Teaching My "Making Words" Lesson

I had a great time teaching my Making Words lesson the other day! Although I was not as prepared for some aspects of the lesson as I would have liked to have been, I feel like I improvised pretty well. I know that things are not always going to go as planned when I become a teacher, so I think that this experience was a great lesson in flexibility and how to adapt to your class' or group's needs without notice.
My three +'s and a wish are as follows:
+ I had all of my materials prepared and ready.
+ I was very patient with all of the students.
+ I was able to transition smoothly from word to word.
- I wish that I'd had a white board to write my words on.
Originally, I had planned to do my lesson with the whole class. I had planned to have the students make the words as normal, and then I would have used the White Board to write the words. I had not thought about the fact that if I did the lesson with a small group, then I wouldn't have a board to write on. And really, I hadn't even thought about the fact that she might have me do the lesson with a small group. I had told her I was fine with either and then just made the assumption that she would prefer that I do the lesson with the whole class. Oops!
The group she gave me to work with was perfect. It was group of six, which included two of her highest students, two of her average students, and two of her lowest students. I must say, though, that even the lowest students in this class really aren't that far below average. They seeemed to really enjoy the lesson. Although I never would have considered using the Making Words lesson as a small group lesson before now, I do think that it would be very effective if used as such. And I do believe that I may consider using Making Words as a small group lesson in my own classroom at times. I wouldn't use it all of the time, but I am certain that this type of lesson is an effective teaching tool, its a great skill to have, and it may give a little variety to your everyday, mundane reading group routine!
I can't wait to teach my Guided Reading lesson and see how it goes!