Guided Reading - mysavvastraining.com · 11/5/2018 · Guided Reading Introduction Guided reading is an instructional teaching approach for small groups of students (four to eight

ElementaryVersion 5

Guided Reading

R e a d i n g M o n o g r a p h S e r i e s

ISBN # 1-931954-10-0

America’s Choice ®, is a subsidiary of The National Center on Education and the Economy®, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization and a leader in standards-based reform. In the late 1990s, NCEE launched the America’s Choice School Design, a comprehensive, standards-based, school-improvement program that serves students through partnerships with states, school districts, and schools nationwide. In addition to the school design, America’s Choice provides instructional systems in literacy, mathematics, and school leadership. Consulting services are available to help school leaders build strategies for raising student performance on a large scale.

© 2007 by America’s Choice

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America’s Choice and the America’s Choice logo are registered trademarks of America’s Choice. National Center on Education and the Economy and the NCEE logo are registered trademarks of The National Center on Education and the Economy. First printing 2002 ISBN 1-931-95400-3 6 7 8 9 10 10 09 08 07 www.americaschoice.org [email protected]

Guided Reading

R e a d i n g M o n o g r a p h S e r i e s

Introduction 1Overview of a Guided- Reading Session 3When Are Students Ready for Guided Reading? 4 Literacy Behaviors

Learning and Teaching Opportunities in Guided Reading 6Learning OpportunitiesTeaching Opportunities

Planning for Guided Reading 7Introducing Guided Reading

Lesson: Preparing for Guided ReadingEvaluation for Guided-Reading Grouping and Instruction

Developmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Emergent ReadersCharacteristics of Emergent TextDevelopmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Beginning ReadersCharacteristics of Beginning TextDevelopmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Transitional ReadersCharacteristics of Early Transitional TextCharacteristics of Transitional TextDevelopmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Fluent ReadersCharacteristics of Fluent Text

Monitoring and EvaluatingRunning RecordsObservational ChecklistsAnecdotal Records

Grouping StudentsManaging Groups and the Class

Guided Reading

Table of Contents

Selecting Texts for Guided-Reading SessionsWhere Guided Reading Happens: Spatial ConsiderationsWhat You Will Need for Guided Reading

The Guided- Reading Session 29Introducing the TextReading the TextRe-reading the TextResponding to the Text

Sample Guided- Reading Lessons 31A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Emergent ReadersA Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Beginning ReadersA Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Transitional ReadersA Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Fluent ReadersA Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Extending Fluent Readers

After Guided- Reading Sessions 42Re-readingTaking Notes/Keeping RecordsSurvey the RoomPost–Guided-Reading Options

A Final Note 44Appendix A 45Emergent and Beginning ReadersEarly Transitional and Transitional ReadersFluent Readers

References 47

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The ultimate goal in guided reading is to help children learn how to use independent reading strategies successfully (Fountas and Pinnell 1996, 2).

Guided ReadingIntroductionGuided reading is an instructional teaching approach for small groups of students (four to eight per group) with similar learning needs or in similar developmental stages of reading. Guided-reading group work is facilitated by you during the work session of the Readers Workshop and allows you to focus on the teaching of specific strategies of the reading process appropriate to students’

reading development. You help the students read, think and talk their way through text at their instructional level (90 to 94 percent accuracy — determined by running records).

The purpose of guided reading is to enable students to acquire, use and develop strategies for reading that they can apply to all reading situations, with the end goal being high levels of fluency and comprehension for all students. It gives you, as the teacher,

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a chance to help students “predict their way through the text, then check, confirm and, if necessary, correct those predictions themselves” (Depree and Iversen �994, 39). Students work through the text — asking questions, answering questions, making and checking predictions — with you as the guide so that they can successfully apply what they have learned when they read independently. With these strategies available, students should be able to understand texts and actively engage in thinking and talking about texts at home and at school.

In the early stages of reading development, students in guided-reading sessions read a text with you and then read it again and again to increase their overall fluency. Mooney writes that a friend once compared learning to read with learning to fly a plane: guided reading, then, is “flying

solo under supervision” (�994, 3). She describes guided reading this way:

In guided reading, each child is

responsible for gaining and maintaining

meaning, controlling the choice of

strategies and the ways and degree to

which accuracy is achieved. The teacher

observes and anticipates, offering

prompts, questioning strategies or

suggesting alternatives only when it is

obvious that the reader is in danger of

losing meaning, becoming too frustrated,

or likely to meet failure (Mooney 1994, 3).

In a guided-reading session, you are right there as the students are reading; in case something goes awry, you can assess and remedy the situation and get the students back on track.

Another advantage to working with small groups is that you are able to tailor each session to meet the needs of the individuals in each group. Guided-reading groups allow students to make progress at their own rate and to be part of the guided-reading groups that will help them the most.

The actual length of the session varies as do the days per week that you meet with a group and the length of time the group stays together. Guided-reading sessions can last �0–�0 minutes. The length of the session will depend on the group you are working with, the strategy you will be targeting and the text you are using. Most groups will meet at least twice a week. However, meeting twice a

The purpose of guided reading

is to enable students to acquire,

use, and develop strategies for

reading that they can apply to

all reading situations.

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week will also depend on the group, the strategy and the text. If you take more time per session, you will meet with the groups less frequently. You may find that students in a particular group, younger students perhaps, might need less time per session, and you should schedule more meetings. Students who are more at risk as readers will typically need shorter but more frequent sessions. Fluent readers, on the other hand, will often gain the most benefit from longer sessions that allow them to practice higher order thinking and comprehension.

You will be able to determine which groups need longer or shorter sessions and how often you will need to meet with them throughout the school year and as you get to know them as readers. Generally speaking, no matter the length of the session, students work with just one text which they all read individually and together.

Aside from deciding how long and how frequently to meet as you learn about your students, you may also find that you will need to move students between groups fairly regularly as some students will learn and adopt new strategies more quickly and need to be challenged more consistently.

Overview of a Guided-Reading SessionA guided-reading session is composed of various parts. The instructional focus of each guided-reading session changes to meet the needs of a particular group (see the sample guided-reading lessons later in this monograph).

A typical guided-reading session consists of the following:

● Introducing the text

● Reading the text

● Re-reading the text

● Responding to the text

There are also several parts to what happens after a guided-reading session. For instance:

● Students re-read the text

● You take notes/keep records

● You survey the room

● You start another guided-reading session and confer with a student individually or with small groups

Later in this monograph, each of these parts of the guided-reading session will be discussed in detail.

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When Are Students Ready for Guided Reading?As a general rule, guided reading should become part of your Readers Workshop as soon as students show enthusiasm for independent reading (typically, this can happen in the middle of the kindergarten year). However, when you are teaching emergent readers or very young students this may vary. Most literature on guided reading includes lists of behaviors to watch for to determine whether your kindergarten students are ready for guided reading. All lists come with the caveat that no student will exhibit all of the behaviors all of the time — instead a list of behaviors to watch for can be used over a period of time to assess student behavior in a variety of literacy situations. Having more than one list compiled by the experts in the field can only enhance your ability to evaluate when you should begin to introduce and actually start guided reading in your classroom. The following two lists identify literacy behaviors that signal guided-reading readiness for kindergarten students. These lists may also prove to be useful for observing older students’ reading behaviors and for helping you determine factors that could be hindering an older student’s reading development.

Literacy BehaviorsIn kindergarten, it is common to begin guided reading in the spring term as most students will be ready at that time. All kindergarten students will participate in small-group reading sessions even though some will be talking about a story from the illustrations, retelling a story in their own words or reading wordless books as they learn conventional reading behaviors (see the sample guided-reading lesson for emergent readers).

List 1When young students are approaching the developmental point they need to be at for guided reading, you may notice them “displaying the following behaviours [sic]:”

● Retelling simple stories in sequence.

● Viewing books from cover to cover and distinguishing between text and illustration.

● Predicting incidents or language structures spontaneously.

● Matching written and spoken word in short texts with some accuracy.

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● Making eye and hand movements when reading and writing, showing some understanding of directionality.

● Noticing environmental print and making some links.

● Noticing similar or the same words in different contexts.

● Noticing patterns in a range of contexts.

● Displaying some understanding of letter-sound relationships in their writing.

● Showing awareness of rhyme and rhythm.

(Mooney �994, 9-�0)

List 2If you are unsure when to begin introducing guided reading to your students, your answers to the following questions should help you decide if they are ready. Are your students able to:

● Appreciate rhyme and alliteration?

