The Easiest Guided Reading Notes Ever

“Olivia, how are you tracking your reading conferences?” I will never forget the time my administrator asked me this. I was about halfway through my first year of teaching and like all first years, barely staying above water. Naturally my response was, a blank stare. I had no idea that I had to take notes and keep data on my reading conferences. Once I learned that guided reading notes are things you have to take, the next step was figuring out how on earth do I take guided reading notes. Is there a template or something I am supposed to follow to take guided reading notes? Do I keep it all in a binder or folders? What do I even do with all these guided reading notes anyway? Read more to learn about the steps I took to create the easiest guided reading notes you’ll ever take.

Guided Reading Notes

OK so now that I knew that guided reading notes were something I had to take, the next step was determining what I should be jotting down in these notes. I researched and used my curriculum to create this template for my individual reading conferences. It reminded me of all the components I needed to include in my conference and made it so easy to have something to reference for planning my instruction. 

I loved this note taking template so much that I created one for my guided reading, writing, and math groups too. Now it's easy for me to keep great and easy guided reading notes! You can grab your copy by clicking HERE.

Guided Reading Notes Organization

Now that I have these great guided reading note tools, how am I going to make sure they are easily accessible? Duh a pretty binder! I went to the store and got a bunch of binder dividers. Next, I made a divider for each one of my students and also one for each of my guided reading, writing, and math groups.

At the front of each section (guided reading, guided writing, guided math) I put a monthly calendar. This simple calendar was so important for me to keep things organized. Now I could make sure I was meeting with all my kiddos as many times as I needed to each week.

Although I’ve tried other methods for taking guided reading notes, I always come back to my handy dandy binder set up. Why? Because it is the easiest set up for guided reading notes I have ever used. I am all about the phrase, simplify and succeed. The easier and more efficient it is for me, the more effective I can be for my students. You can read more about this by downloading my free e-book 10 Steps to Becoming a Happy Teacher. Just click the download button now.