Ideas for Reading and a class update :)

We've had a busy day!  I love this time of year in first grade because it becomes more and more evident that what I'm doing IS ACTUALLY making a difference! They are all so much more mature and grown up!  I've been trying to make sure my readers are all getting to their end-of-year goals, and I've been assessing most of the week during my reader's workshop block.  I wanted to take this time to ask all the teachers out there, "How do you organize your reading data?"  Also, "What interventions do you do in order to make sure kids are making yearly growth?"  I have some tricks up my sleeve, but I'm always looking for new and different ideas.  If you have any, post below!  I would love to hear it!

One way I keep track of my reading groups is by using a little folder (see pic below).

I use it to organize them into groups.  I have to give credit to my amazing partner, Ashton --  She made this for me - (I think we got the idea from Pinterest - go figure!) Each name has velcro on it so that I can easily move them around.  This helps out a lot when I'm trying to decide what groups work and where they need to be.  I also keep track of their growth on a year's growth chart.

Each time they move up a level, I highlight the level to make sure they are working toward their end of year goal in reading.  This is REALLY helpful to see when kids aren't making the right amount of growth: I can see it easily and then can start to brainstorm intervention ideas.  The green level is where they started and the red is supposed to be a year's worth of growth. (I cannot take credit - shout out to the literacy coaches including my good friend Nicole Adams for this sheet!)

Anyway, the hard part about readers workshop is getting all the groups in within one reader's workshop block!  I do readers workshop for a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes each day (10 minute mini lesson, 30 minutes independent reading, 30 minutes partner reading) - This leaves time for 4 slots of groups or conferencing one-on-one.  below is a schedule I use to keep track of who I am meeting with on each day.

This certainly helps me to know if I'm getting to each of my readers on a weekly basis.  I make sure I meet with my below-level readers every day, while my at or above-level readers only need a check in twice or 3 times a week.  I love readers workshop, and would recommend it to anyone.  In my life as a teacher, I've tried centers, Daily 5, and reader's workshop.  Nothing is as effective for growing in reading as the reader's workshop model. Of course, it has to be paired with shared reading, read aloud, writers workshop and a word work block to be effective all-around.  Let me tell you, IT IS effective.  :)  

In other news, here are some graphs that we completed today during math.  The kids were collecting their own data and representing it in bar graphs.  

Pattern block graph - Isabella

Pattern block picture - Isabella

What's your favorite Pet? - Keigen

My personal favorite: Who's your favorite singer?
- Aunna

Big News of the day:

• Rhylee and Ethan moved up reading levels!
• Tonight is Science Night and the kids are super excited to come up and do all things science!!!
• Max told me today that he's sorry I will be sad tonight that his mom cannot accompany him to science night - he feels really bad that I will not get to see her tonight - It's ONLY GRANDMA he said LOL. 
• Today is Dean's Birthday!  Happy Birthday Dean! (BTW, Dean can't make it tonight to Science night because grandma has Bunco. LOL
• Jack is writing a comic book and it's going to be 50 pages long!
• Vicky loves writing time! <3

Have a great rest of the week and weekend! :)