I REALLY would like to pull groups for Guided Reading this year, but I am so lost when it comes to structuring a GR lesson!! I know how to sort the kids into their groups but when I have them at my kidney table with their little books in their hands I have NO idea what to do from there. I did not study education so I never observed anyone actually doing a GR lesson. If it isn't too much trouble could anyone post how they do their GR lesson for a week? :help:
Well- when I did guided reading with 3rd graders there were a few different groups. Some were working on comprehension and some were still working on decoding strategies. The best way to do that would be to assess the kids and find out where they need further instruction be it decoding, comprehension, fluency etc. Typically my guided groups go like this (but I have first graders) They come to the table and practice reading a previously read GR book 1. Picture walk and brief introduction of the book 2. Teach skill they will need to navigate through text 3. Kids read the book in whisper voices (I also have them use whisper phones) I listen in on the kids and guide them when they need it. I also take a running record on a child (not every child each time but... one each time.) 5. We talk about the book- some sort of quick comprehension activity-- very short 6. Kids put books in book box and practice during independent reading time. I hope I didn't forget anything and that maybe this could be helpful to you- Like I said though with the kids in grade three you could probably do more comprehension strategies etc.
I have just finished Fountas and Pinnell's Guided REading book and it was a tremendous help to me. I highly recommend it!
I have also been reading the Fountas and Pinnell book. I highly recommend it if you are interested in Reader's Workshop. I'm still fumbling around with the ideas for my own class because I teach in a departmentalized 4th grade where I only teach Reading/Vocab. I only get an hour each class and I teach 4 different classes. Anyone have advice on helping me with guided reading?
The most important thing about Guided Reading is to zero in on what reading strategies the child is using and the ones the child is not using. This will kinda guide your lessons. If 2-3 kids are on or about the same reading level or are needing the same support, you "coach" them into using the reading behavior desired. Whether its comprehension (retell, predictions, answering higher level questions, character work etc.) or whether its decoding work. I have each child read quietly as not to mix with the child reading next to them. (FYI~ a good tip I got was to stagger the reading of the students by giving one child the book and telling him to begin, then wait until that child has begun and is at about the middle of the page, then give the next child the book, then the next etc. This prevents the students choral reading). As each child is reading, I tap on the table in front of them. They know that I want to hear them read to me so I can be of some help to them and they can ask me questions etc. I do the same for each child until I heard them all at least once. After the students finish reading the book, I pull them back together for some "book talk". We talk about the story, what happened, what did they think about the characters? etc. If I noticed something they all did while reading that I might want to revisit, I point it out. For example, "Readers, today I noticed that one or two of you came across a funny word in the story and had a hard time figuring it out. Lets look on page 2. (I might point to the word). Lets work together to decode this word so that the word doesn't win! What are some things we can do to tackle this word? Chunking, stretching the word etc. After we've done some strategy work, I might do some word work with magnetic letters, a writing extension, I mean whatever warrants further work. I let them keep the book in their book baskets so that they can do repeated readings with it. Hope this helps a bit. I'm probably forgetting something but maybe another poster can chime in. Good luck! I absolutely LOVE doing Guided Reading!!! And my kids enjoy it too!
Youngteacher226, I love the "so the word doesn't win" I'm going to have to jot that down and use it!! The staggering their reading sounds like a good idea too. Thanks!
Thanks for the quick replies!! My next question is (and I know this might sound stupid, but I'm clueless about GR) Do those lessons take more than a day? Or do you do that all in one session with a group? Approximately how long do your daily sessions take?
I found a cheat sheet link for you, but it won't let me post it until I am a participating member for a while try this site: olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/guided/guided Hope it works! Any third grade teacher--what books do you use in your reading groups??
stellarnite-do you mean the books the kids read? I am 2nd, but I use books that I have multiple copies of, or books from our EIR coach's guided reading library.
Our school library has class sets of many books and I was told that we just "pick books" to use (based on reading levels of course). So I don't know which books to use in my class. (It's my first year.)
This thread has given me quite a lot of good information because I am having similar issues. This is my first year and I have not had very much experience with GR. I am using Journey's and I have all of the leveled readers. Should I use a different book everyday, or stick to the same book for the whole week? I have been told so many different things that I am feeling a little lost?
I would stick with the same book until they finish it. How quickly they finish depends on the length of the book and the student's reading abilities