● Identify some letters and corresponding sounds?

● Listen carefully to stories and make appropriate responses?

● Make predictions from book illustrations?

● Recognize [sic] one or two words in many different contexts, e.g., from around the room, in a shared book, on a poem card or song chart, and in their own writing?

● Show that he or she knows some early concepts about print, e.g., that print tells a story, that print has directionality, that a book is held a certain way up?

● Show an interest in wanting to read, e.g., often reads in the Library Corner, Big Books, poem cards, charts, and their own stories?

● Spontaneously self-correct errors made when reading shared books, language experience stories and their own writing?

(Depree and Iversen �994, �7)

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Learning and Teaching Opportunities in Guided Reading Guided reading is an important component in a school’s literacy program; its benefits are numerous. It provides much-needed small group work, with your direction, so that students can learn ways of approaching texts with other students who are at similar developmental reading stages or who have similar learning needs. Guided reading is particularly important to developing the skills and practicing the strategies necessary for comprehension and fluency.

Learning OpportunitiesDuring guided reading, students:

● Learn to problem-solve as they read for meaning — discussing strategies and purpose in reading or the “how” and “why” of reading

● Gain understanding of and practice in applying a variety of reading strategies

● Will be encouraged to use a variety of reading strategies on non-guided-reading texts

● Will generally focus on a single text per session but from session to session the text will vary and be drawn from a wide variety of genres

● Will work with a text that is at the student’s instructional level or contain material that illustrates a particular strategy that students need to learn and develop

● Have continuous and sole access to a copy of a text allowing them to read (and re-read) at their own pace

● Work together with others and learn from each other as they exchange ideas and explore reactions to the text

(Adapted from Mooney �994, 8; Fountas and Pinnell �99�, ��)

Teaching Opportunities

Guided reading as small group instruction provides many opportunities to directly teach students.

● Guided reading allows you to introduce appropriate texts and assist students in reading those texts in ways that help develop meaning through independent-reading strategies.

● Guided reading allows you to observe how students implement strategies, how they gain, maintain, or regain meaning.

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● Guided reading gives you the chance to observe individual student’s reading behaviors as they progress through and process texts.

● Guided reading creates a situation in which you are available to a small group of students to guide text selection, demonstrate reading strategies and explain the reading process in detail to meet individual needs — the next best approach to a one-to-one learning situation.

● Guided reading enables you to take advantage of those moments — often called teachable moments — when you may be selective in the guidance and support you provide to help students meet new challenges.

● Guided reading allows you to monitor fluency when students read texts with feeling toward the end of the session.

● Guided reading gives you the opportunity to model and encourage Accountable TalkSM.

(Adapted from Mooney �994, 7-8; and Fountas and Pinnell �99�, 4).

Planning for Guided ReadingIntroducing Guided ReadingIntroducing guided reading to students who have never participated in such an experience is vital. By making sure they know what to expect, you will establish productive and predictable routines, and with careful planning, your introduction will spark their imaginations and excite their interest. See the sample lesson, “Preparing for Guided Reading” as a model of how you might begin to establish the rituals and routines of guided reading.

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Lesson: Preparing for Guided Reading(Grades K–5)

Resource Materials Chart tablet (or overhead transparency) Markers

GoalFor students to know what reading behaviors are expected in guided-reading lessons during Readers Workshop work session.

PurposeTo help students understand the kinds of experiences and expectations they will encounter during guided-reading sessions.

Note: Generally, this lesson should be used in the spring term of the year for kindergarten students. An approximate time for giving this lesson would be January through March to enable kindergarten students to read Level B books by June.1

Procedures

• Gather students in the whole group meeting area, preferably so they can see the space you have set aside for guided reading.

• Start this lesson by explaining that all the students will be participating in guided-reading during the work session of Readers Workshop.

• Show students the guided-reading space.

• Tell them that they will be meeting in this space in groups of four to eight.

� Level B books are very easy for emerging readers to read. These books often focus on a single idea or simple story line that children can relate to their experience. The text and the pictures directly correspond. The language, while not exactly duplicating oral language, includes natural syntactic structures.

The format of Level B books is consistent, with text that is clearly separated from pictures appearing at the same place on every page. Most books have one to four lines of text (one or two sentences) for each page or illustration, with a full range of punctuation. The text is regular, clear and easy to see, with ample space between the words so that children can point and read. Several high-frequency words are repeated often throughout the text (New Standards �999, “Reading & Writing,” �8).

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Lesson: Preparing for Guided Reading (continued)

• Let them know that guided-reading sessions may last from 10 minutes up to 20 minutes — you may have two per work session or choose to have only one and use the additional time in the work session for conferences.

• Tell them approximately how many guided-reading groups you might see per week — the total will depend on what you need to teach which is based on your assessment of individuals and on the subsequent groups you put together.

• Also make sure they know the groups will change throughout the year.

• Tell students that while guided-reading groups are meeting, the rest of the class will be working independently or in partnerships, but that they will all need to be respectful of the guided-reading group work by working quietly.

• Demonstrate for students how a group will be sitting in the guided-reading space.

• Show them the supplies you will use for the guided-reading sessions (See the Materials for Guided Reading chart in the What You Will Need for Guided Reading section of this monograph) — say how each resource is employed and why many guided-reading resources are stored separately from other supplies and resources in the classroom.

• Describe a guided-reading session.

- As the teacher, you will introduce a book.

- You may ask them to pay close attention to words or pictures in the book before reading begins (if this is an appropriate strategy for your students).

- You may ask for predictions and record these on chart paper, knowing that later these comments will be used for enlightening discussion.

- The students will each read the text up to the point you designate.

- They will read silently or in a whisper voice until you signal to each one that you would like to hear them read aloud — you may do this by lightly touching their shoulder or text.

- After the group finishes reading to the designated point, you will facilitate a discussion about the book and specific reading strategies they used. (Higher level questioning is important at this point in a guided-reading lesson to stimulate critical thinking as a strategy.)

- At the end of the guided-reading session, the students may re-read the text together chorally, and then again for fluency, using inflection and attending to punctuation and other textual cues.

- When the guided-reading session is over, tell them that they will then work independently or with partners — they may re-read their guided-reading text (in fact, they will be encouraged to do so).

• Be sure to tell students that guided reading is an excellent way to increase their reading skill and vocabulary because it means they get lots of special attention and help from you.

• Let them know that you also value this time to get to know them as individual readers and that you are interested in their thoughts and ideas.

• Inform students when you plan to start guided-reading sessions. Share the organizational details you will put in place to establish this part of Readers Workshop.

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Evaluation for Guided-Reading Grouping and InstructionBesides preparing your students for guided reading, you will need reliable tools for evaluating and understanding your students’ developmental reading stages by monitoring the reading strategies they employ before you begin a guided-reading program.

Understanding the stages of reading development serves several purposes: you will be better prepared to select texts appropriate to students’ abilities and learning needs; you will be able to determine when and how to group students based on ability; and you will have the means to determine appropriate instructional approaches for the guided-reading sessions.

The following lists describe the key indicators of the developmental stages of reading and the characteristics of texts appropriate to each reading ability level from emergent to fluent.

In general, from �nd grade on, it is plausible that you might have students whose reading levels span the entire range from emergent to fluent, particularly if you have a mix of English language learners and native English speaking students. Knowing at what developmental stage a student is functioning and what characterizes an appropriate text will help you directly and explicitly meet the reading and instructional needs of each student in your classroom.

Lesson: Preparing for Guided Reading (continued)

Possible Extensions:

• It would be helpful to demonstrate a guided-reading session as a whole-class lesson, before you start the official sessions. Select four students for this demonstration. Practice before presenting the session to the class as a lesson.

• Review and reinforce the above guided-reading session description with each group at the beginning of their first guided-reading session and review the demonstration lesson.

• In a follow-up lesson, create a chart for the appropriate behaviors for guided-reading sessions and for the rest of the class while a guided-reading session is happening. Groups can add to the chart after they have had their first guided-reading lessons as additional behaviors are discovered.

• In the future, you may choose to include taking running records in a guided-reading session; however, many teachers prefer to accomplish this task during conferences.

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Developmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Emergent Readers

What Emergent Readers Do:

● Explore how text works

● Learn how a text or story is ordered and which way print proceeds

● Develop an understanding that thoughts can be represented by print

● Understand that print conveys messages

● Understand and use concepts of print, such as: illustration, letters, words, and sentences

● Develop concepts of letters/sounds.

