Maximizing Small Group Reading Instruction with the Daily 5
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When it comes down to maximizing your instructional time…
Small group reading instruction really is the biggest bang for your buck.
It’s not just a management tool to keep kids focused or be able to have meaningful interactions with all of your students (but they are a part of it)...
It’s being able to customize instruction to meet the needs of students.
It’s being able to provide differentiated instruction on the spot for students.
It’s having contact with every student so they don’t fall through the cracks.
I truly feel that small group instruction is when the “magic” of teaching happens. The Daily 5 framework promotes independence while also building literacy and writing skills with the goal of creating time and space for teachers to provide small-group reading instruction - which I refer to as “Book Clubs”. It’s in these small groups teachers are able to offer personalized support and get students engaging with meaningful texts.
But, like anything in teaching, planning for book clubs takes careful consideration to ensure that you’re maximizing your small group reading instruction.
The Importance of Maximizing Small Group Reading Instruction with the Daily 5
The whole point of small group instruction is to create a supportive environment that will support students in flourishing as readers.
As a teacher, we know that it’s easy for students to get “lost” in the complexity of managing whole-group instruction.
Maybe you have an extremely busy class and most of your time is spent making sure students stay on task.
Perhaps there are too many questions and you aren’t able to answer all of them before you have to take students down to lunch.
Or maybe a student doesn’t feel comfortable asking questions in front of the entire class.
Whatever it is, I’ve found these barriers melt away in Book Club. And students find success in knowing that they have my undivided attention to support them where they are at. But, without proper planning and preparation, this magical time can easily become a stressful nightmare.
So taking the time to teach and model routines - such as what to bring with them to book club - is key for maximizing this instructional time.
But what should you focus on to make the most out of this valuable time?
How to Start Book Clubs in the Classroom Using the Daily 5 Framework
I know you’re super excited to jump into starting Book Clubs in your classroom, BUT…
You have to start with a solid implementation plan!
Without it, maximizing your small group reading instruction will be nearly impossible.
Here are a few of my favorite strategies to help start Book Clubs in your classroom off on the right foot!
Teaching Students to Come Prepared for Book Clubs
In order to maximize time during small group reading instruction AND make sure that students reap the benefits of that time, it’s important for the students to come to back to your small group table prepared - both with the materials they need for the lesson and their brains ready to learn!
Here are a few of my favorite ways to teach students how to be prepared:
Model Expectations. Model students exactly what readiness looks like for Book Club. Show students - or have students act out - what it looks like to transition quickly, how to set up materials quietly, and how to participate during the lesson.
Build Routines. Consistency is key when maximizing small group instructional time. Create routines so students know what to expect during transitions to minimize downtime. Build routines for how students gather materials, rotate between stations, and clean up before moving to the next station.
Practice Independence. Teach students how to take responsibility for their own readiness. Use tools like checklists or anchor charts that students can use to self-assess and be accountable for their own learning.
What Students Need to Be Prepared for Book Clubs
So…there’s a catch to setting up routines and expectations for Book Clubs…
All of this hard work can be easily sabotaged by students not knowing what materials they need to bring, or even worse, they can’t FIND it.
In general, it’s important to have a system set up for your students’ Daily 5 materials, but this becomes really important when it’s time for Book Clubs because looking for a worksheet or not having the book they need will cut into the instructional time.
In all the grade levels I taught - I’ve found that bins have been the easiest way for students to store all of their Daily 5 materials, but what was in the bins varied by grade level:
Lower Elementary Students: Younger students would benefit from having tools like alphabet charts, high-frequency word cards, and phonics manipulatives in the bins. Also including high-interest texts along with decodable texts so students can practice skills they are learning that students can access during small group time is important.
Upper Elementary Students: Older students will often work with more complex texts and activities. Upper elementary students would benefit from having tools like vocabulary lists and graphic organizers in their bins. Also included in their bins will be a journal, an independent book, and their Book Club book.
Taking the time to help students understand what they need in their book bins is SO important! Transitions will be so much smoother and you’ll be able to make sure that your small group instructional time is productive.
Book Club Activities
Expectations modeled. Check.
Routines built. Check.
Now it’s time to teach!
My favorite thing about Book Clubs is the flexibility it gives me to address the needs of my students. I’m able to maximize my small group reading instruction by tailoring activities to fit the needs of the students in that group.
When I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, I would work with students on phonics activities such as mapping words, or word chains and bring in a decodable text to further practice the phonics skill I was targeting.
For my fifth-grade students, I use Book Club time to go deeper into comprehension skills. I choose a common text that we read together so we can practice identifying character traits and themes, and even stretch into how to write a summary for a text.
I love that with Book Clubs, I can differentiate activities based on skill level to ensure that each student is appropriately challenged and supported in their literacy journey!
How to Incorporate Daily 5 into Your Small Group Reading Instruction
Ready to put all of these strategies into action?
Take an inventory of what you already have established and what routines you need to establish, and what expectations need to be taught. Then you can dive into ways to organize and store materials and come up with an instructional plan.
If you’re looking for resources to help you get started, then you’re going to want to download my Daily 5 Starter Kit.
No more feeling like you’re chasing kittens and fumbling over your clipboard trying to call students back to your table. In this kit, I share what I use in my classroom to streamline my literacy block so I can get to all of my reading groups!
Book Suggestions for Book Clubs
I understand that half of the challenge with Book Clubs is finding books!
That’s why I’ve put together a list of my favorite books to use during book clubs.