What is guided reading?Guided reading is an evidence-based instructional process that supports students in focusing their attention on one important aspect of a text at a time to help build comprehension. Over time this process leads to increased student independence in reading and ability to understand texts of greater and greater length and difficulty. It is important to understand the difference between shared reading vs. guided reading. During shared reading, interactions with the text are maximized to help build emergent literacy understandings. During guided reading, thinking about the text is maximized because the focus is on helping individuals to learn how to comprehend text. During a guided reading lesson, students listen to or read a text for a set purpose. An important component for guided reading is that the same text is used for an entire week, but a new purpose for reading the text is set each day. The purposes are set by the teacher/parent and need to be broad to encourage the listening or reading of the entire book. Both listening to a text and reading a text require students to use comprehension skills. Both listening comprehension and reading comprehension require individuals to understand the words, remember the words, process them, and make meaning across the entire text. However, reading a text also requires individuals to recognize the words in the text and decode the words not known automatically. It is important to note that texts for guided reading cannot be too easy but they can easily be too hard. Make sure to choose texts that are at an appropriate level. Below we have provided several structures you can use for guided reading lessons. |
Which individuals benefit from guided reading?
Individuals who:
Benefits of Guided ReadingGuided reading helps individuals:
Resources for Guided ReadingYou can find out more about guided reading from:
• Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development Modules from the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies • Pat Cunningham's website at Wake Forest University; • Cheryl Sigmon's Guided Reading the Four-Blocks Way explanation; or • Susan Roberts' Guided Reading resources page. A wonderful resource with lots of specific lesson plan structures is Guided Reading the Four-Blocks Way, available for $.01 used from Amazon + postage. |
Anchor/Read/Apply Structure
Many teachers are familiar with a anchor/read/apply, structure for guided reading lessons.
Anchor:
Teachers help students relate what they know about the world or other texts to the text about to be read. They select a couple of key vocabulary words or concepts and help students think about and discuss these concepts and how they might apply in the next text.
Teachers then set a purpose for student reading in the form "Read so that you can..." Here are some sample purposes for different readings:
• Read so that you can tell us in 10 words or less what this story is about.
• Read so that you can put these events in the order they occurred in the story.
• Read to (a stopping place), so that you can predict how you think the story will end.
• Read so that you can explain two characteristics of mammals.
Read:
Students then read, or are supported in reading, the text. For example, students may listen to the teacher read aloud. Students might read half the text, stopping to discuss their understanding of the purpose, and then finish reading. Students might engage in partner reading with a fellow student.
Apply:
As soon as students finish reading, the teacher helps them restate the purpose for reading. Often teachers have to state the purpose for the student(s) when this process is initiated, because students are unfamiliar with this process of engaging their brains for a specific reason during reading. After a few weeks, students are usually quite successful at restating the purpose.
The teacher then guides the students in achieving the purpose (e.g., explaining in 10 words or less what the story was, making up a title for the story, predicting what will happen next...).
In the process, the teacher provides specific instructional feedback and guides student thinking about the process by helping students look back in text to confirm thoughts or resolve questions and asking questions like:
• How did you know that?
• What makes you think that?
• Where does it say that in the text?
Anchor:
Teachers help students relate what they know about the world or other texts to the text about to be read. They select a couple of key vocabulary words or concepts and help students think about and discuss these concepts and how they might apply in the next text.
Teachers then set a purpose for student reading in the form "Read so that you can..." Here are some sample purposes for different readings:
• Read so that you can tell us in 10 words or less what this story is about.
• Read so that you can put these events in the order they occurred in the story.
• Read to (a stopping place), so that you can predict how you think the story will end.
• Read so that you can explain two characteristics of mammals.
Read:
Students then read, or are supported in reading, the text. For example, students may listen to the teacher read aloud. Students might read half the text, stopping to discuss their understanding of the purpose, and then finish reading. Students might engage in partner reading with a fellow student.
Apply:
As soon as students finish reading, the teacher helps them restate the purpose for reading. Often teachers have to state the purpose for the student(s) when this process is initiated, because students are unfamiliar with this process of engaging their brains for a specific reason during reading. After a few weeks, students are usually quite successful at restating the purpose.
The teacher then guides the students in achieving the purpose (e.g., explaining in 10 words or less what the story was, making up a title for the story, predicting what will happen next...).
In the process, the teacher provides specific instructional feedback and guides student thinking about the process by helping students look back in text to confirm thoughts or resolve questions and asking questions like:
• How did you know that?
• What makes you think that?
• Where does it say that in the text?