Guided Reading - Chapter 10

It is confession time; I struggle with guided reading groups.  I find it difficult to find books that have the same theme that I think that each group will like, I find it frustrating to be working with a group of students who have not finished reading their assigned reading and/or the rest of the class who are unable to focus on the “busy work” that has been given to them so I can meet with a group of students and I feel guilty for not always reading the book with the group because I have so many other things to do.  So, I just do the best I can and try and remind myself that there is only so much time in the day and that I need to be patient.  So you might be thinking how thankful I was that this topic was included in this book, I was!

Routman quickly puts her two cents in about how she does not like ability grouping.  Well now I have another strike against me, but she does state that guided reading can take on many different forms.  For example, guided reading could be partner reading, reciprocal teaching, reading one –on-one with a teacher or tutor, shared reading.  Flexible grouping is key!  They should be based on students’ needs, interests and for instructional purposes.  Students should not stay in the same group all year. 

Here is a list of possibilities for flexible groupings:

·         Participating in literature study and literature conversations often called literature circles.

·         Rereading and discussing a story, or part of a story, that has been read aloud.

·         Reading with a partner

·         Reading a small chunk or passage from a book begun during whole-class interactive reading.

·         Engaging in reciprocal teaching.

·         Rereading part of a familiar text as Readers Theatre.

Now how to choose the text?  Good literature is a must.  My third graders love action, comedy and I like those too, but I also love to read folk tales and historical fiction. 

Some Qualities of an Excellent Guided Reading Text

·         Engages students.

·         Students are able to figure out and understand the words.

·         Students are able to make and confirm predictions.

·         The story line or organizational structure is easy for students to follow.

·         Students are able to use the book’s layout and organization to help make sense of text.

·         The illustrations or photos to support understanding for the students.

·         Students are able to read most of the text with minimal teacher support.

A schedule is my next concern.  She recommends that you should have no more than six students in each group and that you should not have more than four to five groups.  Depending on what grade level you work with meeting with your groups could be as often as two times and use the other three days for shared reading or independent reading where informal reading conferences can take place.  To me this means that my schedule will change depending on the needs of my students and what we are working on.  So for someone who likes to plan, like myself, I will have to wait and see what my students’ reading abilities are before I can make a plan for my guided reading.

Some key points to remember from this chapter include:

·         Don’t let guided reading dominate instructional time.

·         Be flexible with reading instruction.

·         Independent reading should be a priority.

·         Reading should be the primary activity that students engage in if they are not in a group. (This could be a great opportunity for text-sets.)

·         Model exactly what students should be doing while you are meeting with a group.

·         The expectation should be made that students will monitor their own behavior.

·         Praise students for their efforts both for their work within a discussion and while they are working independently.

This is a great chapter and I am quite confident I will refer back to this chapter in preparing for the upcoming school year, especially when I get to know my students and their reading abilities.