The Next Step Chapter 3: Pre-A & Emergent Guided Reading

This chapter deals with the youngest readers, since I teach first I don't have any experience with Pre-A readers.  There were no questions for this chapter so I looked on Jan's site and decided to use her Share 2 approach.  Most of my answers will deal with my experience with Emergent Readers.  

2 Things I learned:  
I learned The important early strategies emergent readers use:1:1 matching. checks picture, GMR and cross-checking. I also learned why it is important to have repetitive texts at Levels A and B. Working with Kohen this summer I can say that he has learned the word then simply because its in so many of the books we've used.  We have also been using Michelle Griffo's Pre-Primer Pack.  

2 Questions I have:
How do you encourage tracking and pointing in Levels A & B but then tell students to drop their finger in Level C? I feel like I tell them to track and point because they want to make sure they are reading every word. This makes them feeling pointing is important. I find most of my students take what I say to heart and are then thrown for a loop when I tell them to drop their finger when they get to level C. How can all the components of the lesson be done in 20 minutes?  I don't know about you all but I always plan for my emergent lessons to be 25 minutes in length and I still feel like I run over. 
  
2 Books:Have You Seen My Duckling by Nancy Tafuri Level A

Noodles I Can Help! by Hans Wilhelm Level B  

I was surprised to see how most books have a higher level then I anticipated.  

I also want to share somethings I use with my emergent readers during our lesson.  

• I don't now how much buying power you have but my favorite books to use during our lessons are from The Bella and Rosie series from Pioneer Valley Books.  My students love them so much when I was just able to buy them for my iPad one of my students got a new puppy and named her Rosie.  He told his parents so much about Bella and Rosie they bought me the WHOLE SET!!  
• Going along with my whole one to one matching / print tracking question from above are my Laser Reading Fingers.  My kids love them and they really help get them in the habit of tracking the print.  I think I found the suggestion for these from  DeeDee Wills who heard about them from Deanna Jump?
• I insert Jan's sound box templates into these dry erase pockets.  I'm sure you could find them cheaper else where.  
• To help my kiddo's learn their sight words we also read one of Maria's Interactive Sight Word Books.  I will typically have mine already put together and read it with the kids.  It will be facing them and I will point to the words and have them read the focus sight word.  At the end of our lesson I will give them their own book to make during word work.  They love it and it allows me to not use up GR time cutting and gluing.  

Now to catch up on chapter 4...