Blog Hopping.....FREEBIE!

I am sooooo excited to participate in my 1st International Blog-Hopping Day with Teaching Blog Addict.  Click on the button below to discover all of the Linky Parties going on today:

If you have stumbled along to my page by "Following the Road to a Pot of GOLD" then I have a FREEBIE for you- a set of Owl Themed Daily Five Posters! Its my first document made in PPT- so please let me know how you like it.

Be sure to check out the other bloggers participating in this Linky Party for TONS of FREEBIES!

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Guiding Readers Chapter 3

            I'm a little behind this week on posting my thoughts on Chapter 3, Emergent Readers,  this week.  I have to say that readers at this stage have always been my challenge. Most of my experience is with intermediate students (Grades 3-5) but as a K-5 Reading Coach, I consult with many primary teachers in regards to their readers as well. Often, they have children who are "stuck" in this phase of reading and as the year ends, they are still there.  I'm so happy to have read this chapter as it offers a clear framework for guided reading lesssons with those kiddos- and even the author acknowledges that we need to look at these readers differently and be comfortable that Guided Reading with these readers will look different.


I found so many connections to Marie Clay's Reading Recovery in this teaching sequence. For example: the readers visit the text 3 times prior to the mini-lessons and the cut-up sentences activity is a staple in a reading recovery lesson sequence in order to make the reading and writing connection.  You can download my notes for Chapter 3 below. Thank you to Beth over at Thinking of Teaching for creating the note-taking form for us.

Here is a little something for you, you can use it for lessons that focus on Working with Sounds and Working with Words- ENJOY!

Be sure to visit our host for Chapter 3 for her thoughts on Emergent Readers






If you haven't started, it's not to late to catch up on the conversation. Here are the wonderful ladies who have hosted our book study so far.

Chapter 1 - Think, Wonder, & Teach

Chapter 2 - Leading and Reading AND Tori's Teaching Tips

Chapter 3 - Rowdy in First Grade

I'll be posting my thoughts on Chapter 4 later this week, but be sure to check out Primary Inspired for an amazing post on Early Reading and for some FAB FREEBIES:)

Guided Reading Organization

As I continue reading for our book study of Guiding Readers by Lori Jamison Rog, I have been reassessing my method for keeping track of my readers, organizing my lessons and general record keeping. I find that the more organized I am, the smoother my lessons go and the greater results I achieve with my students.


Of course, PINTEREST came to my rescue again. I stumbled upon the girls over at Lesson Plan SOS. They have a fabulous blog on organizing your Guided Reading Teacher Binders- with photographs to accompany their directions. You can find it here. Last year I purchased their Guided Reading Guru package from their Teachers Pay Teachers store because they used my GR mentors, Fountas and Pinnell, as the source for their materials. These two of the mentors that Lori Jamison Rog mentioned in her answers to our questions so you will find it compliments her work.


Hope on over to their blog and learn from these FAB teachers. Tell them I sent you!

Classroom Decor

I have been so impressed over the years with the classrooms created by the many teachers I have worked with.  I always loved the idea of a classroom theme and would rate my Jungle themed classroom and Hollywood themed classroom as my favorites.


Here are some snapshots from my "Hollywood" classroom (we are on open concept school, so we need to be creative since we do not have much-if any- wall space. I happen to be in one of the few classrooms with two solid walls, but one is considered the "hallway" and so there aren't bulletin boards- I just hot glued to the wall!)

Next year, I will have two book room areas (K-2 and 3-5) as well as my own classroom space- where I imagine teachers will visit for professional resources, planning and maybe even some mini-workshops.  A few months ago, I stumbled upon the most inspiring woman, Melanie, who is the brains behind Schoolgirl Style. She has so many creative ideas for coordinating colors and themes and she has just partnered with Creative Teaching Press to provide tips on decor and classroom space. I just requested a copy of their catalog, but you can find it online HERE  Melanie's designs are featured on the first few pages. If you haven't already started thinking about your classroom for next year, after looking at her work, you will!


I've purchased from her Owl Collection, Rainbow Collection AND Rock Star Collection- I just can't decide on my favorite!


Check out Melanie's blog and leave me some comments on your classroom theme ideas.

Guiding Readers: Chapter Two

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I am LOVING this book.

The author, Lori Jamison Rog, writes in a way that makes me feel as if I am just sitting with her and having a conversation about guided reading. Right when I have a question pop into my head, she is right there answering in the next section.


Chapter Two is devoted to "The Guided Reading Lesson Sequence" which involves revisiting a text three times for both word and text level comprehension.  She is very clear in stating that no one guided reading format is best and should be determined by the needs of the students, but that we do get more for our "pedagogical buck" if we plan a sequence of lessons centered around one text.


