Guided Reading: The BIG Picture

I have a love/hate relationship with Guided Reading, how about you? I LOVE working with small groups of students on exactly what they need, I LOVE the hum of a classroom alive with lots of small group work in action, I LOVE using printable leveled books to monitor the progress my students are making with reading, and I LOVE the intimacy of talking quietly with just a few students that might otherwise never be heard in the large group setting. BUT... I hate that I feel overwhelmed by the amount of content or skills I think I should address, I hate the days when we are interrupted and my whole system gets derailed, I hate feeling like there's more I should have accomplished, and I hate that my time with small groups is so limited.

So, to "make friends" again with Guided Reading 

I try to take a step back and think about the BIG PICTURE. 

What do I really hope to accomplish in my small group time?

Well, I want my students to be able to read and write independently at their instructional level and I want that level to move forward.

When I think about that BIG PICTURE goal, I am able to really focus on what's most important and narrow my lessons down to the 3 Most Important Things to Include in a Guided Reading lesson.

Watch as I discuss what I have found to be the most important parts of a Guided Reading lesson.

It's really simple when you think about the BIG PICTURE!

Guided Reading Lessons should include...

Talking by the students

About stories,

About strategies,

About their thinking,

About their writing.

AND About themselves!

Writing by the students

For spelling practice,

For word work,

About stories,

About their learning

About their thinking,

AND About themselves!

Reading by the students

For a purpose,

Independently,

AND on their level...

Every.

Single.

Day.

Slow & Wrong Readers 4 Types of Readers Virtual PD Session 5

Let's talk about the third of the 4 Types of Readers! In this Session we will look at "Slow & Wrong Readers." These readers are behind grade level in both fluency and accuracy. How might we build on those strengths to design their small group reading instruction? Print your FREE note-taking form and watch my video below!

Using a student's Fluency (fast or slow) and Accuracy (right and wrong) rates when reading a grade level passage, it's easy to sort your students into four distinct groups for guided reading instruction. After I learned about this way of sorting students at a wonderful training with the 95% Group, I started thinking about what my instruction might look like for each type of reader. In this Virtual PD video series we will explore the four types of readers, their characteristics, their strengths as readers, and the implications on their instruction.

Before starting this Virtual PD be sure to download and print this FREE Handout for note taking!

Sessions in this series:

1) 4 Types of Readers Overview

2) Fast and Right Readers

3) Slow and Right Readers

4) Fast and Wrong Readers

5) Slow and Wrong Readers

Fast & Wrong Readers 4 Types of Readers Virtual PD Session 4

Let's talk about the third of the 4 Types of Readers! In this Session we will look at "Fast & Wrong Readers." These readers are benchmark for fluency and below benchmark for accuracy. How might we build on those strengths to design their small group reading instruction? Print your FREE note-taking form and watch my video below!

Using a student's Fluency (fast or slow) and Accuracy (right and wrong) rates when reading a grade level passage, it's easy to sort your students into four distinct groups for guided reading instruction. After I learned about this way of sorting students at a wonderful training with the 95% Group, I started thinking about what my instruction might look like for each type of reader. In this Virtual PD video series we will explore the four types of readers, their characteristics, their strengths as readers, and the implications on their instruction.

Before starting this Virtual PD be sure to download and print this FREE Handout for note taking!

Sessions in this series:

1) 4 Types of Readers Overview

2) Fast and Right Readers

3) Slow and Right Readers

4) Fast and Wrong Readers

5) Slow and Wrong Readers

Slow & Right Readers 4 Types of Readers Virtual PD Session 3

Let's talk about the second of the 4 Types of Readers! In this Session we will look at "Slow & Right Readers." These readers are benchmark for accuracy and below benchmark for fluency. How might we build on those strengths to design their small group reading instruction? Print your FREE note-taking form and watch my video below!

Using a student's Fluency (fast or slow) and Accuracy (right and wrong) rates when reading a grade level passage, it's easy to sort your students into four distinct groups for guided reading instruction. After I learned about this way of sorting students at a wonderful training with the 95% Group, I started thinking about what my instruction might look like for each type of reader. In this Virtual PD video series we will explore the four types of readers, their characteristics, their strengths as readers, and the implications on their instruction.

Before starting this Virtual PD be sure to download and print this FREE Handout for note taking!

Sessions in this series:

1) 4 Types of Readers Overview

2) Fast and Right Readers

3) Slow and Right Readers

4) Fast and Wrong Readers

5) Slow and Wrong Readers

Fast & Right Readers 4 Types of Readers Virtual PD Session 2

It's time to dive in and explore the 4 Types of Readers! In this Session we will look at "Fast & Right Readers." These readers are benchmark for fluency and accuracy. How might we build on those strengths to design their small group reading instruction? Print your FREE note-taking form and watch my video below!

Using a student's Fluency (fast or slow) and Accuracy (right and wrong) rates when reading a grade level passage, it's easy to sort your students into four distinct groups for guided reading instruction. After I learned about this way of sorting students at a wonderful training with the 95% Group, I started thinking about what my instruction might look like for each type of reader. In this Virtual PD video series we will explore the four types of readers, their characteristics, their strengths as readers, and the implications on their instruction.

Before starting this Virtual PD be sure to download and print this FREE Handout for note taking!

Sessions in this series:

1) 4 Types of Readers Overview

2) Fast and Right Readers

3) Slow and Right Readers

4) Fast and Wrong Readers

5) Slow and Wrong Readers

4 Types of Readers Virtual PD Session 1

Are you ready to start guided reading groups, but still feel uncertain as to how to sort your students... even with all that beginning-of-the-year-data? We've all been there!

Using a student's Fluency (fast or slow) and Accuracy (right and wrong) rates when reading a grade level passage, it's easy to sort your students into four distinct groups for guided reading instruction. After I learned about this way of sorting students at a wonderful training with the 95% Group, I started thinking about what my instruction might look like for each type of reader. In this Virtual PD video series we will explore the four types of readers, their characteristics, their strengths as readers, and the implications on their instruction.

Before starting this Virtual PD be sure to download and print this FREE Handout for note taking!

Sessions in this series:

1) 4 Types of Readers Overview

2) Fast and Right Readers

3) Slow and Right Readers

4) Fast and Wrong Readers

5) Slow and Wrong Readers