Balanced Reading Leadership by Lorraine Noel-McVey https://padlet.com/noelmcl/w1zd3b8z5ux3 Guided Reading en-us 2019-01-23 01:19:42 UTC 2026-02-06 02:38:45 UTC hello@padlet.com PURPOSE: Is Guided Reading occurring on a daily basis in all classrooms (K-8)? noelmcl https://padlet.com/noelmcl/w1zd3b8z5ux3/wish/323278769 Guided reading is an instructional activity that is part of a balanced reading program with the goal of promoting the use of effective reading strategies to construct meaning of texts. In guided reading the teacher works with carefully selected groups of students who are reading at similar levels and demonstrate similar instructional needs, providing modelling and guidance.  Texts are selected considering strategy focus and are at the student’s instructional level providing students with multiple opportunities to practice reading strategies.  Through observation and assessment teachers can support students, decide on instructional foci, differentiate instruction and group and regroup them based on their strengths and changing needs over time.
 
Guided Reading is sometimes thought of as a primary instructional activity however, it is equally important for junior and intermediate grades.  Guided reading enables teachers to provide better instruction to meet the individual reading levels of each student in the classroom. (Fountas and Pinnell)

Challenges:  Time constraints, resources, access to levelled texts, access to appropriate assessments 
]]> 2019-01-23 01:22:12 UTC https://padlet.com/noelmcl/w1zd3b8z5ux3/wish/323278769 Step 1: Meeting of Staff (Staff Meeting or Lunch and Learn) noelmcl https://padlet.com/noelmcl/w1zd3b8z5ux3/wish/323279121 Training /refresher courses should be provided to staff to ensure that they are properly conducting guided reading in their classrooms.  A literacy consultant can be invited to staff meetings to demonstrate a guided reading lesson in action and detail the before, during and after of the lesson for each the emergent, early, transitional and fluent reader.

Step 2:  Assessing Students

To ensure that students are in appropriate reading groups teachers need to have access to assessments.  For example, for the emergent reader the teacher will use a student’s knowledge of letters and sounds, running record observations,  DRA's and knowledge of sight words to identify strengths and needs to be able to effectively plan guided reading groups and lessons.

Challenges:  It may be challenging to place students in appropriate groups when there are large gaps in levels within a class.

Step 3:  Implementing Guided Reading
In group of 4-6 students:

Before Reading –

-       Select a small group of students based on similar reading ability and needs
-       Texts should be selected that are at students’ instructional level which students can accurately decode that match strategy focus
-       Preview text before reading (preview vocabulary, sight word review, make predictions, picture walk etc…)
-       Prompting in effective reading strategies and sharing of reading goals
 
The purposes of previewing are many:  increase visual memory, support oral language, encourage students to ask questions, build schema, extend vocabulary, teach and prompt for strategies, and increase comprehension. 

 CHALLENGES:  Resources!  Many schools do not have adequate resources or access to levelled books and many have to share between classrooms. 
 
During Reading – 
 
-       All students read the text quietly and independently
-       While reading, the teacher observes and offers individual support to each student
-       Prompt students to use targeted strategies
-       Purposeful discussion, encouraging students’ personal responses to text and encouraging them to ask questions and think critically of the text
 
After Reading – 

-       Help students consolidate their understanding of the text by providing them with intereactive post-reading activities such as: retell, summarize, make connections, help students make inferences, open ended WHY questions, revisit earlier made predictions, allow students to ask questions etc...
-       Students in junior and intermediate grades should also be able to describe reading strategies which they found to be helpful during reading

Step 4:  Assessment
The teacher makes observations of each students' progress and record teaching points for the future. 

It is important to note that groups are not fixed and that as students progress they move up in groups focusing on a variety of different reading strategies.

]]> 2019-01-23 01:24:42 UTC https://padlet.com/noelmcl/w1zd3b8z5ux3/wish/323279121