● Exhibit reading-like behaviors as they reconstruct text from memory

● Dictate text that they can recall and re-read to others

● Retell stories

● Discuss texts relating to what they know about the world and their own experiences both in fictional and nonfictional texts

● Recognize and react to print in their environment

Characteristics of Emergent Text

What Characterizes Text for Emergent

Reading:

● Consistent placement of text

● Repetition of captions or sentence patterns (one to two word changes)

● Themes familiar to students

● Illustrations that provide strong support

● Opportunities for readers to begin to use visual information to check and monitor reading

● Heavy reliance on high-frequency words

● Few words on the page

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Developmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Beginning Readers

What Beginning Readers Do:

● Learn that text is a consistent way of telling a story or relating information

● Use pictures/illustrations to help them construct meaning from text

● Begin to match printed word with spoken word

● Begin to take risks when reading simple text

● Use their knowledge of letters and sounds to predict or confirm words

● Relate their knowledge of letter sounds to beginnings and endings of words to problem-solve words in continuous text

● Begin to monitor and cross-check

● Use patterns of language to predict words or phrases

● Draw on prior knowledge and life experiences to predict and confirm meaning

● Sub-vocalize when reading silently

Characteristics of Beginning Text

What Characterizes Text for Beginning

Reading:

● Varied simple sentence patterns

● More than one line of text per page or longer sentences

● A blend of oral and written language patterns with repetition

● Illustrations that provide strong support

● Opportunities to visually analyze some new and/or unusual words

● Words requiring greater visual attention

● Increasing range of high-frequency words, extended vocabulary

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Characteristics of Early Transitional Text

What Characterizes Text for Early

Transitional Reading:

● Varied sentence patterns

● Full range of punctuation

● Written language structures (syntactical patterns, grammar, overall text structure)

● Complete story

● Literary language (language that does not sound like everyday speech)

● Illustrations that provide low level of support

● Opportunities to extend a reader’s understanding of words and their relationships

● More problem-solving and word-analysis opportunities, slightly less familiar concepts

Characteristics of Transitional Text

What Characterizes Text for Transitional

Reading:

● Varied sentence patterns

● Written language structures

● Complete story that develops with episodic structures

● Literary language becoming more sophisticated

● Illustrations that provide low level of support

● Opportunities to extend a reader’s understanding of words and their relationships

● Specialized vocabulary for some topics

Developmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Transitional Readers

What Transitional Readers Do:

● Integrate all information sources (meaning, structure and visual) consistently to construct meaning on continuous text

● Focus heavily on printed text, relying less on illustrations to construct meaning

● Monitor and self-correct more frequently

● Self-select appropriate text for their independent reading level

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Developmental Stages of Reading: Key Indicators for Fluent Readers

What Fluent Readers Do:

● See reading as purposeful and automatic

● Read across a range of genres and for a number of purposes (for enjoyment, information, etc.)

● Read chapter books and series for prolonged length of time

● Extend their knowledge and use of strategies automatically to predict and maintain meaning, such as: self-correcting, re-reading, reading on, slowing down, and sub-vocalizing

● Hold the meaning of text in mind while successfully problem-solving new words

● Make links between what they know and what is new information

● Access the organizational structures of texts (paragraphs, table of contents, glossary, index, subject specific language, poetry) to construct meaning

● Use word identification appropriately and automatically, such as: grapho-phonic knowledge, word pattern knowledge, syllabification, word derivations, and prefixes and suffixes

● Distinguish among reading different types of text structures (fiction, nonfiction and poetry).

● Identify the main topic of a story and supply some supporting information

● Accurately retell a story adding detail about characters

● Read aloud fluently with expression and intonation

● Use a variety of strategies to independently identify unknown words

● Reflect on own word identification strategies such as: “I saw a smaller word in it”

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Monitoring and EvaluatingStrategies for monitoring and evaluating, such as the ones described in the following sections, allow you to record in “a standard or repeatable way” students’ successful and unsuccessful attempts to read (Clay �993, �0). Being able to keep records that are consistent is essential in understanding your students’ reading behaviors and strategies and allows you to draw appropriate conclusions regarding the specific instruction they will need to improve. Once you understand your students’ needs and developmental levels, you will be able to group them in an informed way for guided reading.

Running records, observation and anecdotal records are three ways you can monitor and evaluate reading progress in your classroom (for all grade levels). It is the gathering of data that assists your teaching and helps you develop appropriate direct and explicit instruction to foster student growth in independent reading.

Characteristics of Fluent Text

What Characterizes Text for

Fluent Reading:

● Elaborate episodes and events

● Extended descriptions and development of characters

● Longer stories for sustained reading and interest

● Variety of texts — nonfiction, plays, folktales

● Links to familiar stories

● Literary language and greater sophistication of language patterns

● Illustrations that provide minimal support

● Vocabulary more challenging and appropriate to genre

● Text structure that allows for prediction, analysis and critique

● Unusual and challenging vocabulary that provide opportunities for new learning

● Opportunities to discuss varying points of view and new ideas

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Running RecordsRunning records are, according to Marie Clay, the most “pivotal” type of records for tracking progress because they may be used for any reader at any time, they may be repeated or interpreted by anyone who knows the nature and symbols of running-record keeping, and they do not require a specific form (a standard running-record sheet may be used, but is not absolutely necessary) (�993, ��). All that is required for a basic running record is a sheet of paper, a pen or pencil, knowledge of the symbols and conventions of running-record keeping, and a text for the student to read.

Running records may be used in very simple or complex ways. Many

teachers are intimidated by the more advanced uses for this method, but simpler methods will suffice. Your skill at observation and your understanding of the record-keeping process will improve incrementally as you use the technique. Consider choosing a student you believe exhibits average reading skills and is making average reading progress with whom to conduct a trial run. An average student is ideal because he or she will have a balance of successes and errors and will be capable of self-correction, but will not always self-correct. With this student, begin with a relatively short text, perhaps about �00 words, and focus on becoming familiar with the symbols of running-record keeping (see the Selected Running Record

Symbol Stands for √ Word read correctly

Attempt Substitution Text

SC Word self-corrected

— When above the word on a running-record, the dash signals an omission; when below a word on a running-record, the dash signals that the word above is an insertion.

T Student is told the word by the teacher

A or SA Appeal for help from the student

TTA Try that again

R Repeated word

√√√R Repeated phrase

L R Reading directionally left to right

L R Reading directionally right to left

B T Reading directionally bottom to top

/ // // # Pauses (of increasing length) - pauses are rarely necessary to record

(Symbol sources: Clay 1993, 27-28: Fountas and Pinnell 1996, 91)

Selected Running Record Symbols

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student self-corrects a mistake, use the abbreviation SC; for repetition, use R. You will also want to note whether a student asks for assistance to correct an error; use A or SA to mean the student asked for help. There are many possible notations you might use to record students’ reading behaviors. However, basing your shorthand on what others have already created will save you time and make your records easily understood by other education professionals. You will also want to try to interpret the source of students’ errors and self-corrections. In other words, does the student use meaning, structure or visual (including grapho-phonic) information cues to read (commonly known as MSV or the three cues system) (Clay �993, 3�)?�

In the sample running record,

Symbols chart below).

Ultimately, taking good records requires a commitment and training — stay with it until you are able to record all reading behaviors, responses and interactions. According to Clay, once you are ready to collect records on more students, you may maintain a manageable load by staggering your recording (�993, ��). A good time for taking a running record is in the reading conference (see the Reading Conferences monograph). Of course, after you have become comfortable with taking running records, you can devise a more frequent schedule for students, including taking running records while students read in a guided-reading session.

What should you observe when taking running records? You will want to place a check on your paper for each word a student reads correctly (when using blank paper). For errors, you will write what the student said, underline it and then write the correct word from the text right under it — this will help you remember the vocabulary that challenged the student when you analyze the record. When a student tries to sound out a word record each verbalization, underline the responses and write the word from the text underneath. When a

� To learn all of the conventions of running-record keeping, you should consult Clay’s An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement, �993.

