Meaningful Small Group Reading Instruction


HIGH INTEREST TEXT
I try my best to choose books that my kiddos will LOVE to read.  Scholastic has been my best friend.  BONUS POINTS!?  DOLLAR BOOKS!?  SIX PLEASE!
With that said, I’m not a magician or a millionaire.  I do my best and use the resources that are available to me.  I have found that if I show my kids that I’m excited, they quickly join the club! 
It is also important to note that it is also equally important that your students have experiences reading boring stuff.  Lets face it, that’s life!
Choosing a high interest text is especially important for the learner who hasn’t found their love of reading yet.

MODELING
The most effective way I have found to teach comprehension strategies is to model.  I read aloud to students then stop and show my thinking aloud when appropriate.  After I am done, we discuss what I did and my thinking as a group.

This strategy is especially effective for learners who have a difficult grasping abstract thinking.

INTENTIONAL DISCUSSION
In a perfect world our students would be leading and actively
Click the picture about to get these discussion cards for FREE! 
engaging in a discussion about their book.  Everyone would be excited and critically thinking about the text!  That’s the goal
but it is also just that, a GOAL.  We have to teach our students HOW to have an intentional discussion about their reading.  How can we
expect our students to actively engage in intentional discussions if we, the teacher, aren’t contributing?? It is important that you understand what is going on in the text and are able to model during the discussion when appropriate.    
I have found that most of the modeling I do takes place at the beginning and end of the discussion.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Click the picture to learn more about my book club packets!
At the end of every small group meeting I give an assignment.  My students use the writing prompt in their book club packets as their assignment.  Each small group meeting is packed full of instruction.  This is their opportunity to show me what they have learned. 


Independent practice is a great way to see who still needs more instruction and practice!


This is how I structure my small group reading time!  

disclaimer:  This is how small group instruction looks for me in my classroom.  What works for my kiddos may not work for yours.  You know your students the best, you are the only one who can decide what is best for them!


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