (for nonfiction) Write at least two facts that you learned from your reading. Be sure you use complete sentences. 5. DRAW A PICTURE Draw a picture to show something interesting from your reading. Write at least two complete sentences about your picture.
Cut out and use these labels to create independent work folders for Reading Workshop, Literacy Centers, or The Daily 5. My Independent Work Folder Name: My Finished Work My Unfinished Work
Cut out and use these labels to create independent work folders for Reading Workshop, Literacy Centers, or The Daily 5. My Independent Work Folder Name: My Finished Work My Unfinished Work
Roll & Write Word Work Menu Put your words in ABC order. Write your words on a dry erase board. Rainbow write your words. Spell your words in clay or dough. Spell your words with magnetic letters. Stamp your words.
Roll & Write Word Study Menu Copy your sort. Use different colored pencils to highlight the patterns each column shares. Fold a paper into 6 equal sections. Write a word from your sort in each space and draw a picture to match. Time yourself sorting your words three times. Can you beat your own time? Pick 5 to 6 words from each column to spell with magnetic letters, letter stamps, or other word work supplies. Copy your sort and write why you sorted them the way you did. Put your words in ABC order within each column. Copy your word sort in ABC order.
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Roll & Write Word Work Menu
Roll & Write Word Study Menu
NO PREP Accountability Pieces for Independent Work Word Work Learners write their words down in a notebook or paper after doing a hands-on activity with them. Give learners quick assessments on the words they ve been studying. Learners fold a paper into 4-6 equal sections and draw pictures to match 4-6 words. Learners can also write the words definitions or write the words into sentences in each section. Learners look in books and find the words they re studying. They can use highlighter tape to mark them. If you are using word sorts, have learners keep a word study notebook where they write down their words. Reading Occasionally have learners read in front of the class. Ask learners to recite memorized poetry or songs in front of the class. Learners can record their retelling of the book they re reading. Listen to students read books during independent reading conferences. Use generic and simple reading response sheets that do not have to be changed out. Collect these and review their responses. Have students record themselves as they read. Listen to those recordings. Note student fluency levels during small groups and independent reading conferences. Ask learners to keep a reading log of the books they ve read. Writing Occasionally have students share their writing work with the class. Use a writer s notebook for each learner. Periodically look in their notebooks to see how their writing is going. Technology Occasionally take a few minutes to observe students as they work. If students have their own login, periodically use your account to check their progress.
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