Sample Running Record for Emergent/Beginning Readers

Text Record

Do you see the penguins? √√ s- see √ pencils see penguins

Do you see the whales? √√√√√

Do you see an iceberg? √√√ a- an ick- ice-cream an iceberg

Do you see a bear? √√√√ b- b- bay- bear bear

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you will see that the student correctly reads three words in the first line. The student sounded out “see” correctly. However, the student said “pencils” for “penguins.” Had the student self-corrected, the teacher would have placed a “SC” next to “pencils.” On the second line, the student read each word correctly. The third line shows that the student read the first three words correctly, then sounded out “an.” The student read “ice cream” for “iceberg.” Perhaps this is wishful thinking on the part of the student, or the student may have missed an illustration to help with self-correction. We do not know in this brief example without being able to observe the student firsthand, but it is always good to ask these kinds of questions and then note the answers to the questions on the running records. On the fourth line, the student read all the words correctly, sounding out “bear.”

You may decide that keeping a running record on a photocopy of the text the student reads from will be easier for you as a starting point. All you need to do is copy the pages of the text from which you will ask the student to read. Then when you take the running record, write directly on the copy. This accomplishes two things: you have your running record, and you have the whole text to refer to in future conferences with the student, parents or administrators.

Once you have determined reading accuracy from running records, the following table should be used to help you match students with texts for independent reading and clearly indicate the instructional approaches needed to help students increase reading comprehension.

There are two useful measures one can calculate after having completed a running record. Error rate is the ratio

Easy

Just-Right

Instructional

Challenging

99–�00

9�–98

90–94

89 and less

Good for practicing fluency but should not be used as the only texts for independent reading

Just-right for everyday independent reading

Good for guided reading and partner reading

Good for shared reading and read-alouds; higher accuracy (8�–89%) good for partner reading

Type of Text Students’ Reading Accuracy (%)

Instructional Use

Matching Reading Accuracy with Instructional Approaches

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Conversion Table

Error Rate Percent Accuracy 1 : 200 99.5 Good opportunities for teachers to observe

1 : 100 99 children’s reading work.

1 : 50 98

1 : 35 97

1 : 25 96

1 : 20 95

1 : 17 94

1 : 14 93

1 : 13 92

1 : 11 91

1 : 10 90

1 : 9 89 The reader tends to lose the support of the

1 : 8 88 meaning of the text

1 : 7 86

1 : 6 83

1 : 5 80

1 : 4 75

1 : 3 66

1 : 2 50

(Adapted from Clay 1993, 39)

of errors to the total number of words. Accuracy is the percentage of total words that were read correctly or were self-corrected.

For example, in the sample running record there were �0 words total; the student made two mistakes while reading. This is an error rate of �:�0 or �:�0 which means the student read this particular text with 90 percent accuracy — an “instructional” text — appropriate for guided reading.

For older students and fluent readers, a passage of �00 or �00 words would be appropriate for you to analyze.

Following this, you will be able to group students for guided reading based on two factors:

● Student accuracy rates determined through running records

● An analysis of the types of errors students make

Group students based on comparable levels of accuracy and shared

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at which students do the majority of their independent reading.

Observational Checklists

Observational checklists provide a middle ground between the casual nature of anecdotal records and the more systematic running records. Checklists are defined as tables that list desired reading behaviors in the left-hand column with students’ names in the columns that follow. Check marks may be made in each student’s column next to the corresponding behavior when a desired reading behavior is achieved. Until a behavior is consistently observed, instruction should focus on helping students continue to practice the strategies they most need to employ to improve their reading comprehension.

You should develop checklists that track goals specific to your class. In other words, if you are focusing on directionality with emergent readers in your class, you will want to have a row that shows students’ behaviors in this area (following along with a finger as they read, returning to the left with each new line). If your class is working on making text-to-text

instructional needs. Most importantly, once you start keeping these records regularly, you will begin to see students’ improvement and progress more clearly. This will enable you to articulate exactly what types of progress they have made. You will want to collect records on each student in the class regularly throughout the year. Evaluating improvement is extremely valuable in terms of creating a better curriculum, providing accountability, responding to learning problems in a timely fashion, and maintaining student and teacher satisfaction.

Once you have grown accustomed taking running records, you will need to have texts available to use for this assessment. All texts may be used; however, it is recommended that you keep records of your students reading texts from at least these levels: easy (9�–�00 percent accuracy), instructional (90–94 percent accuracy) and challenging (89 percent and below accuracy) (Clay �993, �3). Within the first category of accuracy, there can be a further distinction: a “just-right” level would be 9�–98 percent accuracy — the level on which students should be doing independent reading on a daily basis. A higher accuracy rating, 99–�00 percent, an “easy” level, does not compel students to grow as readers and should not be the level

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behavior. You can record a moment of obvious frustration as a student spends time reading independently. You can record a spark of excitement as a student previously uninterested in reading finds a book that looks interesting. Or you can record a repeated oral reading error noticed when a student is reading aloud in a guided-reading session or with a partner.

What is lost with anecdotal records is the consistency and accuracy of the running record and the relative completeness of the checklist. Each teacher has a tendency to notice things that seem important to him or her or things that tap his or her strengths. Therefore, it is important to remember that running records may bring things to your attention that you do not usually notice but that may

connections, a line on your checklist for that would also be appropriate and necessary.

Checklists offer the benefit of speed and they allow you to follow up on lessons with direct instruction that addresses the reading goals you want students to achieve. In this way, you will remember to observe behaviors in all important areas. However, checklists should always be accompanied by another type of assessment (such as running records) as they are limited in what is recorded. Checking off a behavior one day does not mean that there is no longer a need for further instruction on that particular strategy. Checklists always need some form of action as a follow-up, such as reviewing and reinforcing strategies which are central to successful reading instruction in Readers Workshop.

Anecdotal Records

Anecdotal records are much more informal and less systematic than running records and checklists. They usually consist of narrative accounts and notes based on observations and do not follow any set structure. It is best to keep anecdotal records in the conference logs so you can access them quickly and refer to them when talking with students.

The benefit of anecdotal records is that you can add to them at any point in of the day upon noticing a relevant

Sample Observational Checklist for Beginning Readers

Behaviors Zeb Shaundra Kate

Follows text left to right

Returns to the left with each new line

Uses pictures to determine word meaning

Notices similarities between known and new words

Re-reads to self-correct

Occasionally uses inflection to indicate punctuation when reading

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prove critical to a student’s reading development and success. Anecdotal records become more valuable as your knowledge and experience evaluating student reading increases. Still, no single observational method can offer a complete picture. Using anecdotal records with running records and observational checklists will offer you a much broader picture of your students as readers than you could obtain with just one method.

Grouping StudentsOnce you have evaluated students’ reading levels and needs you will be prepared to group them appropriately.

Grouping for guided reading includes creating groups of “students who are at a similar stage of development or who need to acquire similar strategies for reading success. Groups can also be based on students’ interests and experiences” (Crévola and Vineis �00�, A40). By grouping students for guided reading in a variety of ways you can maximize the impact of this powerful teaching approach.

Managing Groups and the ClassWith grouping complete and the concept of guided reading with all of its rituals and routines introduced, you can begin to bring order to the guided-reading experience for your class. You will need a strong management system to help you track which students are in which groups and how long they have been in each group. You will also need to have clear structures established for the students not participating in guided-reading groups at any given time.

To periodically track changing guided-reading groups, some teachers use a bulletin board, writing students’ names on note cards. Each time a group changes, you write another note card. On the backs of the cards, you can write when the group has met and what was done during the guided-reading session. You may or may not wish to list the strategies each group will focus on — how you approach

Grouping for guided reading

includes creating groups of

“students who are at a similar

stage of development or who need

to acquire similar strategies for

reading success. Groups can also

be based on students’ interests

and experiences” (Crévola and

Vineis 2001, A40).

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this will depend on what works for you and what helps your students. You may also choose to use sticky-notes on poster board, rearranging as needed. Using Velcro™ to affix pieces to your management system/board is a method used by many teachers. Another approach is to use a task management board that indicates not only which guided-reading group students are in on a given day, but also what other literacy activities they will rotate through.

No matter what your approach to management, you will need to make sure that all groups stay dynamic, that students move around to meet their changing needs. If groups become static, you will effectively be tracking them, placing them at permanent-seeming levels. This is not productive for student learning. Grouping must be as dynamic as the complex student learning needs it attempts to serve. This is especially important for young students who change so rapidly.

Therefore, while guided reading is happening, other students will have to work independently or together with little immediate guidance from you. This means that you will have to establish rituals and routines (see the Rituals, Routines and Artifacts monograph for guidance regarding how to set up clear structures for student work). As stated above, you

may want to have a task management board to track the order and arrangement of literacy activities for students.

