Guided Reading

As I have posted before, I love guided reading because it is a chance to work with my kiddos in small groups and introduce or reinforce skills that they can apply directly and immediately to their independent reading.

I have been working on including a Skill Practice at the beginning of each guided reading lesson to ensure that the kiddos are getting practice with both phonics skills and a comprehension skills.  For instance, I might teach the kiddos how to looked for the root word to help them sound out longer words with -ed or -ing endings.  Then I might teach them how to make connections to help them understand the story better. For example, I might encourage them to think about they have felt when they had to say good-bye to someone special in order to understand how the characters in the story feel.  

After the Skill Practice, I will do the book introduction. I want the kiddos to be as successful as possible during Guided Reading so I make sure they are prepared to read the story and can focus on the specific skills I want them to use.   I point out any important vocabulary words that are essential to understanding the text and give helpful background information about the setting or plot of the story.  

As I wrote before, I have been including a writing task at the end of each guided reading lesson. While the writing task is often related to the comprehension skill, sometimes I have them practice the phonics skill as well.  My kiddos get very excited about Guided Reading lessons because they know they get to read a new book and work closely with me.  I try to keep a consistent schedule for my Guided Reading groups because the kiddos certainly let me know if they miss their turn.  The best part about Guided Reading for all of us is that it truly helps the kiddos improve as readers!