Finally Found the Lost Piece

For those who read my blog regularly, you know that I have been struggling with the direction I was given at my school to use guided reading groups in my classroom.  First let me say again, I am not opposed to guided reading groups however in fifth grade it is extremely difficult not to have them turn into redbird, bluebird and greenbird in my opinion.  I tried everything last school year, I changed the group members frequently, focused on reading levels, focused on strategies, focused on vocabulary but I never found the missing piece of the puzzle.  I spent all summer thinking about how to change guided reading groups since I knew I would have to use them again this school year. This school year, I chose purposefully not to start guided reading groups until second trimester which gave me 12 weeks to build our reading community.  To help all students become readers, allowed me enough time to learn about my students, and most importantly we had a established community of readers from Preprimer (my new ELL student) to Junie B. Jones,  to Andrew Clements, to five students participating in Newberry Club to classics including Moby Dick.

With our classroom rapport established, the first change was to name my guided reading (Book Clubs) what a difference in the opinions of 10 year old.  Second, I placed the students based on their reading lives not their fluency level, DRA level, not if they are in special ed or in our LEAP (gifted) program, but who they are as readers. Already I felt better about the reading groups.

Enjoying A Day's Work by Eve Bunting

Next I extended the time of the book clubs, I allowed them to choose the days of the week they met, they were able to bring a drink for one club meeting, and they decided if they would have homework. I started with four book clubs based on picture books that I knew each group would connect with because I knew my students as readers.  Ownership of the club became theirs.  Huge with fifth grade students!

I did set the focus for the clubs: to practice the fictional reading strategies that we had learned the first trimester.  I gave them a rubric that I would use to grade their thinking in addition a timeline of expectations.  Again they were in control with my guidance.  Powerful! 

Finally I was able to meet with each group on drop in visits.  I would just pull a stool up to the club and listen to their conversations. I would take some notes if I needed to touch base with a student later to ask a question.  Occasionally I would leave a note with a club to help guide their conversations for the day:  How did the character's motivation influence his choice at the garden?  

For the first time in two years, I am pleased with my reading groups now officially called book clubs.  My students view book clubs as an extension of our classroom reading and most importantly they value the time they spend in their small group discussing, learning and extending their reading lives. 

Enjoying Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco