Guided Reading Favorites

As we are final our final trimester, I'm working hard to ensure that my Kinders are reading at grade level. Where are your Kinders supposed to be reading at the end of the year? We say a text level 4 is grade level, but we would really like them at a 6.

I see each group for approximately 20 minutes, although I wish it was 30 minutes! I broke down my Guided Reading Group for you with this little visual.

 Of course, this can vary. My lower kids usually need additional Word Work time. Sometimes, I forgo the writing and just do reading. It depends on the group, the lesson, the day. Keep in mind, I have a whole group phonics lesson everyday, as well as word work centers. This is just additional practice in small group, usually tied to the book/ For writing, I also teach that whole group. This is just extra practice, usually focusing on foundational skills. 

It is important to PLAN your lesson. I do lesson plans for each group, using this sheet. You get this sheet FREE in my TPT Store.

This sheet allows me to plan my lesson in advance, as well as take notes during the lesson. You can highlight what strategy they are using and put notes about what they are doing well or future teaching points. Best part, it is editable. You can type in your lesson plans and print. I personally prefer to hand write them in, but I do like to type student names.

In addition to planning, I think it is important to take running records. I LOVE this free form I found from Leveled Literacy Intervention. You can find this, and many, many more FREE goodies HERE.

For my struggling kids, I enjoy using these Beginning Sound Activities for Word Work. There are 10 different activities you can use. For kids who are really struggling, try just focusing on phonemic awareness, no letters. For example, show them pictures for a, b, and c, and ask which one starts with /b/ (make the sound). For some kids, it helps to just focus on the phonemic awareness.

For my on grade level and high kids, we are working on CVC Words, I like to introduce all of these activities during small group, then move them to a Word Work Center. This bundle will last you the rest of the year. You can grab it here

After Word Work, we read a familiar read. This is when I do a Running Record on one student. For my new book, I always give a detailed into, that includes 2 "tricky" words. The "tricky" words may be sight words or it may be vocabulary I don't think they know. 

I am lucky that I have access to Guided Reading books at school. If you do not, check out Tara West on Teacher Pay Teachers. She has bundles of just Guided Reading Books or bundles for the year. I have this set and I really like it.

Finally, for writing, I often have kids write 1-2 sentences that are related to the story. We often take 2 days to do this since I only spend 5 minutes on writing. If we are short on time, we might just write a few sight words or discuss writing foundational skills, such as capitals, spacing, and periods. 

I hope you all have learned a few helpful hints for Guided Reading. If you are looking for more, here are two of my favorite resources.