Guided reading

Reading resources

Working together to ensure that every day, in everyclassroom, every student is learning and achieving.

Guided reading

Independent reading

Shared reading

Guided reading:

• is a teacher-directed activity for small groups of students

• uses texts at the student’s instructional level to provide the necessary support and challenges during the lesson

• involves intensive teaching, with the teacher supporting students as they talk, read and think their way through a text

• involves students practising strategies that will enable them to read independently.

What is guided reading?

The ultimate goal of guided reading is to help children learn how to use independent reading strategies successfully.

(Fountas and Pinnell, 1996)

What is the purpose of guided reading?

Why use guided reading?

Guided reading:• caters to the specific reading needs of small groups of students • involves explicit teaching and practise of a key reading strategy

or skill matched to the needs of the groups of students• provides opportunity for close observation of how each student

operates when reading in a small group situation• develops targeted reading comprehension and vocabulary skills• allows students to practise acquired reading skills and allows

the teacher to monitor these • helps students to explore questions, feelings and ideas about a

text.

(Annandale et al, 2004)

Dimensions of teaching and learning

What do we want studentsto learn?• strategies for

comprehension• knowledge of texts and

text features• related vocabulary.

How well have students learned?Do student responses• show evidence of use of targeted

strategies and skills?• demonstrate increased knowledge of

texts and text features?• reflect understanding of related

vocabulary?

How will students demonstratewhat they know and what they can do?What evidence of learning is needed?•increased use of skills and strategies during reading tasks•successful participation in related activities.

What do we need to do to improve learning?• identify strategies/skills

that will enable individual students to develop effective reading strategies

• select appropriate texts that can be used to target the identified strategies/skills.

How will it be taught to maximise learning for each student?• explicit and targeted

teaching of identified skills and strategies for particular students

• differentiated follow-up activities.

Key things to consider

• Curriculum intent — Choose an engaging text at an instructional level that enables practice of the skills and/or strategies being targeted.

• Assessment — Observe students as they read and respond to texts. Watch for use of strategies, comprehension, and responses to text.

• Sequencing teaching and learning — Engage a small focus group of students in practising the selected strategies and/or skills and responding to texts through substantive conversations.

• Making judgments — Determine how well students demonstrate their understanding through their responses to the guiding questions.

• Feedback — Reflect on evidence of learning and monitor, assess and record evidence of student progress. (Students may be grouped and regrouped.)

Guided reading — Teaching and learning sequence

Before implementing a guided reading lesson, the teacher:

• identifies a small group of students who need similar focused and scaffolded support to practise identified strategies/skills

• selects an appropriate text at the instructional level of the students which will allow them to practise the skills/strategies

• ensures that the identified skills/strategies become the focus of the guided reading lesson

• pre-reads the text and plans questions related to the focus, determining where in the text these questions can be asked.

During a guided reading lesson the teacher:• states the purpose of the lesson • gives an introduction to the text and makes links to the students’

prior knowledge • poses an initial guiding question to direct the reading, and

indicates the section of the text to be read silently• allows time for students to read the section independently• revisits the guiding question to prompt and encourage the

students to share and discuss their responses• poses the next guiding question and repeats the process• engages students in substantive conversations about the text as

well as about the strategies needed to respond to the guiding questions

• models and demonstrates strategies where appropriate• involves students in personal response to and reflection on the

text.

Guided reading — Teaching and learning sequence

Guided reading vignetteyears 7-9 (6:45)

Guided reading vignetteyears P-3 (5:43)

Guided reading vignetteyears 4-6 (4:10)

What does guided reading look like?

Before• What will guide the selection of the focus strategy or skill?• What texts will allow students to practise the targeted strategies?• Where in the text can the strategy/skill be best demonstrated?

During• What can teachers learn about how students use reading

strategies?• How will the teacher observe and record student responses

during the guided reading lesson?After

• Do student responses to guiding questions during the lesson reflect greater understanding?

• What understandings do students demonstrate during substantive conversations?

• What do the students need to know and do next?• What are the planning implications for the teacher?

Assessment and monitoringAssessment and monitoring

• How will you know if the lesson was successful?

• What learning is evidenced by student responses?

• How will this evidence inform future directions for groups or individuals?

• How will you give feedback to your students?

Feedback

• Annandale, K, Bindon, R, Handley, K, Johnston, A, Lockett, L and Lynch, P 2004, First Steps: Reading Resource Book (2nd edition). Pearson, Port Melbourne.

• Anstey, M and Bull, G 2004, The Literacy Labyrinth (2nd edition). Pearson, Port Melbourne.

• Literacy — the Key to Learning: Years 1 to 3 Teacher Professional Development Program Queensland Government Education Queensland (2007)

• http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home to access the Australian Curriculum• http://team.oneportal.deta.qld.gov.au/sites/bluewater/Document%20Library/Bluewater%20Curriculum/Literac

y/literate-futures.htm for the Literate futures project

• http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/index.html to access curriculum information and resources

• http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=46021 to access the Roadmap P-10

• http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/574.html for Essential Learnings by KLA and juncture• http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/9321.html for Years P to 9 literacy and numeracy indicators

Resources

Year 2• Duke, S 2004, Best Web of All. Mimosa Publication:

Shortlands, Australia. Illustrator: Jane Wallace Mitchell

Year 4• Bradman, T 2005, Happy ever after. Orchid Books:

London. Illustrator: Sarah WarburtonYear 8• Hughes, T 2005, The Iron Man. CPI Bookmarque:

Croydon. Illustrator: Tom Gauld

Text references