Guided Reading is an instructional approach used by teachers in early reading acquisition and as needed as reading proficiency grows.

Guided Reading is at the heart of an exemplary literacy programme.

It gives teachers and small groups of children the opportunity to talk, read and think their way purposefully through text.

It provides the perfect instructional setting for teaching, reinforcing the essential skills, and assessing reading behaviour.

However, children should not be introduced to Guided Reading until they have had plenty of opportunities to listen to a wide range of stories, poems, rhymes, and songs, and to join in shared reading experiences.

They will then have some understandings of how books and stories work, and will be eager to take a more active part in reading the text themselves.

They will be confident in their desire to be readers and to assume the readers role.

In Guided Reading, the teacher works with a small group, usually four to eight students:

¦ Groups can be based on interests, experiences and/or ability;

¦The make-up of groups will change from time to time as students develop at different rates and as the teacher identifies the different needs of individual students

¦ the teacher helps students read a new text successfully

¦ students have opportunities to develop and practice reading skills and strategies

¦ teachers can observe students reading unfamiliar texts and identify teaching needs

¦ teachers and students explore language features, word construction, sentence structures in a variety of texts

¦ students develop positive attitudes towards text reading

Organising for Guided Reading

Guided Reading is most successful when the teacher can spend 20-30 minutes with a small group of children who each have a copy of the same book. Classroom management should be such that all children are engaged in literacy activities.

The teacher and the selected small group of children should be able to think, talk and read without being distracted by or disturbed by the rest of the children, who will be engrossed in other reading and writing.

When organising for Guided Reading consideration is directed towards:

n groupings of children,

n choosing an appropriate text,

¦ establishing a purpose for teaching,

¦ and, what happens after the reading-monitoring and evaluation.

The Structure of a Guided Reading Lesson

(1) The Introduction/Orientation-the teacher sets the reader up for success by introducing the gist of the story-what it is about, new vocabulary, unusual sentence structures, and links to other topics or recently read books.

(2) Discussing and Reading the Text-the amount of teacher input will be determined by the level of the children.

Children should be encouraged to anticipate, read with their eyes, (finger point if needed only at the emergent /early stage of reading) and to retell parts. Children should be guided through the text.

The reading should not be laborious and children should take more and more responsibility for their own reading as they practice strategies they know and are taught.

(3) After the reading – what happens after the reading is determined by the nature of the text and the purpose for the reading.

Children should revisit the text and the purpose for reading. Related activities should extend and enrich the lesson, not regurgitate the text in who, what, where, when questions and answers.

Any form of written follow-up should be meaningful and remember that the more students read, the better they will read

(4) Monitoring – all programmes need regular monitoring and evaluating. The task of assessing reading progress primarily belongs to the teacher.

Teachers should regularly do text-reading assessments/checks (known as running records) on students that are slow to take on the process of reading.

All students should have reading assessments/checks at least three to four times in a school year.

Supporting Guided Reading At Home

Parents should know that their children are getting Guided Reading lessons at least four to five times per week in the early stages of reading.

Parents can check to see that different books are sent home on a daily basis that their children can easily read to them.

Parents can also ask for progress checks with teachers and hear about reading progress that is described by the building of skills and strategies as a result of reading large quantities of books in Guided Reading.

Text reading assessments (running records) should also be available for the parent to discuss with the teacher.

Early in Guided Reading lessons, children may be assigned a book level but this book level should progress as reading proficiency gets underway.

Be careful not to make the reading about the book level – as the real measure of reading success is how the text is read and the ability to gain meaning from it.

Listen for a progression in your child's reading and make note if it sounds smooth and phrased not wordy and stilted.

Your child should be able to discuss stories that are read in class and be able to tell you what books are being read in Guided Reading.

Using Questions – the use of questions can tell a parent if their child is reading for meaning and actually comprehending the desired message.

Some sample questions a parent might like to use are:

¦ Does the way you read that makes sense? (meaning)

¦ Has that ever happened to you? (meaning)

¦How do you think the farmer felt? (meaning)

¦ What do you think they should do? (meaning/think/search)

¦ Did that sound right to you? (phonic/word attack/sentence structure)

¦ You said . . . does that sound right/look right? (phonic)

n Point to a letter... you said ... is that the right beginning sound? (phonic)

¦ Do you know any other words that look like that? (word attack)

¦ Point to a full stop . . . what should you do here? (punctuation awareness)

Parents should be in contact with class teachers to find out more about the Guided Reading programme.

Query how many times a week it is done and ask for assistance for supporting and extending the reading at home.

Many teachers send home book logs that record the stories being read in class. Be sure to sign them after hearing your child read.

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Giving your child the perfect gift they will never return and they will use forever!