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Quick Phonics Assessments for Small Groups: Decoding & Spelling Check
Let’s be honest—small group reading is only effective if the groups target the students’ current needs. But kids grow fast, and if you haven’t adjusted your groups in a while, chances are you need a quick phonics assessment to regroup your students and meet them where they are right now. Before you plan another small…
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Planning for Small Group Instruction: Reading in Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Planning for small group instruction in your K-1 classroom can feel like a daunting task, but with a little thoughtful preparation and some practical tips, small-group reading can become the highlight of your teaching day! Whether you’re looking to create groups, fine-tune your schedule, or streamline your lesson-planning, I’ve got some tried and true strategies…
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7 Key Components to Elevate Your Small Group Reading Lessons
Are you comfortable teaching small-group reading? Do you always know what you’re going to do and have no problem planning your lessons? Or, do you struggle to plan your lessons and visualize how they will work in your small groups? With the shift happening in guided reading to follow the research behind the science of…
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7 Steps For a Successful First Small Group Reading Session
Your first small group reading session is going to set the tone for the whole school year. So, it’s important to keep a few things in mind as you plan it! If you’re wondering exactly what I do the first time I meet with my small groups for reading, get ready for a peek inside…
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Setting Up Your Small Group Reading Corner: 5 Must Haves!
If you’re wondering how to set up your small group reading corner and what tools you’ll need to get started, I’ve got you covered! This is the first post in our Small-Group Reading series. Read part two here, and part three here. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers know the importance of minimizing waiting time for our…
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How to Use Phonics and Fluency Pages for Small-group Reading Lessons
The Science of Reading is like a recipe for success in literacy. And just like a recipe, it requires multiple ingredients to make it work. Phonics is an important ingredient, but it’s not the only one. We also need to make sure we are teaching our students comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and writing to help our…
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6 Ways to Boost Students’ Confidence for Guided Reading
Some kids LOVE when they get called for guided reading. They may cheer, get their book baggie, and skip over to you with a smile. But, some kids dread it and drag their feet across the room to your table. If lack of confidence is the culprit for their lack of motivation, then you’ll want…
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GUIDED READING WARM-UPS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Last week, I sent a survey out about my Guided Reading Warm-ups and am so thankful for all of your responses! There was a LOT of positive feedback (thank you!), as well as suggestions, and a whole lot of questions. I wanted to answer as many questions as I can, as well as let you…
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How to Use Guided Reading Warm-ups
If you teach kindergarten through 2nd grade, you know that guided reading is an essential component of literacy instruction. The way I’ve conducted guided reading has changed over the years and some people aren’t fond of the term guided reading, but small-group reading instruction is essential in order to differentiate and meet your students’ needs…
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Guided Reading Lesson Components
Guided reading is my favorite time of the day! It’s the best way to differentiate reading instruction to meet the needs of all your students. It wasn’t always my favorite, though. In fact, I used to dread it! I did not feel confident and always felt overwhelmed with planning my guided reading lessons. It takes…
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Guided Reading Tools Every Teacher Should Have
These are must-have tools for guided reading in kindergarten and first grade! I keep drawers with my fun tools to keep kids engaged throughout guided reading lessons. Can you guess what’s in the drawers? Read this post to find out some new, exciting ways to use materials you likely already have in your classroom! #tejedastots…
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How to Keep your Guided Reading Lessons Short
One question that comes up often about guided reading is. . . How do I fit all my groups in? The struggle is real! It’s important to take the time you need with your students (part of teaching is loving on them!), but it’s also important to stay on track, so that you’re able to…