Chapter 10 Examine Guided Reading by Routman Blog 2-Kathey Tate

Guided reading is defined as meeting with a small group of students and guiding and supporting them through a manageable text. The students are grouped with other students of a similar reading level and supported to use effected reading strategies. Discussion and activities are used before, during, and after as the students talk about, think about, and read through the text. The teacher guides one or more students through the reading process. The teacher works with the students through choosing books, making sense of the text, decoding and defining words, reading fluently, monitoring one's comprehension, and determining the author's purpose. The teacher will build on students' strengths and will demonstrate whatever is necessary to move the child toward independence in guided reading. The teacher will have informal reading conferences which will assess the child's progress, teach the child what he most needs to know, set goals with the child, and move him forward in the reading process. The heart of guided reading is in small-group guided reading. Small-group guided reading should not be the only instruction provided in the classroom. The text is provided by the teacher with just enough challenge so the learner is able to do most of the reading and problem solving on his/her own by integrating strategies. These strategies have been demonstrated by way of teacher explanation, modeling, and shared experiences. These demonstrations have taken place as reading aloud, interactive reading, shared reading, shared reading aloud, shared writing, and reading conferences. The students can also receive guided practice through partner reading, reciprocal teaching, reading one-on-one with a teacher or tutor, and shared reading. Teachers must be cautious about how they group children. Teachers should create opportunities for flexible grouping.