What is Guided Reading?

Guided reading is reading with children. The goal of Guided Reading is to teach students to independently use reading strategies at their instructional level. It is a bridge between shared reading and independent reading. Guided Reading provides opportunitites for teachers to work with small groups of children on text that closely matches the children's needs, abilities, and interests. The teacher acts as a facilitator, using prompts and questioning strategies to guide children to comprehension. Using a book introduction, the teacher sets the scene, arouses student interest and engages children in discussion. In Guided Reading everything is learned within the context of a book.

The teacher uses this time for ongoing observation and assessment. This assessment is important because Guided Reading is done in flexible groups that reflect changing abilities and needs. The children are grouped and regrouped in a dynamic process.

Teaching Methods

A clearly defined teaching sequence is an important characteristic of Guided Reading. This sets Guided Reading apart from many traditional reading groups.

Leveled books or stories should be available before Guided Reading can take place. The teacher selects books that are supportive, predictable, and matched to the children's needs and abilities. Children should be grouped from the results of the Running Records. The groups should be formed with children that are reading on the same level.

During the Lesson. A Guided Reading lesson generally lasts ten to fifteen minutes. Groups meet approximately four times a week. Each child has a copy of the book. The teacher introduces the text to the group, selecting one or two teaching points to present. Each child reads the whole text aloud in a whisper voice. The teacher prompts and offers support when needed. Early and emergent readers may read a story several times during the lesson. The goal is for children to read independently.

After the Lesson. Teacher reflection is an important component of Guided Reading and should include:

• Reflection on the appropriateness of the book.
• Evaluating each student in the group to determine if the grouping is appropriate for them.
• Considering the needs of the group
  • Does the group need to move to a higher or lower level?
  • Does a child need to move to a higher or lower level?
  • What strategies are needed?
  • How can you teach those strategies?

Classroom Activitives: Grades K-2

1. Title: Read, Cover, Remember, & Retell
   Purpose: This strategy supports readers by stopping them frequently to THINK about the meaning.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Read only as much as your hand can cover.
   2. Cover the words with your hand.
   3. Remember what you have just read. It is okay to take another look.
   4. Retell what you just read inside your head or to a partner.
   
   Materials needed: Reading materials
   
   
2. Title: Guided Reading Lesson Outline
   Purpose: The basic outline of a guided reading group.
   
   Procedures:
   
   • 2-5 minutes--Familiar Reread (You could do a running record or language conference during this time.
   • 3 minutes--Introduce a new book
   • Observation and reading of book
   • 2 minutes--Story retelling
   • 2-5 minute--Mini lesson
     
   **Before a child is ready for a guided reading group, they must have early reading behaviors in place.
   
   Prompts to Support Strategies
   
   Materials needed: Guided reading books for students
   
   
3. Fluency mini-lessons
   Purpose: Mini-lessons that help with fluency rate
   
   Procedures:
   
   • Read with a fast finger.
   • Get your finger out of the book and read with your eyes, or point with your nose.
   • When you read, make it sound like talking.

Classroom Activitives: Grades 3-4

1. Facts Questions Responses (FQR)
   Purpose: This strategy helps readers reflect and glean important information and deepen understanding through questioning.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Read an informational text
   2. Write down any facts that you learned, questions you have, or responses on a sticky note
   3. Make a three column chart (labled Facts, Questions, Responses) and put the sticky notes into their columns
   4. Reflect on the questions. Were some of them answered in the text? In your head? or do you need to do some further research?
   
   Materials needed: Chart paper, sticky notes
   
   
2. Very Important Points (VIP)
   Purpose: The purpose of this strategy is to support readers in their efforts to navigate through the text reflection on key points or ideas, making connections, and clarifying understanding.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Provide each student with a sticky notes cut into stripes.
   2. As the children read have them mark the text to indicate very important points. These important points can consist of points of interest, confusion, or a place where the student remembered a connection.
   3. At the end of the reading have the students meet in pairs of a small group and discuss the VIP's they selected.
   4. For a higher level activity you can have them come to a consensus about the VIP's for a particular section.
   
