9 Ways to Use EVERY Minute of Guided Reading!

I’ve had teachers ask me, “How do you get all of that reading instruction into 15 minutes?” and I tell them it’s because…

Every Minute in Guided Reading Counts.

Not only is it amazing what you can teach in one minute, but I’m going to show you how to do this.

In one minute with your guided reading groups, you can accomplish one or more of these:

• have a group seated at the table ready to learn
• lead a quick phonemic awareness activity that uses boxes taped to the table (see how here)
• practice a speed drill
• review sight word flashcards
• time/test a student on fluency
• list to 6 students whisper read a page
• have students build 2 words with a targeted skill with magnetic letters
• have students write 3 sight words on the table
• chorally read targeted sounds on a chart

Since there’s no time to waste, I’m FINALLY not rushing through reading lessons like a mad woman..I promise it’s the truth!

My reading lesson easily flows and it’s because my students enjoy coming to the table to learn. I’ve also taken the time to organize, so there is no wasted time to search for materials or to have students take their time getting to the table.

Rarely Play Games at the Guided Reading Table

Since I only have 15 minutes with each group, I use those precious minutes as effectively as I can with my instruction. So,

Games are great for centers, May Dos, and rewards. Guided reading is for guiding your students with their reading skills based on their needs. Use every minute you have to teach and practice those targeted reading skills.

When you stick to instruction methods during guided reading time, students enjoy that time with you. They are proud of their learning and are excited to learn more!

Use a Targeted Approach to Guided Reading

Target your planning with each group using our Targeted Guided Reading lesson plans.

When you create and follow a plan that is targeted to your students’ needs, your students will have much better success!

Have Everything Ready to Go

Once you have your targeted plan in place, organize the materials you need for the week.

This includes your plan, a pen and dry erase marker for you, targeted drills for students, the books you will be using, white boards, etc. that you may need. Have everything ready to just grab and go in organized, color-coded, labeled bins.

Just GRAB and GO!

Reward Students Who Meet your Expectations

Reward students with points for getting to the table within a minute, staying on task during the lessons, and working hard. If they have 5 or more points by the end of our time, they move their clips up!

Tell Them WHY Time Together is Important

Get their buy-in by regularly sharing with them how important our time together is.

• Have students share what their specific reading goals are. When they know their goals, they are know why they are there and what to focus on.

• Remind them at the end of each lesson how much they learned because they stayed on task and worked so hard!

Establish Routines

When you keep things routine students know what to expect. AND they are better able to transition from one activity to the next smoothly.

For Example: Have a speed drill ready to go for each student even before they arrive at the table. They start without prompting from me because this is a routine that they love!

Keep Teacher Talk to a Minimum

When you keep teacher talk to a minimum, students do more of the thinking, and you are saving precious time.

Use prompts instead of long explanations:

• Say “Try again.”
• Just point to the word they missed.
• Tap once on the table lightly in front of a student for focus.
• Say, “Sound,” when a student needs prompting to decode a new word.
• Say, “Sight Word,” when are trying to decode an irregular word.
• Say, “My turn,” when students are struggling and you need to model for them.
• Then say, “Your turn,” after you have modeled.
• Say, “What is our goal?” at the beginning of each lesson.
• When giving a point with a marker, just smile or say, “Great decoding.” or something else that’s short and sweet. Most of the time they know what they did to earn the point, so no explanation is needed.
• If you find yourself saying the same thing over and over again, find a short 2-3 word prompt that will remind them of your expectation.
• Praise students often with a short prompt. Big smiles work great too!

Use a Must Do May Do Approach

When you use a Must Do May Do system for centers, you will have most likely have fewer interruptions at the guided reading table. Rotating reading centers can waste precious learning time.

• And once again…And this is just my choice…I rarely, if ever, play reading games at the guided reading table. I reserve the table for instruction. Games are played during May Do centers. This doesn’t mean that other teachers are doing it wrong. I just have found that my time is better spent on targeted instruction.

These are some great ways to keep my student on track with their goals and a great way to work on getting every minute in during guided reading!

These are the guided reading strategies I’ve lived by for many years, I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below, I love to hear what you have to say!

Looking for more guided reading strategies that are useful all year long? Check out these posts:

• 7 Ways to Squeeze More Into Your Literacy Block
• 6 Key Steps to Preparing The BEST Guided Reading Lessons!
• 6 Reliable Guided Reading Tips That Really Work!
• Discover 4 Important Guided Reading Must-Dos Now!

Thanks for stopping by!