Updated Teacher Time Bin for Daily 5

I posted HERE about my Teacher Time Bin for Guided Reading Groups during Daily 5. With kids who are below, on, and above grade level, this bin has been a lifesaver when the texts are so different and the needs are so varied.

One thing I do differently from the original Daily 5 is that I do still pull kids for Guided Reading groups, so "Teacher Time" takes the place of "Work on Writing" (we have a separate Writer's Workshop time, so kids still get tons of writing during the day). My groups are organized according to Guided Reading Level, and we switch between authentic literature and guided reading resources (short books, nonfiction books, etc. that are much more structured for Guided Reading Groups than a chapter book) throughout the year.

Here's a picture of my Teacher Time Bin this year:

It is completely packed, but there is a method to this madness, I promise!

Here's what's inside:

Small White Boards & Markers- these are lined on one side and blank on the other and are perfect for finding vocabulary, answering questions from the resources mentioned below, quick informal assessments, and the like. I found 4 of these for $1 at Office Depot (woo hoo!) in the school section, and I only have 8 since it's for small groups.

Bloom's Taxonomy Posters- I shrunk these down to 1/4 their size using this tutorial HERE and put a binder ring through them. I will give these to kids to create questions about our reading and check for comprehension. I actually have 2 sets in this bin, I think one is being used by kids at the time of this photo :)

Nonfiction Text Features Posters- these come and go in this bin, depending on what we are reading. I also shrink these down to 1/2 their size and put a binder ring in them to keep them together. If we are in a nonfiction article, I will use these a LOT so kids can get tons of practice in small group, which I have found helps my strugglers when it comes to Scholastic News on Fridays. 

Character Posters- I have two sets of these-- the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars-- so kids can use the ones that speak the most to them :) The Star Wars has been particularly popular with my boys, and that has been awesome, since getting them jazzed about the types of characters in a book is never easy ;) I printed these front-back to save on paper and shrunk these down to 1/2 their size as well-- paper, space & ink are always at a premium!

Two sets of Reading Comprehension Cubes- I purchased these from our local teacher's store & Really Good Stuff and found some similar ones for the large set HERE and smaller set HERE. These are WAY more open-ended, and I love that. Each cube is geared toward a particular aspect of a story (characters, plot, vocabulary, connections, etc.), so I have some control as a teacher about which block my student will roll, but the final question/task is unknown-- it's pretty fun :) 

Story Elements Question Fans- I picked these up from Runde's Room and LOVE them! These little slips are like my cubes on steroids- they are so in-depth and my kids love them just as much since they are way more clever than plain ol' questions I tend to generate at 8:30 in the morning ;) We just started using these and I can't wait to keep introducing more and more- they are so extensive!

Guided Reading Prompt Cards- These are a great free resource from Shelley Gray and they are still awesome :) I find I am not using them as much at this point in the year, but they were a lifesaver at the beginning of the year because they are sosososo kid-friendly! 

My iPad- Yeah, I certainly don't keep that in the bin, but I find it to be invaluable when it comes to Teacher Time! I use this tutorial HERE for keeping track of kids and their progress in various aspects of reading. Confession: Sometimes, I get reeeeeally lazy when it comes to writing down reading conference notes (tell me I'm not the only one!), but this system has made it more fun because who doesn't love using an iPad, amIright? :)

Holy moly, that felt like a tour through Mary Poppins' endless carpet bag!

I also use the materials that are included with the books or articles we are using, but I have found that these resources have been much more exciting and engaging for the kids, so that is a win all around! 

These resources are also super-duper low prep (besides printing, cutting & laminating) and I have kids write their thoughts and answers on the mini-white boards, in their Reader's Notebooks, or on the graphic organizers in the character packs to check for comprehension during and after a piece of reading. So, although it may look like a lot, it really does give you and your students a ton of different options throughout the entire school year, which makes me happy since I am not a huge fan of tons of new prep-work each week :)

I'd love to hear other resources you use and I hope this helped if you also use a Teacher Time bin during your Daily 5 or Reader's Workshop time. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!