Early Guided Reading
I teamed up with #GuidedReadingGals. I have been working with them over the summer to bring you an amazing book study, and it is my turn to host Chapter 4! Can you tell I'm excited???
Welcome to week #4 of the #GuidedReadingGals book study on The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson. This is my FIRST book study and post on my blog. Yay!!! All of my experience and teaching with guided reading has been self taught. I wanted to read this book to help broaden my knowledge. When I found out there was going to be a book study, I jumped at the chance to learn more.
Jan Richardson states that early readers know the sounds and letters, but they may still be learning how to apply these skills to texts with difficulty. They should be able to read and write 20-30 sight words, or they will have trouble with fluency. It is important for teachers to watch for self-monitoring behavior. (children listen to themselves as they read and stop if what they say doesn't make sense)
To prepare for an early guided reading lesson (page 107)
Each lesson lasts 20 minutes. It includes reading, discussing an instructional-level text, and either learning phonics skills through word study (day 1) or writing a few sentences about the story with the teacher's support (day 2). In order to work in small groups, students must know the classroom routines for workstations and be able to work independently.
TWO
Assessing early readers (pages 108-111)
She mentions using running records on an instructional-level text. Running records help record errors for the teacher to check for cues used, monitor for meaning, decoding, fluency, and retelling. Groups can be formed according to the focus strategy that needs to be taught.
Ten-Minute Lesson for Early Readers (pages 136-137)
If a student does not fit into one of your focus strategy groups, you can do individualized instruction for 10 minutes a day. Student errors will occur, but the focus needs to be on a skill the student is ready to learn.
THREE
Selecting the Text (page 115)
To select a text, you need to determine your focus strategy that needs to be taught.
- monitor and decode-select a text at the students' instructional level that contains some words the students don't know and need to figure out using strategies
- fluency-easier text with dialogue
- retelling-fiction text with a clear problem and solution
I have used assessments in the past to group my students. Up to this point, I have not grouped them according to a skill that needed to be taught. Dr. Richardson gives directions on pages 109-111 how to complete the assessment summary chart (page 108). She instructs us on how to group our students for instruction. "...group students together who are reading close to the same level (no more than one letter apart) and have similar needs." I may have misinterpreted the information, but my understanding is students can be grouped by the skill they are ready to learn and not necessarily by reading level. They can also be grouped at about the same reading levels but different needs to be addressed.
TWO
I love her lesson plan template for 10-minute individualized instruction for early readers. Each day you have sight-word review and always record your observations. On day 1, we introduce the book and vocabulary. On day 2, we read, teach, and do word study with an activity. One day 3, we have guided writing and teach. The templates are on pages 138-139. I think I will use something similar, but I might make them bigger and expand on them.
