Day 1: Introduce the guided reading book, have students take a picture walk, ask probing questions and pre-teach tier 3 vocabulary words. All of this seems simple, but to be done effectively, takes time and planning! Of course, it becomes more second nature over time, but it does take time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=kFeu2grlNS8
Day 3: Guided Writing! This is AMAZING because the ELA block just goes too quickly and my guided writing groups often take a hit! During the third day, I have a pre-determined writing prompt that pertains to the skill we have been working on within the book we’ve been reading.
For example, a prompt may look like this: “On page 4 & 5 it says, ‘Tony Baloney does not love trouble…but trouble loves him.’ What do you think this means? Use text based evidence to support your thinking.”
Students will then write their response, edit their response using a checklist and then draw a picture with details if they have time at the end. We have done a mini-lesson at the beginning of the year to establish that the purpose of drawing a detailed picture is to help generate more ideas for their writing. This allows me to rotate around the table giving quick conferences, meeting each child’s individual writing needs!
Here is another link to a video by Jan Richardson teaching guided writing after her students finished their guided reading book! I hope it can help bring the concept to life for you!
Again, this is my own SPIN on guided reading/guided writing but it is largely based off Jan Richardson’s work! She really is a pro!
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