For instance, you may have six activities students will be involved in on a regular basis: independent reading, guided reading, partner reading, book discussion groups, writing in response to reading, and individual and small group-conferences. You will provide direct instruction for guided reading and reading conferences. Independent reading, partner reading, writing in response to reading, and book discussion groups, on the other hand, are opportunities for students to work relatively independently of you. There are many potential literacy activities you can incorporate in your classroom.

● Listening to books on tape to reinforce fluency and expose students to texts above their current just-right reading levels.

● Readers theatre for practicing and performing texts with other students.

● Reading the texts displayed in the room.

● Conducting scavenger hunts for words that demonstrate something the class is studying, such as finding a word that begins with each letter ‘a’ through ‘g’.

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● Using a pocket chart to match and organize text.

● Putting words together from a poetry or story pack in playful or imitative ways to reinforce a sense of language structure.

● Repeating activities done as a whole group with Big Books.

● Working with art supplies to extend the response to text.

● Writing all kinds of texts to use language, respond to reading and explore language potential.

(Ford and Opitz �00�, 7�4–��).

Once you have established where the resources are for each activity and how each activity should be conducted in lessons early in the year, students will know how to work independently on activities directly related to their literacy development. Their work should be understandable enough that

they very rarely have to interrupt the work of the small groups that is going on simultaneously.

Another critical component to ensure that all students are doing equally valuable work, even when you are not directing each move, is setting up methods for maintaining accountability (Ford and Opitz �00�, 7�3). For instance, students may record what they did in their partner reading sessions in their Reader’s Notebooks; they may mark on a chart that they have participated in a particular type of activity today or this week.

Selecting Texts for Guided-Reading SessionsOnce you have evaluated students, determined groups and figured out a rudimentary management system to begin with, you must select the appropriate texts which will illustrate the strategy you wish the group to learn and practice. If you do not

Materials for guided reading:

• Paper and pencils or markers

• Chalkboard, whiteboard or easel with chart paper

• Magnetic letters and a magnetic board (helpful)

• Reading folders with the conference logs (students bring)

• Clipboard with running-record forms (optional)

• Observational checklists

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kindergarten) through level R (late 4th grade, which in some cases might stretch into early �th grade).

Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3–6 includes a small list of leveled texts, J–Z. The bulk of this book centers around instructional approaches. However, the companion volume, Leveled Books for Readers, Grades 3–6 contains a list of more than �,000 leveled texts with detailed descriptions of each level. Any of these texts, depending on the grade level you teach, can help you build a leveled-text library that you, your students and your school can be proud of, one that will provide a necessary component to the task of helping students become lifelong readers.

currently have a leveled library, you might need to pool your resources with other teachers in your grade or the grades directly above and below yours to create a guided-reading resource library which you can all share.

The Independent Reading monograph suggests one way for you to evaluate the level of texts but it is also recommended in that monograph that you consult professional books by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. They have compiled extensive lists of leveled texts in books such as: Matching Books to Readers K–3; Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children; Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3–6; and Leveled Books for Readers, Grades 3–6: A Companion Volume to Guiding Readers and Writers.

In Matching Books to Readers the authors explain the significance of leveled collections and provide important information about how to use their �47-page list of leveled books. As well as the list, they give you a description of what each level means, level A (for the earliest readers) through level P (for more fluent readers). They also offer tips on how to transform their list into your own list over time.

In Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children, they include another list that can help you continue to build a leveled library. This list includes books on level A (for early

Leveled texts are a necessary

element of the guided-reading

process — you must be able to

directly match texts to students’

developmental stages of reading

so that groups can be formed

that work to meet individual

student needs.

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Leveled texts are a necessary element of the guided-reading process — you must be able to directly match texts to students’ developmental stages of reading so that groups can be formed to meet individual student needs. You will need at least six to eight copies of each text to allow for varying group sizes and the occasional misplaced book. For younger readers, you will want to have Big Book versions of as many texts as possible to make Book Talks and picture walks easy for following along.

When you house the leveled-text library in your classroom, you will need to keep the guided-reading library separate but near the space you have allotted for guided reading (so you can maintain attention to the whole class) and separate from the other texts in your classroom.

There are several productive organizational strategies for such a library.

● Utilizing “freestanding units resembling library ‘stacks’” to allow easy access to large numbers of books.

● Putting book sets in pamphlet or magazine boxes with clear labels on the front of the boxes.

● Determining clear methods for labeling the books’ levels and other pertinent information. For example, put the title of the book on the box with the level in one of the corners, possibly including the first letter of the title in the opposite corner for easy alphabetizing.

● When books are quite small, putting more than one set of books in one magazine or pamphlet box and being sure to put all titles on the label.

(Fountas and Pinnell �99�, �3�–34)

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Where Guided Reading Happens: Spatial ConsiderationsIt is a good idea to set aside a special space for guided reading. It may be your large-group meeting area, or you can create this space so that it fits your particular room constraints and the needs of your students.

For instance, you may sit at a U-shaped or kidney-shaped table with students around you. A chair or stool on wheels will allow you to roll easily around the table to each student as needed. A U-shaped or kidney-shaped table also offers you the option of seeing all the readers clearly. Alternately, you may choose to sit on the floor, a small stool or chair or a special rug with students around you in a semicircle. You will want to make sure there is enough room for you to move around from student to student and for each student to read the chosen text comfortably.

You need to make sure that wherever you set up your guided-reading space, you have placed yourself in a position where you can easily scan the rest of the room so that you do not have to abandon your guided-reading group to assist any students in clear distress. As your class internalizes the concepts of Readers Workshop, its rituals and routines, and its foundation of independent work, you will find your immediate presence is less in demand.

What You Will Need for Guided ReadingThe space you define for guided reading will be partially affected by the resources you need to have in that space. You will need a shelf, storage box or table nearby to hold the guided-reading books for each session. As well, you may like to have some familiar or favorite books or other texts in this space for easy reference. There is a need to compile your materials for guided-reading sessions.

● You will need paper and pencils or markers to take anecdotal records.

● A chalkboard, whiteboard or easel with chart paper is a must as you will want to chart student predictions, list a strategy the students will employ while reading, or list “ooh-la-la” words in the text (words that are new and unusual or fun and which may be transferred to a word wall after the lesson).

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● Magnetic letters (for younger students and struggling older readers) and a magnetic board can be helpful. Use the letters and board to work with vocabulary words and ooh-la-la words. Break compound words into their word parts; divide prefixes and suffixes from their roots as you think about morphology.

● You will need to remind students to bring their reading folders with the conference logs to guided-reading sessions (a requirement that should be part of a prior lesson when preparing for guided reading), so a sign to help them remember would be a good addition to this space.

● If you are going to take running records during or immediately following guided-reading sessions, you will need a clipboard with running-record forms or whatever you use for running records.

● Observational checklists can be part of your supplies for this area, too.

While it is important to have all your record keeping sheets, copies of text, or whatever materials you use available, you should not feel pressure to do every or any form of record keeping during a guided-reading session — your major concern should be teaching, not record keeping. An observational checklist and a brief anecdotal record may be useful.

It would be beneficial for you to take a moment just after the session, while the students re-read, to jot down a few notes on individual accomplishments. In fact, note-taking/record-keeping should always be part of concluding your guided-reading routine as you will need to keep an account of what the group accomplished as individuals in order to plan for the next session or to use when regrouping students.

This guided-reading space is also where you will want to house your organizational materials or management system for keeping track of the guided-reading groups and sessions. Having the organizational chart (or whatever you use) in the guided-reading area also makes it easy for students to know what is going on and when their guided-reading group will be meeting with you.

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The Guided-Reading SessionIntroducing the TextThe introduction to the book scaffolds the reading for the student. Begin the book introduction by telling the students why you chose this book for them and make a connection to their previous reading or reading behaviors.

Then set the scene by eliciting background information from the students that is pertinent to the text selection. A summary of the theme and plot may be given or students may be able to predict possible ideas contained in the text from the title.

Once the scene is set, provide a copy of the text to each student and begin a conversation about the text. If the students are in the emergent or beginning stage of reading, talk the students through the pictures. Conduct a picture walk and pose questions that will both support and challenge the students. These questions relate to the teaching purpose of the guided-reading lesson.

