ding stamina, reading behaviors, choosing just right books, etc. in class before we settle into reading. Once students can *mostly* be trusted to independently read, I can start conferences. I always do lots and lots of mini conferences before I settle into small groups. I will run through a set of strategy groups over a couple of weeks.
For instance, here is what that 30 minute block has looked like for me this year at various times.
Day 1 – Minilesson, Work Time and Conferences with extreme students (either side); closing with progress shared
Day 2 – No minilesson; 2 small groups each 15 minutes
Instead I might do:
Day 1 – Minilesson and Reflection on Book Club goals; Book Club Discussions; closing with goals for next time
Day 2 – No minilesson; 2 small group(s) each 15 minutes and/or conferences
Instead I might do:
Day 1: Long read aloud, minilesson with partner discussion, goal setting/closing
Day 2: No minilesson, independent reading and conferences
Instead I might do:
Day 1/2/any: Minilesson; 1 small group; Conferences; Closing
Or I might combine some of those to form a week. If I’m doing small groups, that’s going to take at least 3 days of my week. Some weeks, I only do conferences, especially in the first quarter of the year when we’re still building reading stamina. I also will conference with book clubs for our first book club of the year which is different from a small group lesson with them as I just respond to what I see and hear vs. planning on what to teach beforehand.
I think the key to meeting the needs of students is flexibility. I can’t follow the same exact structure every day, but I can follow the same structure for a few weeks at a time. When I shift, I just explain to students what the new structure will be. There are enough similarities (minilessons, book club talks or book partner talks, small groups with the teacher, independent reading, independent writing about reading, conferences, whole class sharing) that once they know the pieces, I can shift those pieces around to suit their needs. Don’t worry about finding the perfect structure or system that will meet all of your needs. It doesn’t exist! I sympathize with those of you who “have to” follow a certain time structure to everything within a block as that can be exhausting. Give yourself grace! As long as you are talking with students and looking around and staying engaged, you’re doing it right!