Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Guided Reading Binder

I was working on a guided reading binder this week with a good teacher friend.  We were going over what should be in the binders.  She told me I needed to do a blog post about it....so here it is!
I use my binder in guided reading EVERY DAY!  I am lost without it!  I keep everything in there and keep it organized so I can find student data when needed.  Here is how I do it...

First, you need a HUGE binder.  By the end of the year it will be FULL of running records and data.  Also, if I have to look at that binder and use it every day...it might as well be cute. So... I made this binder cover page and some dividers.
Get the other dividers here:

In the front of my binder I always have my guided reading schedule...so I know what groups I need to meet with that day as well as my lesson plans for my groups.  These are the forms I use:


We also send home books to read in a book bag.  I keep track of the books they take home as well as the date they take it home and return it.  If I am ever short a book, I can look at this chart and know exactly who still has it.  This is the checkout form I use:

Next, I have a separate tabbed divider for each student in my class.  This is where I put all of their running records.  An easy way to keep track of their progress and the stories/levels they have completed is with the running record summary sheet.  I have one of these for each student.  I add it to the front of their section of running records so I can find it easily.
Some other information you might want to add to your binder is a yearly data sheet that shows their reading level progress.  I often refer to this in planning meetings as well as parent conferences to discuss student progress. 


I also like to have this graph for each student. It is a great visual for students and parents about where they are reading and where they need to be reading each nine weeks.  I like to keep it in a separate folder to show parents at conference time.

If you are new to guided reading, these cheat sheets might be helpful to keep in your binder as well.  They have a quick breakdown of guided reading expectations. 


I hope you find some of this useful!




9 comments:

  1. Thanks, I'm trying to organize my paperwork better. This is a huge help.

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  2. This is similar to how I organize my group info. I love your forms. I may have to borrow a few to enhance my binder! :o)

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  3. Amazing! Thanks so much for posting this:)

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  4. As a first year teacher, who started after the school year bagan, this is a very hlepful blog. Thank you sooooo much.

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  5. Thank you for sharing all your hard work, it's really appreciated!!!

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  6. The DRA chart is just what I was looking for. Thank you!

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  7. There forms are great! Can you do a DRA reading progress graph for first grade? Thank you! kaellison@mcpsmt.org

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  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  9. Thanks! This is so helpful!

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