The Next Step in Guided Reading {book study, Chapter 4}

Hi there, friends!  And a big WELCOME to anyone who might be new here!  I'm so thrilled to host this week's discussion of our book study!  Have you been reading along?  I would absolutely recommend this book to any of my teacher friends.  It is FILLED with resources for your guided reading time and covers every level of reader -- today we're talking about those sweet early readers!!  

Love them!

This chapter contained so much useful information that I will be able to apply DAY ONE of next school year.  Kindergarten is full of early readers, and while we see lots of them blossom in the winter and spring, there are always a few cuties that come into Kindergarten reading up a storm.  It is so important to me that I meet the needs of those students the same way I meet the needs of my emerging readers.  I LOVED all the concrete ideas Jan Richardson shared in this chapter for setting up and running my guided reading time with them.

Here are some of my thoughts on Chapter 4:

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 spent the most time in this chapter looking through the description of a sample guided reading lesson that was mapped out from pages 116-133.  It was so thorough and explained what a lesson might look like, sound like, and focus on.  I don't think a single detail was left out!  Reading through this really allowed me to picture clearly what my own guided reading times will look like next year.  Loved this!
OH!  And I LOVED on page 125 where she listed the target phonics skills by reading level -- major "AHA!" moment for me!!
AND the high frequency words based on reading level -- loved that too!
Ha!
See?  I told you there was lots of goodness in this chapter. ;)

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!

Truly, it was nice to read this chapter and know that I am doing so many of the activities she suggests already.  BUT...the way she lays it all out in such a clear and detailed way is so helpful!   

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 be more organized when it comes to my guided reading time.  I always know what I want to focus on throughout the year, and I use formative assessments to guide my instruction, but sometimes I get distracted and don't stick to my original plans. :)  Next year, I'd like to stay more organized and keep record of what I cover throughout the year.

I created a document to help me achieve this goal and maybe you can use it too.

I think this sheet could have several uses (and I'll probably try them all next year to see which I like best).  I plan to fill this out each week for every group I work with and save it in a binder so that I have documentation of the things I've covered with my kidlets during guided reading.

I also plan to fill this out and send it home weekly with my students so that parents know exactly what we're working on.  This will help them know what they can do to support their child's learning at home!

CLICK HERE to grab this freebie from Google Drive!

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

I am fortunate at my school to have a great supply of resources for teaching reading.  We use the Scott Foresman reading curriculum, and we also have a large supply of resources for our RtI program.  There is not a shortage of leveled student texts, making words activities, phonics books, and more.  Definitely a plus when trying to plan for a productive guided reading time!

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 think I've said this before in other posts (possibly even in this post...Ha!), but I really want to implement a binder or some other system for organizing my guided reading time next year.  I feel like I'm a pretty organized teacher, but the more of this book I read, the more I realize that being organized and purposeful with every minute makes all the difference!  My wheels are spinning -- and I'm anxious to put something together that I can use to keep myself organized for guided reading.  And, once I do, I'll be happy to share it with you too!

Are you reading along with us???  We would love to have you link up so that we can hear what you are learning from the book too!   You can join our linky at the end of this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Monday!

An InLinkz Link-up