Small Groups, Shared Reading, and Word Study Notes

[Notes from a session with Christine Robson]

Guided Reading Small Group Video

Strategy Group is a group of kids around a same need [Does not have to be the same level]
[Independent Level]

• You know what you are teaching them
• You teach it up front
• Similar format to a mini lesson
• You should do a lot less talking than you would do during a mini lesson (More emphasis on the coaching during the practice)
• Sometimes, she'll just name the teaching point, then have them practice while she coaches in. (Those times when she's taught them a bunch of times and they just aren't doing it. She might not need to talk about the chart AGAIN and model it AGAIN.)
• Immediately after finishing a kid's running record, she thinks about the kid's next step and jots the name down on a chart:
• Meaning
• Meaning-whole text
• Monitoring
• Structure
• Visual-Beginning/Ending
• Visual-Across the word
• Carry pattern across the pages
• Self Correct (Point of Error)
• Phrasing
• Intonation
• Pace
• Literal Retelling
• Inferential retelling
• Predictions based on text
• Character feelings/Character Motivation

Guided Reading (Fountas and Pinnell model) is a group of kids at the same level that need support.

[Instructional Level]

• It's not a test. You already know they can't read it independently. So you're going to help them read it.
• Think about kids with same levels and similar needs (Not all kids at a level K need the same things)
• Put the talking back into the language of the text
• Ex: Kid says: "The horse is wet." Teacher responds: "You're right! It's raining on the horse!"
• Guided reading = 10 minutes
• Chapter books: Maybe have the kids stop after a chapter or two. (They might not ever finish the book. That's OK)
• Do a formal teaching point at the end.
• Plan a book introduction (Think through meaning, structure, visual):
  
• She is very specific about what is typical in this band of text. Ex: J/K/L/M is always about one big problem. What is the problem, and how do they solve it? Ex: Level N/O/P/Q often has several problems, and they might be problems that can't be solved.

Shared Reading

Interactive Read Aloud: Comprehension

In Shared Reading We Can Work On...

• Word Solving: M, S, V
• Monitoring and Self Correcting
• Fluency
• Comprehension
• High Frequency Words in Context
• Word Study

(In second grade, maybe balance it with shared writing, but don't skip it!)

(In third grade, she might do shared reading with a small group)

Great Source for Shared Reading Texts: http://www.hameraypublishing.com

A Big Book is not necessarily a Shared Reading Book!

A true shared reading is not going to just look like an enlarged book.

Look at assessment: What do kids need? Pick a few books and do it.

Think about using content during shared reading!

Think about using shared reading to teach visual literacy!

A few tips on book selection for shared reading...

• Engaging
• Relevant
• A level or two above

Can't Find a Good Book? Make one!

Think Outside of the book:

• Poems
• Songs
• Charts

Use shared reading to put what we are learning back into context. Show how word study gets put back into reading and writing. Shared reading is a way to transfer skills back into context.

Word Study

Not just one program

Best practices from a lot of places:

-Words Their Way

-Fountas and Pinnell

-Patricia Cunningham

-Dianne Snowball

Start with spelling inventory, then put into groups (If you think a kid might be different than where the inventory suggests, use the qualitative writing checklist)

Teaches routines during the first 4 weeks so that kids can work in word study centers

(Teaches to the middle during the first few weeks as she teaches routines)

Sort Routines:

    1. Say each card

    2. Set aside?
    3. Say and Sort

    4. check

    Do steps 1-4 3x

    5. Ask, why do I do this?

[Follow up activities: Beat the clock. Beat the teacher (Teacher does it and times it, then writes time. Sort and Write in word study notebook. Blind sort. Blind writing sort.)]

Day 1: Whole Group Sort

Day 2: Partner Sort

Day 3: Whole Group Word Hunt

Day 4: Partner Word Hunt

Day 5: Game

10 day plan:

(She didn't see the transfer during a 5 day plan. It felt more like a drive-by)

Mon high Frequency (did everyone)

T=teacher 

IW=Interactive writing

Sample 10 Day Word Work Plan

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Early Letter Name	High Frequency	Teacher: Assess/ Intro a short	Partner: Sort Draw and label	Read/ Make/ Write	Teacher: Shared reading/ Interactive writing	Word Hunt	Partner Sort/ Word Study Notebook	Teacher: Phonemic Awareness	Vocab	Games/ T
Late Letter Name	High Frequency	Read/ Make/ Write	Teacher: Assess/ intro a sort	Partner Sort/ Word Study Notebook	Word Hunt	Teacher: Shared Reading/ Interactive Writing	Making Words	Blind Sort/ Writing Sort/ Hunt Words	Games/ T	Vocab
Middle Within Word	High Frequency	Making Words	Games	Teacher: Assess/ Intro a sort	Partner Sort/ Writing Sort	Word Hunt	Teacher: Shared Reading/ Interactive Writing	Vocab Writing	Making Words	Blind Sort/ Writing Sort/ Word Hunt