The sequence involves:

• Day One: Text introduction and first reading with a focus on accuracy and basic understanding.
• Day Two: Re-read of the text with a focus on comprehension and word study
• Day Three: Re-reading of text with an extension of thinking, focus on text structure or author's craft and often includes a writing experience.

I'm dying to hear your thoughts, but will highlight a few of mine. Here are the ideas that stood out to me as the most important:

• All guiding reading lessons begin by identifying instructional goals for the group.
• Finding the right text is KEY. And this goes beyond level. Once you identify the goals for your group, you find a text that will allow you to apply that instructional focus.  (Gone are the days of being able to just pull a set of books and "wing it"- We'll I'm thinking those types of lessons were never really encouraged, just came as a result of not understanding the importance of GR)
• When planning an introduction, consider: Picture Walk, Prior Knowledge and Purpose (There are some great ideas for Picture Walks throughout the book). We may also consider pre-teaching some vocabulary here. While we want students to use context to figure out the meanings of difficult words, we should look ahead to story specific words that may not have enough context to figure out on our own.
• The teacher's role: TO PROMPT AND ASK QUESTIONS. It is ok for the teacher to "talk" but remember the purpose of guided reading is "READING!"
• The student's role: TALKING AND READING.  The bulk of our 18 minute lesson should be spent with the kids processing text.
• ALWAYS END WITH A MUST-DO: in order for students to immediately apply their new learning.

There is a section on TIPS, TOOLS, and TECHNIQUES. This reminds me of the work we need to do at the start of the school year in order to actually do Guided Reading. I just did a training for new teachers in our district last week on "Getting Started Right" and it included behavioral and management mini-lessons on establishing independent reading that should be happening in order for Guided Reading to take place. This is also where I see so much of what we do in the Daily Five being of great benefit.

Ok...I'll stop talking now. What were YOUR THOUGHTS?  I'd love to hear your thinking on the following: 

• What were your "a-ha's"?
• What current instructional approach to Guided Reading was confirmed by the author?
• What are some new questions/wonderings that you have?

AND FINALLY......ON TO SOME FREEBIES (JUST CLICK ON THE NAME)

GUIDED READING LESSON TEMPLATE (similar to the one in the book, but I added a place to keep track of a focus student for the day- to keep some anecdotal notes on and also a reflection section. This could serve as a place to record a new set of goals for the group.)

READER'S TOOLKIT COVER (One of the author's tips was to never run out of post-it notes. She suggested cutting a file folder into three's, adding a cover sheet to it, and putting a stack of post-its inside. That way students are always prepared and you can make the most of the 18 minutes.)

DON'T FORGET TO "LINK UP" YOUR CHAPTER TWO POSTS:

Guiding Readers: Chapter Two

I am very excited to be hosting the Guiding Readers Chapter Two Book Study this week. It has been raining something awful today, which makes for a very fussy 2 year old. Let's just say we have done 6 projects already this morning- and I'm sure there are many more to come. So getting a second to post my thoughts on Chapter 2 is becoming difficult while he is awake. 
Check back this evening for my thoughts, a few discussion questions and some FREEBIES to go along with Chapter Two.


In the meantime, be sure to link up your posts for Chapter Two. Head on over to Thinking of Teaching to link up!  

Book Studies Galore

Talk about  a CRAZY week!!!! I have begun two book studies (The Daily Five and Guiding Readers) and am conducting reading workshops for teachers new to our district. While I wonder where my time is coming from, it is absolutely time well spent.


I am sooooo excited to work with my primary teachers in implementing the Daily Five and the online conversation we are having is awesome.  I'm going to be planning a Make and Take day for us to work together and create some of the tools we will need for implementation.  We may even have a new book study member. I walked into my family room this evening and found Frankie "reading" the Daily Five. 

But, I am LOVING the Guiding Readers book study.



 


I spend all of my time at work focusing on Reading and this book has confirmed so many ideas for me, but has also challenged some preconceptions I have has as well. Misty at Think, Wonder & Teach hosted our Chapter 1 discussion and here are some highlights that have stood out for me:

• Skills and strategies can be reinforced in "easier" text.
• If we work work with text within the 90/10%, they may need to spend to much time attending to the text that they will have an tremendous amount of difficulty understanding. Think about it. If a page of text has 200 words, that is 20 words they will have a difficult time reading. That already sets them up for difficulty! (That was definitely an eye opener for me)
• We should "visit" a text three times (in 3 different guided reading lessons) in order to develop deep understanding and skill implementation. This piece reminded of the work we are doing in our district with "close reading" and the idea that we re-visit and re-read text for different purposes in order to develop a deep understanding.
• Finally....the most enjoyable piece to me was comparing "just right books" to "standing on your tip-toes."  You have to work hard to get at it, but with enough perseverance you will get there!

Head on over to Misty's blog for her take on Chapter 1 and to join in the fun, and check back next Monday when I host Chapter 2:)