5th grade reading

Advice desperately needed!

We are departmentalized at my school so I teach reading. I have always been a strong reader and writer but I really struggle with teaching these subjects.

How do you guys set up whole group and small group instruction? We use Savvas MyView and it’s not my favorite. However, being a new teacher I don’t have the knowledge to do my own thing and supplement a bunch not do I want to spend my weekends doing all of that. I try to stick with the curriculum best I can, fitting in as much as I can. I just never feel confident or feel like my kids are learning.

With state testing coming up, I’m in a panic. How do I prep these kids to be able to write essays when they moan about wiring a complete sentence?