This is my first year teaching and I really need some help with guided reading. I only have 10 students, but it is hard to group them because they are on such different levels. I have been pulling them one at a time three days a week and reading with them, working on sight words, etc. I send a book home with them on M, W, and F that they must read atleast two times. I have them read it to me when they bring it back to school and then begin going over their new one. I have leveled my reading library but I work at a small private school and we have no "guided reading system". I have two students who are reading 'A-D' level book, while others are reading 'L-N'. I guess I am wondering what other people do during guided reading so that I can gather some new ideas. I have a sheet that checks their comprehension that I have been using, but that is about it. Does anyone have any forms I could use or know websites that have different reading tests for me to check their levels?
Thanks!
Here's what I did during a typical guided reading lesson:
Day One:
1) Write 2-3 sight words we had been practicing in prior lessons (on whiteboards-the kids do this).
2) Introduce a new book with a brief summary, picture walk, and introduce any new words that they either won't be able to decode or won't know the meaning.
3) Children whisper read as I listen and coach individual students within the group.
4) Teach a strategy (maybe using beginning/ending sounds, thinking about what makes sense, blending, etc) and ask a comprehension question.
5) Teach a new sight word-I write it on a whiteboard, we spell it together, say it, they take a "picture" to get it in their minds, close their eyes and spell it, then I erase a letter or letters and they tell me what is missing. Then they make the word with magnetic letters a few times, write it on the table with their finger, then write it on their whiteboards. (these are the words that get practiced at the beginning of the lesson).
6) Some kind of phonics, word sorts, sound boxes, word analogies activity.
Day 2
1)Practice sight words on whiteboards again.
2)Read yesterday's book-each child whisper reads while teacher coaches.
3)Teach a strategy again
4)Practice a sight word-the same one as day 1
5) Guided writing-child writes something in their notebook related to the book or sight word depending on their level. If they are beginner they would write one sentence with the sight word and a word they have to stretch and write the sounds. If they are more advanced, they could write the beginning, middle, end, or an answer to a question, or something like that.
The above would be for beginning guided reading. As they become more fluent readers the focus is on comprehension. At that point I would choose a comprehension strategy and that's what I would model/teach, have the children read and practice the strategy.
Hi AD,
Thank you for a FANTASTIC response to Louellis's question. Yours is one of the clearest, most useful outlines for a guided reading session I've ever read. I'm a second year teacher, first time in first grade, and I'm going to start implementing your ideas tomorrow!
This is a MUST HAVE for every teacher using guided reading. Everything is so clearly laid out, and this is the kind of book that you can read quickly or skip around to different parts and right away have so many great ideas for teaching guided reading. Her lesson plan format is really really great. I strongly recommend it, and it's well worth it. I can say that you would not need any other reference book besides this one!
Yes! I agree. This book helped me so much this year in my guided reading, a must for your own library of resources. I too teach in a private school and have a very small library of books. I have a reading curriculum that has 10 books or so that we have to get through during the year, that is one book, one size fits all, so for differentiated learning is very tough. Jan's book helped me identify my struggling readers and prepare instrucional levels for each. I also joined Reading a-z, that helped me identify what level my students were on. I have 20 kids, most reading very well. I have 4 groups and only 1 (my struggling readers) meets with me each day.
I do guided reading much like a pp described but a little abbreviated - this book is a MUST have too...it's Fountas and Pinnell and gives you specific lessons for each reading level. So, if you have a group reading at a level G it gives comprehension lesson, word work lessons, strategy lessons, etc.
11-18-2009, 11:42 AM
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