Guided Reading Template {Freebie} & A Flash Sale!

My husband and I just got back from Columbus where two of our very good friends were married yesterday.  It was a beautiful outdoor fall wedding with an indoor barn reception.  Candlelight, close friends and family, and lots of dancing.  This couple has been together since middle school and it was a touching and surreal day to watch them say their vows to each other and get married.  Needless to say, I’m exhausted and my feet are killing me from dancing in oh-so-adorable-but-completely-impractical-heels! 🙂

Today I want to share with you what my guided reading lesson plan template looks like for this year. I went back to having a separate lesson plan form for my small reading groups.  It’s very simple, since I believe guided reading teaching needs to be flexible from day to day.  I really believe in talking a lot with children at the back to table.  Children need to talk about what they are reading, engage in back and forth discussion about the book, share connections, etc.  A lot of students in my district do not have active conversations with adults at home and this is an opportunity to gain vocabulary skills.   I do not plan over the top guided reading lessons.  We read, read, read, and talk, talk, talk.  Once a week, we complete a graphic organizer on our comprehension skill of the week using a guided reading book.  I use this as a “class work” reading grade to provide extra practice on a particular skill.

This is the basic format that my guided reading groups contain:

1) My students gather at the table and whisper read the previous day’s book to “warm up their brains” while I take a quick running record on a focus child.
2) I introduce the book with a rich book introduction.
3) We find and read 2-3 unknown vocab words or words they may have trouble with in the book.
4) We do a picture walk and students whisper read the book to themselves while I prompt for decoding and understanding. 
5) We talk, talk, talk about the book!  
6) Once a week we complete a graphic organizer at the end of the lesson.  On most days, we end the lesson with a quick word work activity.  

Here is the template I am using this year. The first column is for each day’s whole group mini-lesson.  I left the top row blank so that you can customize it.  You can click the picture to download it from Google Docs if you want it. 🙂

I do guided reading groups Monday through Thursday.  On Friday, we take our reading/skills test during our first round.  Then, if we do not have any “crazy Friday/abnormal activity” going on, the kids will do a round while I progress monitor or do one-on-one reading with a few kids each week.  I hope that helps you get a taste for how guided reading looks in my room and possible grab a template you can use this year! 🙂

Finally, I’m having a FLASH SALE for today only in my TeachersPayTeachers store to celebrate the last day of the third quarter. 🙂  Grab anything you want in my store for 15% off! 🙂