You may ask, What is happening in the picture? What may happen next? How do you know? These questions will focus on meaning and prediction. You may ask, Where is the word. . . ? How do you know? How can you check? These questions would encourage students to integrate meaning, structure and the visual (grapho-phonic) information. Students in the fluent stage may be asked, “What is the problem?” “If you were the author how would you solve it?” These questions not only carry the story line but also help the reader get inside the heads of the characters and the author. In the introduction, use any vocabulary with which students may be unfamiliar or which might be difficult to infer from the pictures or context, as well as any unfamiliar language structures. This plants the language pattern or vocabulary in the reader’s mind and helps a reader to anticipate seeing the structure or word in the text. It is especially important when working with emergent readers to be careful in using the correct tenses of verbs in the text as you introduce it.

During the introduction, you can tell students the strategy you want them to try as they read. This is part of the conversation around the text.

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Reading the TextIn this stage of the guided-reading session, students independently read the text silently or in a whisper voice. As they do so, move close to each reader and listen as they read. Use this as an opportunity for short focused teaching if a reader encounters difficulty with the text. Keep interruptions to a minimum so as not to interfere with fluency.

Once the text has been read, allow time for the students to discuss the reading. This may be either teacher or student directed. Return to the original teaching focus of the guided-reading lesson to determine whether students were able to appropriately use the skill or strategy taught. Reteach if necessary. Use this time to assess the depth of students’ comprehension of the text and to determine what comprehension strategies the students applied as they were reading. Also use this time to develop fluency by having the students re-read the text or portions of the text with a focus on pace, phrasing and intonation.

Re-reading the TextAfter the students have read the text individually, you may choose to have them read it again to reinforce what you have just discussed, what they have learned or to practice new strategies. You may have them read the text again, this time chorally, to practice fluency. Pay attention to intonation, inflection and pacing. Reading the text more than once per guided-reading session is necessary to help students increase their understanding of reading strategies, improve their comprehension and practice fluency.

Responding to the TextSince comprehension cannot be demonstrated by simply reading a text, during and after the guided-reading session, students need to respond to reading by further engaging with the text. Students should ask and respond to questions, make connections, summarize, synthesize, and analyze the texts they read.

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Sample Guided-Reading LessonsThe following sample guided-reading lessons are dependent on the texts listed in each lesson. The address for the publisher and ISBN’s are listed in footnotes if you would like to buy these texts. If you do not have these texts, the lessons can serve as samples of how a session should look. You should create your own guided-reading instruction that is appropriate to meet the needs of a particular group. Using the lists of leveled texts from the Fountas and Pinnell books will help you choose appropriate texts. Running records and other records will help you match students to text levels. Knowing the texts you use for lessons inside and out will help you provide the appropriate examples students need to encounter to learn and practice reading strategies and meet reading challenges.

Guided-reading lessons are similar to other lessons in that the topic or strategy may need to be taught again (and built upon) as necessary for students to practice and internalize the concepts they need to become better readers. However, while the lessons might be repeated (and reinforced through repetition), the texts used should vary but remain at the appropriate level for a particular group of students. Guided-reading lessons provide a secure and supportive environment for practice, a practice that has to be constantly monitored to ensure student growth.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Emergent Readers

• Preparing for Guided Reading

The text selected for this lesson is The Hunter and the Animals by Tomie de Paola.3 This is a wordless picture book with very detailed illustrations, which are strong enough to convey the meaning of the story. Words are not needed; therefore, students begin to rely on the support of the picture clues in order to understand the essence of the story and to be able to retell the story using their own words.

• Select the Purpose

The focus of the lesson is to help students gain meaning by using the strategy of creating their own text from detailed pictures and then to retell the story using their own words. Learning outcomes include helping students to internalize the structure of story and chronological order: what happened first, next and so on in a sequencing of events.

• Introducing the Story

Discuss the title and front cover with the students. Ask an initial question to help students begin predicting, such as, “what do you think this story might be about?” This helps students establish a context and situation for the story. At this point all predictions are valid, based on the clues from the front cover. You might also want to ask about who the characters in the story might be and encourage students to name those characters. Also ask them to identify where they think the story might take place. Charting and naming the characters and the setting will begin to set the stage for the students to understand basic components of stories. “So far,” you can tell the students, “we have identified and named: 1) characters, 2) the setting, and made a prediction about 3) the situation the author may be establishing.” When this type of conversation happens on a daily/regular basis students begin to have certain expectations about the idea of story and its components.

• Providing Support

Pass out copies of the book, The Hunter and the Animals, guiding the students through each page, briefly stopping to let the students really look closely at each page until you complete the book. Then go back to the beginning of the book focusing on the first two to three pages. Encourage the group of students to tell what they are observing that is happening on those pages (specifically help the students to articulate what the characters are doing and what they might be saying).

• “Reading” the Text

Let each student individually tell what they are observing on the subsequent pages, stopping to recount what has happened so far. Getting students to say what has happened so far, what is happening now and what they think will happen next, supports their comprehension and helps them gain meaning from the book. Using strong visual images (picture clues) offers additional support to young readers. Pictures allow emergent readers to construct meaning and learn about chronology and narrative structures.

3 The Hunter and the Animals is published by Holiday House; the ISBN is 0-8�34-04�8-�.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Emergent Readers (continued)

• Returning to the Story

After the students have identified what is happening on each page and after the last page, ask the students to review with you from the beginning of the book to the end, retelling the entire story in their own words, page by page. You may need to guide some of their thinking, helping to fill in parts of the story with additional details as they go along by prompting them with questions, such as “what else do you see going on?”

• Ongoing Observations

Record your observations of each student’s ability to adequately tell in their own words observations of the details on each page as well as their ability to retell events in chronological order. Note other reading behaviors and make notes about future follow-up lessons.

• Future Guided Reading Sessions

Using wordless picture books is a good model for emergent readers providing support through the pictures long before they are actually able to read text independently. This strategy also allows non-readers to begin to see themselves as readers by allowing them to exhibit and practice some of the same reading behaviors and strategies that more proficient readers use.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Beginning Readers


The text selected for this lesson is Scissors by Augie Hunter.4 There are strong picture clues that help students relate the story to their prior knowledge. There are only two lines of text per page. You will want to collect and label the items mentioned in the book prior to the lesson.


You will want to focus upon the meaning — introduce or re-introduce the strategy of using the picture clues to help make sense of the text. Learning outcomes should include helping students connect print to pictures — a strategy students can employ when approaching other texts.


Discuss the title and the front cover with the students. Ask direct questions about the photo. You might begin with: “Look at the boy’s face. What do you think he is feeling?” Make a connection between the title and his expression. Then focus on his hand and the scissors — prompt a discussion and elicit some predictions. List the predictions on chart paper (return to this list later).


Pass out copies of the book, Scissors, and guide the students through a book walk (a tour of the text and pictures) and a subsequent discussion. Go back to the title page and review the word “scissors.” Review pages 2–3. Discuss the activity on page 2 (painting). Write the word “paint” on the chart. Lead the students by saying something like, “The boy can paint — he is smiling so he might be saying (then point to yourself) ______ can paint.” The students should come up with “I can paint.” Discuss page 3 — ask students what is wrong?

Use this same format to go over pages 4–5 and pages 6–7.

Return to pages 2–3. Mime or act out this text and wait for a response from the students: “I can paint but I cannot cut.” Discuss “can” and “cannot”; write these words on the chart paper. You may wish to illustrate with a happy face for “can” and a sad face for “cannot.”

Turn to pages 4–5. Read these pages. Observe fingers pointing and other reading behaviors. Ask students if there is anything about the words on these pages that is similar to words in the previous two pages?

Continue with pages 6–7, using the same question as above.

Review pages 8–9. Discuss the pictures. Ask students “what is happening?” and “who could this new person be?” and then ask, “Can we find the word that could mean teacher? Write “teacher” on the chart paper.

On pages 10–11, introduce the new word, “now” by writing it on the chart paper. Read page 10.

Read the rest of the story.

4 Scissors, ISBN: �-�7��7-779-7, is published by Shortland Publications, Inc., now owned by the Wright Group/McGraw Hill. For purchasing information, call 800-��3-�37�.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Beginning Readers (continued)

• Reading Text

Ask the students to read the story all the way through in a quiet voice, or a whisper voice. Explain that when you touch their shoulder, you will want them to read a little louder for you. This way you can observe each student’s reading and provide assistance when the student becomes frustrated or too challenged to move on by him- or herself.

It is important that students read any text with fluency and phrasing so after listening to each student individually, have the group read the text together for fluency, focusing on intonation and pacing.

• Discussing the Text

Finally, engage students in a discussion of the book, retelling the story, asking questions, proposing answers to the questions, and making connections, all of which demonstrate and reinforce comprehension.