   Materials needed: Sticky notes cut into stripes for each student.
   
   
3. Title: Read, Cover, Remember, & Retell
   Purpose: This strategy supports readers by stopping them frequently to THINK about the meaning.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Read only as much as your hand can cover.
   2. Cover the words with your hand.
   3. Remember what you have just read. It is okay to take another look.
   4. Retell what you just read inside your head or toa partner.
   
   Materials needed: Reading materials
   
   
4. Two Word Strategy
   Purpose: The two word strategy is used to help students synthesize information.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Have your students read a thought provoking section.
   2. After reading ask your students to be silent and then write only two words (not in a phrase) that reflect their thinking about the passage.
   3. After selection their words, students turn to someone close and read their words, telling why they chose them and explaining how they relate to the story and/or their personal lives.
   4. Create a class list of these words. As each word is added and the rationale for selection is shared, a richer understanding of the selection begins to surface.
   
   Materials needed: Books and chart paper or chalk board
   
   
5. Interactive Journals-Emergent Writers
   Purpose: Interactive journals provide a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on their reading, build on their understanding and share opinions and observations with other students.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Each student draws and writes about a story or learning experience using one half of the paper.
   2. Partners talk about their drawing, their writing, and their reflections.
   3. Partners trade papers.
   4. Using the second section on their partner's paper, each student draws and writes a response to their partner's work. This might take the form of adding information, voicing a shared thought about the story or something else.
   5. Partners meet in larger groups to talk about their shared drawing and writing.
   
   Materials needed: Piece of paper folded in half.
   
   
6. Interactive Journals--More Fluent Writers
   Purpose: Interactive journals provide a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on their reading, build on their understanding and share opinions and observations with other students.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Students gather in teams of three. Each team member has his or her own paper and pencil. They need to know that there will be an audience for their writing as other members of their group will read and respond to what they write.
   2. All students begin writing and reflecting in quadrant #1. Their writing might be stimulated with questions such as, "What is the most important thought to remember about the Civil War?" "What personal connections were there for you?"
   3. At a predetermined signal, have the students pass their papers within their group of three. They now are holding someone else's paper. The task is to read what is sritten in quadrant #1 and then respond in quadrant #2 with additional thought, reflections, or shared feelings.
   4. The students pass their papers one more time. This time they read #1 and #2, then respond in #3.
   5. All papers return to their original owners. The owner of the paper reads all responses and then reflects in quadrant #4. This self reflection might include thaought such as, "Do I still feel the same as I did in quadrant #1?" "Did I learn anything new?" "What lingering questions do I have?"
   
   Materials needed: Each student needs a paper folded into fourths.
   
   
7. Mini Fluence lessons
   Purpose: Mini lessons that will help with fluency.
   
   Procedures:
   
   • When you read, make it sound like talking.
   • Partner the children at a guided reading level. Both children have a copy of the text. The assignment is to have each child read silently one page at a time. At the bottom of each page, they write a question they have learned from the reading. After both partners have written a question and made eye contact, they discuss the question.
   • When you read, make it sound like talking.
   • Partner the children at a guided reading level. Both children have a copy of the text. The assignment is to have each child read silently one page at a time. At the bottom of each page, they write a question they have learned from the reading. After both partners have written a question and made eye contact, they discuss the question.
   
   Materials needed: Each student needs a paper folded into fourths.

Classroom Activitives: Grades 5-6

1. Facts Questions Responses (FQR)
   Purpose: This strategy helps readers reflect and glean important information and deepen understanding through questioning.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Read an informational text
   2. Write down any facts that you learned, questions you have, or responses on a sticky note
   3. Make a three column chart (labled Facts, Questions, Responses) and put the sticky notes into their columns
   4. Reflect on the questions. Were some of them answered in the text? In your head? or do you need to do some further research?
   
