Stress-Free Organization For Guided Reading Groups

     Hello Friends! Thanks for stopping by! I am so excited to share this great information with you, because honestly, it has been a life-saver for me when it comes to Guided Reading time! I have been using a reading workshop/guided reading format in my classroom for at least fifteen years now, and over the years, I have probably tried at least twelve different ways of organizing my data and notetaking! I am happy to say that I do believe I HAVE FINALLY FOUND AN ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY THAT WORKS!

     First of all, there are a couple must-haves that I need to tell you about. I purchased two of these Better Binders from Staples. These are the best! They are sturdy and they have a special pocket with a loop fastener inside to hold extra papers. They come in lots of different colors and sizes.

     I label them as My Small Group and Conferencing Data Binder, and My Guided Reading Binder.
Each serves an important purpose in my Guided Reading process. (More on the specifics shortly.)

      Another must-have are these Double Pocket Plastic Tab Dividers from Staples. I use these in my Guided Reading Binder to keep copies of mentor texts from each reading level so that I always have them right at my fingertips.

     Okay, so let me tell you about my Guided Reading Binder first. I have it divided by levels. So, typically in first grade student reading levels range from level A-level M. For each level I have:
1. One or two mentor texts I can use to model relevant skills/strategies used at that level
2. An explanation of reading behaviors to notice and support at that level, as well as characteristics to look for in the structure of that level book
3. Multiple copies of a parent explanation of reading behaviors at that level and reading behaviors to support at the next level.

     In my Small Group and Conferencing Data Binder, I keep:
1. Data Collection Sheets to keep track of individual student reading levels
2. Dibels Reports and Results

3. Conferencing notes and record sheets
4. Intervention Group Data
5. Small Group Planning Sheets

     I know you are probably thinking, "Okay, well that all sounds terrific...but what do I do with those things once I've got them?" (Because honestly, you can fill those binders with silver and gold, but if you don't know what to do with it, you end up right where you started!)
     I try to schedule my groups so that I meet with two groups each day and then use the rest of my time to make observations about students reading independently and in partnerships. I keep track of my meetings with students on a record sheet to make sure I don't miss anyone. We begin the year with thirty minute Independent Reading time and then work our way up to about sixty minutes. While I am meeting with groups, the other students are reading independently. Yes, this takes a great deal of modeling and practice, but I have found if everyone is reading "just-right" books that are of interest to them and they have learned the rituals and routines of Reading Workshop, independent reading time is a beautiful thing!

     When I write my lesson plans each week, I also write my Guided Reading plans. I decide who I am meeting with, on which days, and which text we will be working from. I use past data and conferencing/small group notes to help make the decisions about what our focus will be.

     I also use the Behaviors to Notice and Support pages for each Reading Level in my Guided Reading Binder to help me decide on what we need to work on so that I can get my students to the next reading level. Super easy! No more guesswork about where I should go next with a student, because it is all there for me!

     The best part is...it is right there for the students too! I post the behaviors we are working on at the table, and we talk about them as we work. This way the students are able to take accountability for their learning, and have a better understanding of where their learning is taking them!

     One of my favorite parts of this system is the Parent/Student Communication component! When I find that a student has completed all the behaviors necessary to move on to the next reading level, I can check each behavior off and then present him/her with this certificate to take home! At the bottom it explains to the student/parents what skills/behaviors the student will need to work on as he/she tackles the next reading level.

     This has been a terrific way to stay in constant communication with the parents to help them develop a better understanding of the way reading levels work!

These are all components of my Guided Reading Survival Kit Levels A-N, and you can find it here!

The Data Collection Charts can be found here!

Both are on sale in my TPT store for a limited time so if this seems like something you may like to try- head over to One Giggle At A Time!

Do you do Guided Reading Groups in your classroom? How do you organize and plan? I would love to hear about it! Leave me a comment below!

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Have You Tried Plickers In Your Classroom Yet? (You Will After You Read This!)

   
     Ok Friends! So this blog post has been LONG overdue! I almost feel like I need to apologize to all of you for not getting this out to you sooner, because if you are not aware of this FABULOUS app...you are SO missing out! The app is called Plickers, and my students BEG to use it ALL THE TIME! It is such a versatile app that it can be used for any subject, it only takes mere minutes to complete the activity, and the app compiles all your data for you! YES... YOU READ THAT RIGHT...IT WAS NOT SOME CRAZY TYPO...THE APP COMPILES ALL YOUR DATA FOR YOU!!!

I will give you a moment to let that sink in!

Now, let me tell you a little more about this wonderous thing called Plickers. It is an app that you download onto your Smartphone. Your students do not need any kind of device to participate. You enter your classlist into the app and assign them each a card number. You can then print out the Plickers cards for free (or you can buy sets of cards from Amazon). Each card is unique and is labeled with the answer choices A, B, C, and D placed in different directions on the face of the card. This makes it very easy for students to provide answers to your questions confidently without worrying about what their neighbor is choosing...because they can't figure out what their neighbor is choosing!

Now, like I said earlier, this app can be used for any subject! It is just a great way to get a quick assessment of student understanding in key concepts and skills. It is also a great way to do surveys and voting in your classroom. We use it quite a bit in math to help determine which concepts need to be revisited, and in science and social studies as a pre assessment of skills. We also like to use it during Morning Meeting to answer our Question Of The Day when the answers lend themselves to a true/false format or a multiple choice format.

Once you know what you want to assess, you log into Plickers either on your phone or on the web and type your questions in. Then, when you are ready to assess, ask your question, (if you have a Smartboard it can be displayed live on the screen), and you use the camera on your Smartphone to scan the students responses.

Scanning the responses is the fun part! If you are using the Live View on your Smartboard, the students can see when their answer has been scanned, because a checkmark will appear next to their name. This way they know to put down their card. You will know that their card has been scanned, because their name will appear on the screen of your phone. It only takes a matter of minutes to scan the entire class.

As you are scanning, the app is already collecting and calculating data! You can see right on your phone who has the correct answers and who does not, and who still needs to answer. On the Smartboard, you can choose to show the students the correct answer and the layout and percentage of the answers you received...without actually identifying who answered correctly and who did not. This data then stays on the app so that you can revisit it and use it to help plan future instruction and assessment. The other really nice thing about the Plickers app is that the website is very helpful and walks you through every aspect of setting this up in your classroom so that you can use it successfully!

Yay Plickers! 

Have you tried Plickers in your classroom yet? I'd love to hear all about it! If you haven't yet...please come back and let me know how it goes when you do! 

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