Record your observations of the use of the picture clue strategy. Note other reading behaviors and make comments about your follow-up ideas immediately following the end of the sessions so that your thoughts are fresh in your mind.

• Future Guided-Reading Sessions

This book lends itself to a focus on vocabulary such as “can” and “cannot” (and could be extended to include an exploration of “can’t”). The book can also be used to teach picture clues — using the first letter of the word as the next strategy for good readers and for discussing feelings about learning.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Transitional Readers


The text selected for this lesson is Grandpa’s Lemonade by Helen Upson.5 This is a narrative text with a hidden narrative procedure. The illustrations are less important than in earlier stages of reading development, but they still can provide a vital link to meaning. The family topic is good for activating prior knowledge. There is reasonable repetition. The vocabulary relates to common everyday household items. You may choose to have the items mentioned in the text available for your students to view.


This text could be confusing for students as it appears to be a narrative yet has a procedure within the structure. You may want to take two approaches:

1) Read it as a narrative and then as a follow-up demonstrate how to read the text as a procedure so that anyone could follow the directions to make Grandpa’s lemonade

2) Have students return to the text after you have read it as a narrative to find the correct clues to the procedure

Learning outcomes should include students showing evidence of understanding the elements of narrative in contrast to narrative procedure.


Discuss the cover illustration: an older man is standing in front of a blender and beside a boy who is drinking from a glass. Ask for predictions based on the picture. Then ask about the title and elicit predictions based on that. Also point out that something odd is going on in the second word of the title (the “o” is shaped like a lemon). Discuss the symbol. Write predictions on chart paper.


The pictures in this book are on a separate page from the text, and they seem to tell a story by themselves. Introduce the “picture walk” discussion by listing the following words on chart paper: Grandpa, Joe, lemonade.

Tell students to go back to the beginning of the book and look for some other clues (the text pages have faint graphic clues at the bottom of each page). Ask student if they can name (or label) them? Also ask if they can match the graphics to words in the story?

• Reading the Text

Tell students that it is time to read the story quietly while you listen to each student individually. Note your observations as you move from student to student.

� Grandpa’s Lemonade, ISBN: �-�7��7-999-4, is published by Shortland Publications, Inc., now owned by the Wright Group/McGraw Hill. For purchasing information, 800-��3-�37�.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Transitional Readers (continued)

• Reading for Fluency

Next, instruct the students to read the text for fluency, paying special attention to intonation and pacing. Remind students to read the text like “talk.”


Ask students questions about the story, such as: “what did you notice about the story?” and “how was the story different or similar to your predictions?” Discuss the answers. Refer to the original chart.

• Responding to the Book

Ask students to turn to the last page (the lemonade recipe). Discuss this page. Ask them if anything is missing from the procedure. Also ask questions such as, “where could you go to find missing information?” and “how would you get the steps in the correct order?”

Have students work with a partner to write down, step by step, how Grandpa and Joe made the lemonade. Tell them to reconvene as a guided-reading group in 15 minutes or less to review and compare.


This book could be used to model other procedures. This book could also be used in a lesson for the Writers Workshop to introduce transitional phrases/words, dialogue and procedural structure within a narrative.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Fluent Readers


The text selected for this lesson is Grandad’s Dinosaur by Brough Girling.6 This is a narrative in five short chapters. Colorful illustrations make this book a good choice for guided-reading as students become fluent readers.


This text is an appropriate one to introduce the concept of a chapter book. It has a table of contents, it introduces two of the main characters on the first page, and it includes an “About the Author and Illustrator” page at the end of the book as well as an advertising blurb for other similar chapter books by the same publisher. You may want to take this opportunity to talk about the concept of the “blurb” and set this up for something students can look for as part of other publications. Learning outcomes should include students gaining confidence in their ability to understand chapter books at their developmental stage.


Review the cover and the title and ask for brief comments. Initiate a discussion about the cover and title — expect students to add to comments previously shared whenever possible. Make a list of predictions on chart paper. Leave space to check the accuracy of the predictions and remember to push students to say “why” or “why not” for in-depth comprehension and critical thinking.


State your purpose — to explain how a chapter book is put together and how to use it successfully. You may need to explain that this chapter book is a story/narrative, and in another lesson you will talk about nonfiction chapter books.

Turn to the page with the information about the author and illustrator; read it and discuss the purpose for such a page.

Ask students why they think we call a book a “chapter” book? Discuss and chart a definition or explanation.

Hand out the text to the students and let them discuss in pairs what they notice about the parts of the book. Talk about the table of contents. Ask students why they think this information is needed. Tell them that some books have names for each chapter, but this one does not. You may wish to have a text on hand to demonstrate named chapters. To find out more about a chapter, tell students they will have to read it. Make sure you mention that chapters in this book are mini-stories that link together to tell a big story.

Ask students which chapter you should read first and why. Ask if they think this should always be the case. Guide the discussion so that they begin to understand that stories need to be read from the beginning to the end, but that in the case of some nonfiction books or collections of short stories, chapters might be read or consulted out of order.

Have students turn to Chapter One on page 4 — ask them to note how many pages are in this first chapter.

� Grandad’s Dinosaur, ISBN: 0-7�99-08�4-�, is published by Shortland Publications, Inc., now owned by the Wright Group/McGraw Hill. For purchasing information, call 800-��3-�37�.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Fluent Readers (continued)


Tell students that it is time to read the story silently and that you would like to listen to each one read in a quiet voice as you move around the group. Note your observations as you move from student to student.

• Reading for Fluency

Return to a portion of the text that was challenging for the students. Discuss how important it is to read the text with fluency — intonation and phrasing. Model reading the challenging part. Have students re-read the section with you chorally.


Ask students to re-read Chapter One by themselves, and this time ask them to think about what was predicted on the chart as they read.


Bring the group together to discuss, for accuracy, predictions already made. Ask what they think will happen next?

Tell them to read Chapter Two in their independent reading time (in class and/or at home), and that the next time you meet as a group, you will discuss that chapter and read on to finish the book.


As you are requiring students to read and recall silently, use a number of strategies such as noting error rates for fluency and using the “read & retell” strategy for comprehension to supplement and enhance the prediction strategy.


Plan some in-depth questions to ask about the book. Continue to check predictions and make more. Do a comparison chart to list the differences and similarities between fiction and nonfiction chapter books. Have other chapter books available for the group to read for independent reading, as well as future guided-reading sessions.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Extending Fluent Readers


The text selected for this lesson is Feathers and Flight.7 This is a nonfiction text that includes a wide range of animals that have feathers and/or fly. This text works well for comparing and contrasting with other animals. It is a complex text with significant characteristics of nonfiction texts throughout.

• Selecting the Purpose

Although this is an excellent text to demonstrate numerous characteristics of nonfiction texts, you will also want to use it to emphasize critical thinking through comparing and contrasting and researching information.

• Introducing the Book

Discuss why you chose this text (mention the purpose above). There is always a link to something in students’ lives when dealing with such a broad topic — you will no doubt find that students will be able to easily tap into prior knowledge. Start by stating what you mean by comparing and contrasting with your own examples and prior knowledge. Also, explain the importance for researching information and putting this information into your own words — an excellent strategy for sharing knowledge.

Tell students that informational texts (nonfiction) can be confusing as there is often so much information just on one page. Ask students how they might find a way to work through this dilemma. Chart what they already know about approaching informational texts.


Distribute a book to each member of the group. Suggest that the group start by looking at the chart they just made and comparing it to the book they are now holding. Ask students: “Where do we start?” Check off the similar features on the chart. Add new features.


Ask students to skim the table of contents and ask them to think about the world of birds. Have them turn to a chapter that piques their interest and read it. Ask them to compare their knowledge to that of the chapter and review questions.

- What did you know?

- What was new to you?

- What is it that you are left wondering about?

- Are there some strange names or words in the text?

- What about labels and information boxes — were they helpful?

Students should share some of their answers with a partner.

7 Feathers and Flight, ISBN: 0-7�99-0474-�, is published by Shortland Publications, Inc., now owned by the Wright Group/McGraw Hill. For purchasing information, call 800-��3-�37�.

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A Sample Guided-Reading Lesson for Extending Fluent Readers (continued)

• Returning to the Text

With their partners, students should find and read another chapter that will contrast with the one they have just read. They should make a mini-chart with their partner listing the features from the first chapter next to those of the second chapter to make comparing and contrasting a simpler process.


