Summer Blues Turned Into Guided Reading

I don't know if any of you have seen the recent article on Facebook entitled "If you send a girl to Target," but it is hysterical and so true in my life. It is modeled after the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, and talks about how if you send a girl into Target with one or two things to buy, she is going to come out purchasing several other things that weren't on her list. Here is the link to the article so you can enjoy it for yourself.

http://totalsororitymove.com/if-you-send-a-girl-to-target/

Anyways, earlier this week I ventured into Target to get one thing.. reusable swimmy diapers for Ansleigh (because she is not big enough for the disposable kind, and she loves to be in the pool). However, I was really bummed to find out that they were all out of size small and that I would have to order them online. I didn't want to let this finding upset me so instead I decided  to walk around Target and look at other things that weren't on my list. Along the way I ended up in the back corner of the store that typically carries seasonal items. That is when I saw  it...the dreadful, huge sign on a big, yellow pencil... BACK TO SCHOOL! How is this seasonal? It is only the beginning of July and school doesn't start for a whole month. Although this realization that summer would be ending soon enough upset me, it took everything in me not to go into the section and start buying my favorite pens, or some cute folders, because let me tell you if you didn't already know... TEACHERS LOVE SCHOOL SUPPLIES!! Instead I was proud of myself and walked away, but not before snapping a picture!



That afternoon when I got home and put Ansleigh down for a nap, I took my school laptop out from its bag, wiped off the dust, and turned it on for the first time this summer. Each year I have had a few goals of things to focus on and grow in as an educator in my own classroom. The past few years some of my goals have been math work stations, meaningful literacy work stations, integrating technology more, and raising money for 2 iPads. This year one of my goals is to focus more on my guided reading. As I started envisioning what I could do in my classroom to improve guided reading with my students, my brain just kept turning and turning with ideas and wouldn't shut off. Here are some of the resources I have come up with, I hope you enjoy them.

Each day I reference my guided reading data binder. This binder is a life saver for me. I use it to help  plan lessons as well as keep data on each individual student. Not to mention its a great tool to show administration when they ask to see data. Below is what the cover of the binder looks like:

The first few pages of the binder consists of tools that help my students with their reading. The first page has different strategies that my little ones use to become good readers. I teach these strategies to them throughout the year according to their individual reading level. The next page is a good reference page that I use to help me determine what type of word studies each reader should be completing based on their reading level. The last two pages have some methods I can help readers when they are struggling with certain tasks. As I mentioned earlier these resources are at the beginning of the data binder. In the following pages, I have a tab for each reading group. Within each group, each student has their own data sheet where I record their running record scores each week as well as any observations I have made from students during their guided reading group. I use these data pages to help me plan further guided reading lessons.

 

If you are interested in these resources for your own data notebook please visit my TPT store or click on this link to get your data binder resources: Guided Reading Data Binder

 

 

The next resource is one that my students all LOVE! During guided reading, my students rotate in literacy centers or complete seat work. As they rotate to different centers or come to me for guided reading, they carry with them their green literacy center folder. This is where they keep their center work for the week as well as any projects/book group questions. In this folder they keep their own copy of their level tracker. As stated earlier, I take running records on my students about every other week in reading group. When a student has shown that they have mastered a given reading level and are ready to move up to the next reading level they get to mark it on their level tracker... and trust me they LOVE doing this, and become VERY motivated. They also enjoy looking back and seeing their progress throughout the year. If you would like the level tracker to use in your classroom click on this link: Reading Level Tracker 

 



 

Well that's it for now! I hope this was useful or gave you some ideas for your classroom. Happy last few weeks of summer, but before I go here is a picture of my cute little firecracker!

Summer Reading

As I sit down to write this I realize we are already in the month of July, which means summer is already half way over….WHAT?!?!  As many of you know my husband and I had our baby girl in early May, so this summer has been quite hectic around our house. I’ll be honest not every day has been easy, but every day has been such a blessing being Ansleigh’s mom and seeing her grow these past 2 months.

I mean look at this picture… how could you not eat up those cheeks and do just about anything to get this girl to smile! She is the love of our life!

 

Even with having a newborn I have still been able to do one of my favorite things during the summer… read. I thought I would share with you my readings so far and maybe encourage you to pick up one of these great books.

I don’t know about you but when I go to Barnes and Nobles I always like browsing the discounted tables to look for some good reads without creating a hole in my pocket. On one of my recent trips to Barnes and Noble, I found an author whom I have fallen in love with, Elin Hilderbrand. Conveniently several of her books were on the table.

Beautiful Day was a quick read for me. It takes place on the picturesque island of Nantucket and is centered around a wedding. Could you ask for a better summer read?? I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a quick, light summer read.

The Island, another one of Elin’s books was also a very quick read for me. It too takes place on Nantucket and is centered around a wedding and a scandal, which makes you want to turn each page faster and faster. I highly recommend this one for a vacation to the beach or just a rainy afternoon on the couch at home.

 

One Summer by David Baldacci is by far my favorite book I have read all summer. I have never read any of David’s books in the past, but I wasn’t able to put this book down from the day I started it. This book is centered around a family who is learning to love again after heartbreak and loss. I HIGHLY recommend this book and look forward to reading some other books of David’s.

 

Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman was given to me from one of my high school girls. This book is a hilarious book written by an American woman who moved to France with her husband where they began to raise their family. In this book Pamela talks about her discoveries of the wisdom of French parenting. If you know anyone who is pregnant or just had a baby this would be a great gift for them aside from the traditional parenting books. It is hilarious but at the same time full of great advice and tips!

 

Well that is all of my readings so far this summer. If you ever come across a good book feel free to share it with me, I always like finding new authors and getting caught deep in the pages of literature.