My day is made up of K-5 reading groups, and many supplies are essential to our day. They keep our small reading group on track, organized, and hassle-free. There is no time to waste when you only have 20-30 minutes with a group! Tomorrow my friend Meg from Thyme to Read will share 10 Things You Need to Run Fabulous Reading Groups!
Here are 10 things that will revolutionize your reading groups in no particular order:
1. Small Group Bins
I change my small group organizational system every year, but I finally found a system that I loved last year! Each group has its own bin, and since students change periodically, I started labeling the containers by time rather than by student names. It makes life much easier.These are on a shelf easily accessible to the students so they can be responsible for their materials. I used to have multi-colored bins, but this year I ordered containers that are all the same color!
2. Pens
Let’s face it - everything is more fun with a pen! Students use pencils most of the day, so using a pen during their reading group can be very motivating. Especially when it is time to answer comprehension questions or write in their journals.
3. Punch Cards
It is incredible how much power a simple punch card can hold! My students find them highly motivating, which is an excellent incentive! My students get a punch each day if they: 1 - tried their best and 2 - followed directions. Thankfully there are very few occasions when someone doesn’t get a punch! When their punch card is complete, they get a prize!There are so many more uses for punch cards, and I am obsessed with them! I love them so much that I wrote a blog post with 5 ways to incorporate them into your classroom.
4. Date Stamp
A date stamp is so simple, yet it is a student favorite! They are fascinated by it - how does it lock? How does it get ink? How do you change the date? It is a magical essential to our group! They love to put the date on any paper they can get their hands on, and I love the time it saves!It is also helpful when students stamp the date in their journals or on other work we have done. Having the date on everything is a great way to show progress. The students can see how much their writing has improved over time. Dated work samples are also great to have at a meeting/conference about students.
Side note: you may be asking yourself - What's with the washi tape? Students know that the tape needs to be facing them so the date will stamp in the right direction! tap
5. A Good Planner
A few years back, at the beginning of my career, I didn’t write anything down (gasp). Eventually, I started making my own planner each year. But last year, I finally took the plunge and got an Erin Condren Teacher Planner, and there is no turning back! I don’t have to redo my planner whenever I get a new student or there is a schedule change! I have even found some ways to personalize my planner with these freebies!Most importantly, I write specific notes about what to do with each group. When they are putting away their materials/punching their punch cards, I make sure to write where to start off the next day and what to focus on.
6. Pointers
Much like pens, pointers can make everything more enjoyable! Often in an intervention group, we have rote skills to practice every day (like letter sounds); sometimes, it can be pretty dry. So we use a variety of pointers to point during our warm-up, and sometimes we use them when we read a book.Sometimes students pick their own, one group member chooses for the group, and other times I choose. It is up to you!
7. Digital Resources
I always look for ways to make practicing skills more engaging and motivating. These are great activities if your classroom has even 1 Chromebook, iPad, laptop, tablet, Promethean/SmartBoard, or anything in between! My students are always asking for them!Interactive Games: We use these for work with various phonics skills! On each page, students will look at the picture and tap the sound that completes the word. Their answer will lead them to a correct or incorrect screen and then guide them to the next question.
Digital Flashcards: Another quick, easy, and engaging way to work on specific phonics skills. Various words, phrases, and sentences exist for specific vowel/consonant patterns. You can even share this with parents and family so they can help reinforce these skills with their children at home!
8. Cart
Sometimes I take my show on the road and push into classrooms for a group. I like to have my own materials with me, but I don’t like carting around a bulky bin with my materials! This cart from Target is the perfect solution.Most groups have a binder with lessons and materials which I keep on the top shelf. The middle shelf is often for group-specific activities, and the bottom shelf is for whiteboards and erasers.
When I am not pushing in, I keep it right next to my small group reading table so that everything is within arm's length.
9. Oops, tape
I didn't know that "oops tape" was a thing before I became a teacher! We need, oops, tape because we use pens! Spelled a word wrong? Oops, tape! Didn't you start your sentence with a capital letter? Oops, tape! You get the drift.
10. Quiet light
This little gem comes in handy when it is time to progress monitor or do anything else that involves working 1:1 with a student while the rest of the group does quiet/independent work. The rules are simple: If the light is on, I can't talk to you, you can't talk to me, and you can't speak to each other. It is incredible how much this visual has helped control the volume.Thank you so much for checking out these small group reading essentials! Let me know in the comments what is essential to your groups!
Pin for Later:
