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Guided Reading Organization
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Hi there, friends! I’m here today with a peek into my guided reading block. I’ll be sharing how I organize my guided reading materials, schedule out my guided reading groups, as well as how I plan my guided reading lessons! Psst…. I have a guided reading freebie for you at the end!
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First, let’s take a look at my guided reading area. I absolutely LOVE my table, shelves and drawers! Everything I need is right at my fingertips!
Here’s a close up of the Sterilite drawers behind my table. They house all of my guided reading supplies and group books. The labels came from the sweet Rachel over at The Tattooed Teacher. I customized them with my own font and wording. You can check out more of my classroom here!
Recommended Resources:
Decodable CVC Sliders for Segmenting & Blending Sounds | Fluency Practice
Decodable CVC Sound Boxes for Orthographic Mapping, Segmenting & Blending
Decodable CVC Word Puzzles for Short Vowels Segmenting and Blending Practice
Let’s peek into some of the drawers… shall we?!? I have five reading groups, with approximately 3-6 students in each group. Each group’s book for the week and reading activity supplies are kept inside the appropriate drawer. This keeps my OCD heart happy… organized and out of sight!
I keep all of my tracking supplies, digital timers, and sand timers inside a separate drawer.
We use some type of “tracker,” including eyeball rings, witch fingers, or finger lights, each time we read. They really help my struggling students with one-to-one correspondence.
My kiddos’ favorite are the finger lights! I purchased mine from Amazon.
My favorite are these “Reading Trackers” from Lakeshore . They are perfect for tracking multiple lines of text.
Another tool we use a ton during guided reading is our “Check-A-Roo” checkmarks from Learning Loft. I actually ordered mine years ago from Scholastic.
They serve as a great reminder to check for understanding while we are reading with a partner.
We also use our reading strategy bookmarks and Five Finger Retelling cards almost every time we meet.
Now that we’ve taken a look at how I organize my guided reading area, let’s take a look at my guided reading binder. I customized this cover using a freebie from the fabulous Maria over at Kinder Craze.
The first insert is a copy of my weekly guided reading schedule, which you can snag below. As mentioned earlier, I have five guided reading groups with 3-6 students per group. I meet with my low group every day, my low-med and medium groups three times per week, and my high-med and high groups twice per week. I would love to meet with all of these groups every day, but I also meet with guided math groups throughout the day. To quote the two sisters, “Fair isn’t always equal.” The groups who need me the most, see me the most. I apologize if you do not agree with these sentiments, but I do quickly check-in with my other students during our Daily 5 time.
My guided reading binder has five sections, one for each group. I keep each group’s weekly guided reading plan behind each tab.
I break up my guided reading time into three parts, much like a workout. First, we warm-up the brain with an alphabet or phonemic awareness activity (depending on that group’s needs). Then, we complete the workout or reading activity. Lastly, we cool down with a sight word or fluency activity. All of this occurs in approximately 15-18 minutes. Here’s a brief rundown of some activities.
Warm-Up: Alphabet or Phonemic Awareness Activity (3 minutes)
- Alphabet Bingo
- Alphabet Chart and Chant
- Alphabet Dominoes
- Roll & Read Alphabet Edition
- Missing Letter
- Stretchy Snake
- Read and Reveal
- Elkonin Boxes
- Sound Lights
- Slinky Stretch
- CVC Sliders
Workout: Reading Activity (8-10 minutes)
- Picture Walk and Predictions
- Focus Reading Strategy
- Story Elements Organizer
- Five Finger Retell
- Check for Understanding
- Sequence It
- Character Analysis or Comparison
- Stop, Think and Make a Link
Cool Down: Sight Word or Fluency Activity (3-5 minutes)
- Take It Now
- Mix & Fix
- Touchdown
- Slam Dunk
- Kaboom!
- Copycat
- Whisper Phones
- Fluency Strips
Believe me when I say I have changed the layout of this plan almost every single year I have taught, but I am happy to say that I think I have finally found a schedule and plan that works! Grab a copy of my Guided Reading Schedule and Guided Reading Plan below!
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Ashley Sharp
As a dedicated Kindergarten teacher for nearly 20 years, I believe the words “fun, play, and creativity” can sit right alongside the words “developmentally appropriate, engaging, and rigorous.” Learning is meant to be fun and messy!
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27 responses to “Guided Reading Organization”
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I absolutely LOVE how organised everything is! So easy to find what you need. (Taking tips!)
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Thank you so much, Stephanie! I'm glad you could find some useful organizational tips for your own classroom! 🙂
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When do they actually read the book? Like if the reading activity is a picture walk, when do they read it? Do they read the same book all week and you do different activities with them from the book each session? Do you have summarizes of each activity or a TPT with all of you activities?
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Love your table!!!! Where'd you get it? What's it called!!!??
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Hi Ashley,
I love your guided reading schedule and the plan. I was wondering if their was any way you could email/share with me an editable version of the guided reading table. It's so awesome!Thank you 🙂
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I, too, would like to know about your table: gking@nacisd.org
Thanks! -
Where did you get your table?
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Thank your for sharing your ideas. Love your blog. I was wondering how many groups do you have for centers and how many centers does each group visit for ELA?
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Hi Ashley!
Love your ideas! Where can I access your guided reading schedule template? It won't work when I click on it.
Thanks!
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Can you tell me where you made the black labels with the colored dots at? Thanks
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Hey Ashley! Love this post so much. What else do you keep behind your table? I’m looking to streamline behind my table as well.
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Hey! I loved how organized and neat everything looks. I downloaded the schedule and enabled editing, but it wouldn’t let me edit anything except for the name. Is there any way you could send it to me so that I can edit the schedule for my classroom? Thanks so much!!!
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[…] Reading: For your guided reading groups, a well-laid plan and organization is a must. Try these awesome tips and grab a free planning […]
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I’d love to know where you got your table. Lderusha@nsd2.com
I’ve actually been looking for one just like that, for my self contained class, for months and can’t find it
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Our maintenance crew actually made this table. Sorry!
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What do you use the second table/graph for on the small group schedule page?
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Hi Ashley! I’m Heidi. I teach kindergarten at title I school in coastal southeast Florida. It looks as if your students are similar in reading ability to mine. I love your guided reading organization and am using some of your ideas this week. I have a few questions:
Where can I find the story elements graphic organizer? I just purchased your St. Patricks unit and my students love it!
What is the best way to use the sheet which gives group levels – high/med, low/med? I’m not understanding that one.
Thanks so much! I appreciate the guidance.
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When do you start with your guided reading groups? The second week, the second month, or ? of school. I am going to be a first year teacher in Kinder and I am trying to organize everything I can!
Thanks.
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Great article! I would love a printable copy if your 5-finger retell card if you are willing to share. TIA
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[…] Reading: For your guided reading groups, a well-laid plan and organization is a must. Try these awesome tips and grab a free planning […]
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For some reason I am unable to open up the document. Is there any way you could send it to me? I love it!!
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Thank you so much for sharing your organizational tips and scheduling routine. I can definitely improve my storage ideas. I have always tried to have 4 groups and one workshop time that I pull for further individualized help – quick bursts of intense remediation or enhancement depending on the situation.
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