Teaching Independence

For sure one of the hardest parts of guided reading is the classroom management piece. After all you are giving a small group your undivided attention while the rest of the class is working at stations independently. That’s quite a bit going on in a small space with lots of people! However, you’ve marched on…

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Building Readers

  “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty.  It should be offered to them as a precious gift.” —Kate DiCamillo I love to sit on the carpet with a small group of young readers and examine a simple predictable book. These emergent texts open the door to reading for my kindergartners.…

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The Dilemma of Guided Reading and the Rest of the Class

“But what is the rest of the class doing?” This is the question teachers often ask themselves when they begin to think about implementing guided reading. The answers or lack thereof are what make many shy away from implementing it because for guided reading to be effective, the rest of the class must be involved…

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Sparking Comprehension

                 “To learn to read is to light a fire, every syllable that is spelled is a spark.”   – Victor Hugo There is such a poetic beauty to Hugo’s words and I so wish to fan those flames in my young readers. This is my goal during guided reading –…

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The Galatea Effect

  “Set your classroom expectations high, the higher the better.  Expect the most fantastic things to happen, not in the future, but right now!”  – Robert John Meehan Have you ever heard of the Galatea Effect?  It is the phenomenon by which people with high expectations are led to high levels of achievement and performance.…

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