Questions Every Reading Teacher Needs to Answer, Part 2

The subject of today's post is directed at teachers who use guided reading groups in the classroom, however, you could adjust it to fit any grouping or method of teaching.  We know that students learn more when they are actively engaged, when they are discussing, creating, analyzing text.  When we ask students to "do something" with what they have learned, the amount of retention goes up dramatically.  Not only do they benefit from completing a project or making some sort of anchor chart or artifact, the rest of the class benefits as well because they also have something new to experience the information from in a new light, from a new perspective.  My question today is:
When someone walks into your classroom, how do they know you teach using guided reading groups?
In my experience, guided reading groups are the most effective way to teach students new reading skills quickly and in a more individualized way than any other method I have ever employed. I am not only able to target my instruction at a small group of students' most pressing needs, I am also able to individualize my instruction and deliver it "just in time" as the situation is developing and the student needs to know the information.  However, if we are not intentional with our lessons, if we do not plan with the data we've collected about each individual student in mind, if we do not carry out the process with fidelity, or if we fail to follow-up our lesson with some sort of application, then we are not being as effective as we could be.  We may well create stellar lesson plans that meet the needs of each student, teach our hearts out in a way that is powerful and meaningful, and then leave our children hanging with information and nothing to solidify it because we are not allowing them to complete the last step and tie that new knowledge to something tangible.  Giving them just a few minutes at the end of a guided reading lesson to reflect can really make abstract concepts concrete and give them something to refer back to when they need clarification.  Creating a classroom environment that displays the work of your students also makes a statement that what we do here is important, this is your classroom, and we can all learn from each other.
When another teacher, an administrator, a parent, a student walks into your classroom, how do they know what you're all about?  Can they easily see student work displayed on the walls?  Can they tell what you've been teaching--and what the students have learned?  Will they be able to tell whether or not your students can apply the concepts you are teaching to other situations?
The very best way to make sure others can tell what is going on in your classroom is by allowing your students to create anchor charts and other authentic displays showcasing what they have learned.  At the end of a guided reading lesson, simply allow them to reflect on what they have learned and then create something to tie it all together.  There are a lot of different assignments you can give them that allow them to be creative while you are still setting up parameters and the end result will be something they can refer back to and help others to learn the same concepts.  You can have them use any number of graphic organizers to show they comprehended the materials.  They can do a word sort. Having them draw a picture, make a foldable, write a new ending, or something more creative, like using an app or computer program to extend their learning is an incredibly powerful way to help your students retain critical knowledge and build schema for upcoming lessons.  Some of these tasks will take more time than others but they are all meaningful and worth the time and effort.  Even asking your students to keep a reflection journal for guided reading and giving them a few minutes at the end of the lesson to write about the story or what they learned can be extremely meaningful and lets them know what they were just learning is important and they need to truly understand the information and be able to apply it.
While I am talking specifically about guided reading lessons, this concept needs to carry over to other areas as well.  We know that allowing students time to reflect, analyze, and create is more relevant than asking them to complete a menial assignment like a worksheet.  If we then take the items they have produced and display them, not only are we telling them how valuable their work is, we are making a statement.  In this classroom, we're all about learning--and this is what we know!

Our Inquiry Circle Project Wall. 2nd grade students read a text, asked some questions about the topic, researched, and created a powerpoint.

Kindergarten students responded to a text at the beginning of the year.  

It is important for students to reflect and then research when they want more information.

Analyzing is one of the most important skills we can teach our students.

First graders recommend their favorite books.

I asked first and second grade students to relate the consonant digraphs we were studying to something relevant to themselves.

Take a moment to look around your classroom.  How many authentic pieces do you have up? How many store-bought or teacher-made items do you have on display?  Do you want to change anything?  How easily could you do so? These are just some things to think about when reflecting upon the question, "When someone walks into your classroom how do they know what you've taught? If it's important, shouldn't they be able to tell?