Choice Lit Topic: Guiding Groups
How many? How often? How to assess? What’s the teacher’s role? We share flexible and creating strategies for leading groups, and teaching students how to partner and work well with classmates independently. Resources include everything from planning and assessment forms to scores of video examples of groups in action at many grade levels.
Results
Making the Most of Small Groups with Jennifer Serravallo (PODCAST)
Jennifer Serravallo is the author of Conferring with Readers and Teaching Reading in Small Groups. In this podcast with Heather Rader she talks about the joys and challenges of grouping...
Trying on Books for Reading Groups
Stacks of novels cover the top of the table in my classroom. Students come up to the table, grab a novel, and sit down to read. They return again after...
Purposeful Partners
What teacher hasn’t experienced the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) position shifting that happens when students are asked to turn and talk? If kids haven’t already chosen a spot on the...
Assessing Learning in Middle School Book Clubs
Katie Doherty talks about the links between strategy lessons and book club work in her sixth-grade classroom. Katie also sits in on a book club discussion.
Fourth-Grade Small Group: Writing Paragraphs
In this seven-minute video, Aimee Buckner uses a mentor text to demonstrate how writers construct lively nonfiction paragraphs. The small group has been pulled together because the students need more practice in adding details to their writing.
Guiding Reading Partners: Work on Accuracy
Linda Karamatic works with two readers who are going to read the same book and support each other with the use of accuracy strategies.
Maintaining Momentum As a Writer
Author Jennifer Richard Jacobson meets with a group of fifth graders and gives advice about how she keeps generating new ideas and writing.
Owl Research Brainstorming: Partner Work
Andrea Smith meets with two girls planning their owl research.
Embracing Meaning Making in Guided Reading Groups
I believe readers get the best feedback and support when I meet with them individually, where I can listen and then we can confer. Working with more than one student...
Grouping Strategies for Guided Reading
“My guided reading fantasy is that my whole class falls into nice, neat groups of four to six kids at the same reading level,” sighed Brianne as we looked over...
Second-Grade Reading Group
Heather Rader leads a second-grade small group on reading strategies.
Book Clubs Then and Now: Change Is the Constant
I am a book club junkie. I believe that the desire to get together and talk about books is a natural offshoot of being a reader. I belong to two...
Crafting Characters and Scenes
In this discussion with fifth graders about her book Paper Things, author Jennifer Richard Jacobson and the students share strategies and tools for visualizing scenes and characters when they are...
Owl Research Notes Group
Andrea Smith helps a group of boys completing their note taking during an owl research project.
Three Questions to Ask When a Guided Reading Group Is Stuck
In our work in schools, we often field questions from teachers worried about student progress. The concern goes something like this: “I have this group that is stuck at level...
Small-Group Writing: Steps for Success
“Are we going to write about our reading today?” Christopher, Avery, and Braden beg. I know it’s hard to believe, but they really do. These three readers love to write...
English Language Learners First-Grade Guided Group
Stella Villalba leads a guided reading group for first-grade English language learners, beginning by building vocabulary.
Frog and Toad and Tina and Maya: A Precocious Kindergarten Reading Group
In March, Ms. Kelso invited me into her kindergarten classroom to work with some of her advanced readers. The end of the school year in Honolulu was bearing down on...
Kindergarten Small Group: Concepts of Print
This "quick and frequent" kindergarten small group is instructed by Clare Landrigan and explores concepts of print.
“Lift a Line” Boys Reading Group
Franki Sibberson gives a group of boys a "lift a line" assignment to build their close reading skills.
Effective Student Writing Groups
Writing workshop is designed around giving students authentic writing experiences. A crucial part of my writing life is feedback. Recently I’ve noticed that I receive feedback from a variety of...
