Guided Reading Intro
Guided Reading for Early Readers
Purpose
During guided reading, students read a new text with teacher support. They learn to apply strategies to read on their own. Students who participate in guided reading have many characteristics of emergent readers and are beginning to demonstrate characteristics of early readers. They know many letter sounds, they understand concepts of print and they know some high frequency words.
For guided reading, teachers choose books that offer "just right" challenge (instructional level). If books are too easy, the student will not need to use problem- solving strategies. If books are too hard, students will be frustrated and unable to maintain meaning. Many teachers use sets of "leveled books" for guided reading (e.g. Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading levels, Reading Recovery levels). Each new level represents a small but increased level of difficulty to allow for both student growth and success. (Students should be able to read at least 90% of the words in the book without any teacher support.) If students can read 95%-100% of the words in a new book without teacher support, they should move to a more challenging level text for guided reading.
Students may receive guided reading instruction alone or with one or a few peers who demonstrate similar reading abilities and instructional book levels. MOST of the time during guided reading is devoted to students reading a new book on their own with teacher monitoring and support (for strategy use to solve a few words and/ or to make meaning).
Goals of guided reading include to:
- help students develop strategies for problem solving so they can become more capable independent readers
- support students development as readers as they read increasingly challenging texts
- model and help students develop reading behaviors that keep them moving forward and increase their reading abilities with many kinds of texts
