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.

Binder Cover

Get the other dividers here:

Guided Reading Schedule Divider

Lesson Plans Divider

Running Records Divider

Take Home Books Check-Out Divider

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:

Reading Groups Schedule

Guided Reading Lesson Plans

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:

Book Bag Checkout

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.

Running Records Summary Sheet

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. 

Reading Level Progress Chart

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.

Reading Progress Graph

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. 

Guided Reading Cheat Sheet #1

Guided Reading Cheat Sheet #2

I hope you find some of this useful!