Thursday, July 24, 2014

Setting Up Reading Notebooks

This has been a blog post in the making for weeks now! I am so excited to share one of my favorite things in my classroom! 

One of the teaching/organizing/communication tools I use is a Reading Notebook. This school year I decided to revamp my Reading Notebook and create a corresponding product on Teachers Pay Teachers.  When I started teaching at my school, everyone was already using a Reading Notebook. I just sort of redid everything and made it my own! 

What is a Reading Notebook you ask? Let me show you!

Each child has a one inch binder that we turn into a Reading Notebook. They bring their Reading Notebook to their reading group everyday and it also goes home. I use the Reading Notebook as a teaching tool, but it also serves as "homework" and a resource for parents.

 Here is what I include in my Reading Notebook:










The Reading Notebook has been so successful for me because it corresponds to what I am teaching in the classroom. I created the Reading Notebook Essentials to put all of my Reading Notebook resources in one place. Here is what is included in the product:
  • Alphabet Chart
  • Blends Chart
  • Digraphs and Vowel Sounds
  • Sneaky E and Bossy R Phonics Reference Pages
  • Reading Strategies
  • Student (black and white) Alphabet and Blends flashcards
  • Large (color) teacher flashcards
  • A Reading Notebook Cover and binder spine label
  • Large (color) teacher reading strategies posters




I just love that everything corresponds and goes together to help form those connections in little kindergarten brains! : ) Please let me know if you have any questions or if anything is unclear. This is one of those things that I get so excited to share that I'm afraid I don't make sense! If you would like to purchase everything you need for Reading Notebooks, click HERE.