   Materials needed: Chart paper, sticky notes
   
   
2. Very Important Points (VIP)
   Purpose: The purpose of this strategy is to support readers in their efforts to navigate through the text reflection on key points or ideas, making connections, and clarifying understanding.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Provide each student with a sticky notes cut into stripes.
   2. As the children read have them mark the text to indicate very important points. These important points can consist of points of interest, confusion, or a place where the student remembered a connection.
   3. At the end of the reading have the students meet in pairs of a small group and discuss the VIP's they selected.
   4. For a higher level activity you can have them come to a consensus about the VIP's for a particular section.
   
   Materials needed: Sticky notes cut into stripes for each student.
   
   
3. Title: Read, Cover, Remember, & Retell
   Purpose: This strategy supports readers by stopping them frequently to THINK about the meaning.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Read only as much as your hand can cover.
   2. Cover the words with your hand.
   3. Remember what you have just read. It is okay to take another look.
   4. Retell what you just read inside your head or to a partner.
   
   Materials needed: Reading materials
   
   
4. Two Word Strategy
   Purpose: The two word strategy is used to help students synthesize information.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Have your students read a thought provoking section.
   2. After reading ask your students to be silent and then write only two words (not in a phrase) that reflect their thinking about the passage.
   3. After selection their words, students turn to someone close and read their words, telling why they chose them and explaining how they relate to the story and/or their personal lives.
   4. Create a class list of these words. As each word is added and the rationale for selection is shared, a richer understanding of the selection begins to surface.
   
   Materials needed: Books and chart paper or chalk board
   
   
5. Interactive Journals-Emergent Writers
   Purpose: Interactive journals provide a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on their reading, build on their understanding and share opinions and observations with other students.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Each student draws and writes about a story or learning experience using one half of the paper.
   2. Partners talk about their drawing, their writing, and their reflections.
   3. Partners trade papers.
   4. Using the second section on their partner's paper, each student draws and writes a response to their partner's work. This might take the form of adding information, voicing a shared thought about the story or something else.
   5. Partners meet in larger groups to talk about their shared drawing and writing.
   
   Materials needed: Piece of paper folded in half.
   
   
6. Interactive Journals--More Fluent Writers
   Purpose: Interactive journals provide a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on their reading, build on their understanding and share opinions and observations with other students.
   
   Procedures:
   
   1. Students gather in teams of three. Each team member has his or her own paper and pencil. They need to know that there will be an audience for their writing as other members of their group will read and respond to what they write.
   2. All students begin writing and reflecting in quadrant #1. Their writing might be stimulated with questions such as, "What is the most important thought to remember about the Civil War?" "What personal connections were there for you?"
   3. At a predetermined signal, have the students pass their papers within their group of three. They now are holding someone else's paper. The task is to read what is sritten in quadrant #1 and then respond in quadrant #2 with additional thought, reflections, or shared feelings.
   4. The students pass their papers one more time. This time they read #1 and #2, then respond in #3.
   5. All papers return to their original owners. The owner of the paper reads all responses and then reflects in quadrant #4. This self reflection might include thaought such as, "Do I still feel the same as I did in quadrant #1?" "Did I learn anything new?" "What lingering questions do I have?"
   
   Materials needed: Each student needs a paper folded into fourths.
   
   
7. Mini Fluence lessons
   Purpose: Mini lessons that will help with fluency.
   
   Procedures:
   
   • When you read, make it sound like talking.
   • Partner the children at a guided reading level. Both children have a copy of the text. The assignment is to have each child read silently one page at a time. At the bottom of each page, they write a question they have learned from the reading. After both partners have written a question and made eye contact, they discuss the question.
   • When you read, make it sound like talking.
   • Partner the children at a guided reading level. Both children have a copy of the text. The assignment is to have each child read silently one page at a time. At the bottom of each page, they write a question they have learned from the reading. After both partners have written a question and made eye contact, they discuss the question.
   
   Materials needed: Each student needs a paper folded into fourths.

Resources

Guided Reading Lesson Plans from the Sunshine Online's Literacy Hour. This site provides lesson plans, activities, and resources to support teachers in developing literacy skills.