Comments on: Guided Reading Q & A

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:15:29 +0000

Thanks for the great article Angela. I have a year 1 class and run reading groups for 1 hour twice a week. I have 6 reading ability groups with 4,5 or 6 students in each. What I do is I have 6 different activities in which the children rotate in their group over the 2 days. The activities include a grammar sheet which is focused on a grammar rule that we have worked on the week before, a literacy game, computer literacy game (I often use Roy the Zebra which is a UK internet literacy based games-Fantastic), free writing (or I give them a topic based on the text type we are studying), comprehension activities (a worksheet/booklet) made up to go with the reader we are focusing on in their guided reading session. These are often the fitzroy readers which come with ready made booklets for each book) and of course guided reading. I take the guided reading group and the children work independently on the other activities. I have 1-2 parent helpers aswell. I have found this method to be very effective in implementing guided reading. I spend about 20 minutes with each group and the rest of the class know that they have to work quietly. Setting up rules and being firm from the beginning is really important for this to work. After 20 minutes I ring my bell, the chn finish the activity they are working on and the move to the next. I am reaaly curious as to how other teachers fit guided reading into their program and to share other ideas.

By: Anne Rutledge

Anne Rutledge — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:25:08 +0000

What s great little article! Always interested in other’s views and how they combat problems or difficulties. I actually give my group a small pad (only 1/4 A4 size) so there isn’t any threat about writing too much. When they finish, I set a little activity write 5 of your favourite words and 1 you didn’t know, then draw a cartoon or sketch of a particular part i.e. setting, character, part of story etc or in non-fiction i.e. sketch the animal showing characteristics or part of the habitat where you would locate the young, or mother/baby act starting with specfified animal in the text. Endless short tasks could be asked. Sometimes I allow first child finished to set the task, they usually choose a drawing or labelling activity. Even my yr 6 boys after reading Dear Sam, Dear Ben had to write their own P.P.P.P.S.telling of a reason why the letter wasn’t posted on time. They tried to outdo themselves in “way out” answers but heaps of learning and fun. Also get each student to write an interesting word on board and discuss or make it with magnetic letters ( even Yr 7s love to do that) We spend a few minutes talking about each word and T. stresses how we get to this word the erasiest in this passage after students have given their ideas. Students freely participate and seem to like their little pads which they can easily hide or disclose as they like.

By: Dianne Moss

Dianne Moss — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:34:57 +0000

Thank you. There are many clarified points in this Q&A. I will share them with my colleagues to refresh their perspectives especially the fact that the teacher should be helping those hardest to teach students. This of course doesn’t mean you don’t work with the other groups as well. It just means you work with those particular students more often if you are able, I think teachers sometimes forget this.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:56:15 +0000

Angela,
As the Literacy Lead teacher at the school I am working in, I am happy to say that after 3 years in this position the teachers now do Guided Reading correctly. Initially, teachers were doing round robin reading and calling that Guided Reading. It is a slow process to get teachers on board but when they are there it is a great achievement for all. I think there has been a lack of understanding how it is done and why it is done and it is up to us all to be professional and ensure we are doing right by the children we teach. Thank you for your article and it seems from you following up this month with more about GR versus RR Reading, that there is much confusion everywhere. Articles like yours are terrific to pass on to those colleagues that need to work on their teaching strategies.
Lisa