New Guided Reading Groups

The buckets are packed with goodies, and the kids were soooooo excited to start our new guided reading groups this week.  I have 5 different groups with 4 students in each group.  Each group will be reading a different Jerry Spinelli novel:  Wringer, Report to the Principal's Office, Maniac Magee, Loser, and Fourth Grade Rats.  We do guided reading each day, and all groups work at the same time.  My resource teacher works with me during this time, and she meets with (runs) the same group each day - she works with my below grade level group.  I meet with two different groups each day (I read with one group, then I work on the task with a second group).  This way, I meet with each of my four groups every second day, and my group that needs help the most has teacher support every day.

Our overall focus for the next four weeks is Literal Comprehension (this is our division focus for my school).  Each group also has a subfocus they are working on in their groups (vocabulary, phrasing, expression, accuracy, and conventions).  I know conventions isn't a typical guided reading group focus, but for this particular group, it is a necessity!  On Tuesday we built our Literal Comprehension Anchor chart - establishing our learning goal and building our success criteria.  Each student copied this chart into their reading journals.

 This is one of my student's journals.  I was WOWED by it - such attention to detail!  (Now, if I can just get her to stop spelling summary with an 'e' I will be one happy teacher!).

Each day after reading the students have two tasks.  First, they need to answer literal comprehension questions from their reading.  They can discuss their answers as a group, but each student is responsible for writing their own answers in their journals.  The next task is something new I started this year.  I created a Summary of Learning sheet for each group which I posted on my bulletin board.  Each sheet has the novel name and the groups' subfocus written on it.  After each day of reading, students are required to write one thing they learned from their reading each day on a special coloured sticky note.  This should relate to their group's subfocus.  They then post their notes on their sheets on the bulletin board.

I created a special "Summary of Learning" section in my guided reading binder to keep track of all these sticky notes.  Each day as I take down the old sticky notes so the students can post their new ones, I will add it to their page (a piece of blank paper inside a page protector).  It will be so neat to see the growth in their reflections.


Happy Thursday!!!