Bring the group together. Review the purpose of the lesson. Discuss the “research” they just did and their findings. Ask if anyone read the complete text. Tell them it is not necessary to read the whole book if it is an informational text. Sum up by comparing and contrasting the way we read a narrative chapter book and an informational text — refer to the charts that list features of each.


Anecdotal notes should be taken on the students’ ability to use the text. Have a prepared checklist to note compare/contrast skill. Quick checks in conferences will give you insight into comprehension of the data in the text. Simple tasks in pairs will also aid your analysis. The emphasis is on understanding rather than fluency.


This text can be used on several occasions: for research, for reinforcement and critical thinking, for comparing and contrasting (flight/humankind, flight/animals, flying birds/non-flying birds). This can also be extended by introducing short story books as a third form of “chapter books” in order to compare and contrast.

From Reading & Writing grade by grade, by the National Center on Education and the Economy and the

University of Pittsburgh. © �999.

From Speaking & Listening for preschool through third grade, by the National Center on Education and the

Economy and the University of Pittsburgh. © �00�.

From New Standards Performance Standards, Volume �, by the National Center on Education and the

Economy. © �00�.

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After Guided-Reading SessionsWhen you have finished with a guided-reading group, four things need to happen to ensure that guided reading becomes and remains an integral part of your literacy program.

Re-readingAfter the guided-reading session ends, students should not just be encouraged to re-read the text they worked with, it should be required. By reading with you as a guide, then over and over again individually, they have the best chance of increasing vocabulary acquisition and improving fluency. Re-reading may take a number of forms. The students may re-read the story to themselves or with a friend. They may listen to a tape of the text at a listening center. The text can also be included in the student’s individual book bag or be taken home to read. Time limits may need to be imposed on how long a student may keep a guided-reading book as you may need the same text for a different group.

The re-reading may also be extended in several ways. Students may read another text by the same author or read other stories or poems on the same topic. The text may also be a catalyst for future writing in the Writers Workshop or as a response to literature.

Taking Notes/Keeping RecordsAs soon as the students begin re-reading, you can begin taking notes on what the group accomplished. If you took running records, these records can be evaluated and then filed. Any other records you took can also be added to and filed. But most importantly you need to keep track of what the group accomplished, what they read, how far they got, what was discussed, how difficulties were resolved, etc. You may find forms for this note-taking/record-keeping in professional texts on the subject or you can create your own that meet your particular needs. You should, however, make this part of your routine.

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Survey the RoomYou need to have a system worked out with the rest of the class so that as soon as you are finished with a guided-reading session and have taken care of the business of wrapping up guided reading, a signal will tell you which students need your attention. You will want to survey the room, whether a help system is in place or not, to make sure students are attending to their independent, partnership or group work and/or are preparing to change groups.

Post–Guided-Reading OptionsYour options for post–guided-reading sessions include beginning another guided-reading session or switching to reading conferences. You may want to try splitting the work session of the Readers Workshop both ways to see what you prefer. You may find you prefer to begin with reading conferences and end with guided reading. Experimenting will help you decide. It is important to remember that no matter what you do, you should keep a record of what happened such as what went well, what was accomplished and what adjustments might need to be made based on student successes and difficulties. These records will assist you in making an informed decision about further instruction.

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your practice of guided reading. Which of their books you want to add to your bookshelf will depend, of course, on which grade you teach. Asking for help from mentor teachers and staff developers on the way to making guided-reading a valuable part of Readers Workshop will help you, too.

While guided reading is an instructional approach that may take some time for you to implement in your classroom, the results will be worth it. Students gaining confidence as readers and actively applying strategies to their independent reading, which they have learned in guided reading, will be something they will be proud of as well as something you will be able to point to with pride.

A Final NoteGuided reading is a powerful instructional approach to helping students improve their reading, and it is also a complex process. To make guided reading a productive part of Readers Workshop, you will need to prepare carefully, practice and observe thoughtfully. You will need to create a leveled-text library in your classroom or your school. You will need to extend your professional library to include books that will help you become adept at guided reading, reading assessment and selecting books at appropriate levels for specific instruction. Earlier in this monograph, four books by the writing team of Fountas and Pinnell were discussed for their extensive lists of leveled texts, and they are good choices for inclusion in your professional library as you expand

While guided reading is an

instructional approach that

may take some time for you to

implement in your classroom,

the results will be worth it.

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Early Transitional and Transitional Readers

● Using word chunks ( th, ing, tion etc.)

● Using familiar patterns (an, ent, ock etc.)

● Finding words within words

● Decoding by analogy

● Breaking the word into parts

● Using context clues

● Skip and return

● Understanding homophones

● Understanding figurative language

● Reading the punctuation

● Reading for fluency

● Reading with phrasing

● Setting a purpose for reading

● Activating background knowledge

● Asking questions

● Making connections from new to known information

● Making connections between text and personal experiences

● Making connections between texts

● Visualizing

● Summarizing

● Stopping to think

● Inferring

● Determining importance

● Contrasting texts

● Comparing texts

Appendix AThe following are some possible topics of guided-reading instructional sessions. This list is broken into sections with suggested corresponding stages of reading development. However, the topics could be appropriate for a wide variety of students reading at different levels. It is important that you pick a topic to teach that meets the needs of a particular group, rather than deciding beforehand on a topic for a session.

Emergent and Beginning Readers

● Directionality (left to right, top to bottom, return sweep)

● Matching speech to print

● Self-monitoring

● Searching for cues (look for help) visual, semantic, grapho-phonic

● Cross-checking cues

● Locating known words

● Identifying letters and sounds

● Blending letters and sounds

● Self-correcting

● Re-reading

● Predicting

● Confirming predictions

● Using picture clues

● Sequencing

● Retelling

● Reading for fluency

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● Understanding text elements (setting, character, problem, etc.)

● Understanding text structures (problem/solution; circle; topic, time)

● Using language structure to determine word meaning

● Determining theme

● Distinguishing between fact and fiction

Fluent Readers

● Using derivatives to determine word meaning (tri, geo, photo, etc.)

● Reading the punctuation

● Re-reading for fluency

● Generalizing

● Describing cause and effect

● Understanding motives

● Inferring meanings of words

● Changing pace to maintain meaning

● Identifying main idea

● Distinguishing between multiple meanings

● Drawing conclusions

● Categorizing information

● Relating diagrams to text

● Understanding characteristics of genre

● Developing schema for an author

● Making use of organizing structures (table of contents, headings, subheadings, etc.)

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ReferencesAllen, J. �999. Words, Words, Words:

Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4–12. York, ME: Stenhouse.

Clay, M. M. �993. An Observation Survey: Of Early Literacy Achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Crévola, C., and M. Vineis. �00�. Book Shop: Teacher’s Resource Book, Stage 4. Vol. �. New York: Mondo.

de Paola, T. �98�. The Hunter and the Animals: A Wordless Picture Book. New York: Holiday House.

Depree, H., and S. Iverson. �994. Early Literacy in the Classroom. New York: Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.

Feathers and Flight. �999. Denver, CO: Shortland Publications.

Fountas, I. C., and G. S. Pinnell. �99�. Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

———. �999. Matching Books to Readers: Using Leveled Books in Guided-Reading, K-3. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

———. �00�. Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Girling, B. �997. Grandad’s Dinosaur. Denver, CO: Shortland Publications.

Hunter, A. �997. Scissors. Denver, CO: Shortland Publications.

Mooney, M. E. �994. Exploring New Horizons in Guided Reading. South Melbourne, Australia: Nelson.

Pinnell, G.S., and I.C. Fountas. �00�. Leveled Books for Readers, Grades 3-6: A Companion Volume to Guiding Readers and Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Taberski, S. �000. On Solid Ground: Strategies for Teaching Reading K-3. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Upson, H. �998. Grandpa’s Lemonade. Denver, CO: Shortland.

Vygotsky, L. �978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP.

Wilkinson, L. �999. An introduction to the explicit teaching of reading. In The Explicit Teaching of Reading. Edited by J. Hancock. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

In This Series

Fluency and Comprehension

Guided Reading

Independent Reading

Partner Reading

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

Reading Aloud

Reading Conferences

Rituals, Routines and Artifacts

Shared Reading

Talking About Books

Vocabulary

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Guided Reading - mysavvastraining.com · 11/5/2018 · Guided Reading Introduction Guided reading is an instructional teaching approach for small groups of students (four to eight