Getting started with Guided reading Elementary Job-Alike Day Chelsea Dziedzic and Sarah Spada August 26, 2015

Introductions:

Objectives: To understand the purpose and advantages of guided reading. To develop a common language and common lesson planning process for guided reading. To delineate between strategy/skill groups and guided reading groups. To explore anecdotal note-taking methods as a means of formative assessment. To begin planning for guided reading using books from school book rooms.

What is Guided Reading? An instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can read similar levels of texts.

Self-reflection - Self-reflection handout - Why did you sign up for today’s session? - What are your goals for teaching guided reading groups this school year?

Why is GUIDED READING important? Guided reading gives students the chance to apply the strategies they already know to new text. The teacher provides support, but the ultimate goal is independent reading (with ease and deep understanding).

“The more children use problem solving while reading for meaning, the greater and more flexible their problem-solving repertoires become. It is the responsibility of the teacher, therefore, to be sure children receive the support and guidance they need to read challenging texts every day.” -- Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell

Guided Reading Text The instructional-level text is easy enough for students to read with teacher support. It offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving, but is easy enough for students to read with some fluency. 90% accuracy (A-L) 95% accuracy (M-Z) A-Z text gradient

Essential Components of Guided Reading A teacher works with a small group (3-6) in an area free of clutter. Children in the group have similar abilities and instructional levels. Teachers briefly introduce the book and the instructional focus for the day. Picture walk, introduce vocabulary, etc. Teachers assist the students during reading and takes anecdotal notes. Each child reads the whole text. The goal is for children to read independently and softly/silently. No popcorn! No round robin! No choral reading! Emphasis on reading increasingly challenging texts over time. Groups are constantly changing based on observation and assessment.

Reading groups – then and now Back Then… Here We Are Now… Static groups Fixed sequence of books Skills taught after reading and often unrelated to texts (worksheets, packets) Round robin reading Evaluation based upon progression through a fixed set of materials Flexible groups Variety of materials Skills related to the text and incorporated into the reading lesson All students read selected texts to themselves Evaluation based upon systematic individual assessment and observation Put up the slide… give teachers time to talk, compare, and contrast. Example – reading packets for novels with pre-set questions. When we were doing that, we were teaching the novel, not the skills and didn’t adjust to the needs of the kids (i.e. Horse’s Tale). Now, our focus needs to be on the skills/strategies and on the students. Adapted from: Teach Me to Read

Types of reading groups Strategy/skill groups vs. Guided Reading

STRATEGY/SKILL GROUPS Children are grouped with others who need help with the same strategy to move forward in their reading. (Heterogeneous) This type of group came from The Sisters’ belief that students needed more focused instruction on strategies. Within a guided reading group, students may have different strategy needs (even though they are working at the same instructional level).

Strategy groups continued… Students bring their own good fit books to the group Worked on the strategy they all have in common. Use each meeting (whether one-on-one or in a small group) as a teaching opportunity. Take anecdotal notes. Once students master the strategy, move them into a new group focused on a new strategy The groups are flexible and fluid

SUGGESTED MATERIALS FOR STRATEGY GROUPS GLAD Expert Group texts Whole-class read aloud as an anchor text Student textbooks or trade books (science texts) Picture books previously used in whole class lessons Student magazines (TFK, National Geographic Kids)

Strategy vs. Guided Reading Groups Strategy groups are based on need, which is an alternative to guided reading groups which are based on reading level.

Don’t forget conferring! 

Getting started with guided reading Step One… ASSESS ~ Where are my students and what’s next? Determine student instructional level using F&P Consider level(s) received from last year’s teacher Analyze reading behaviors Decoding strategies used or neglected Fluency Vocabulary and comprehension Create a rank-ordered class record form Lowest to highest Fill out Benchmark Placement Level LAST Look at folder from previous teacher. Look at spring scores.

Getting started with guided reading Step Two… FORMING INITIAL GROUPS Form temporary groups according to instructional levels. Ideally there is a group for every level, but that’s not usually the case. Aim to have 5 groups. Book room sets have 6 copies Remember these groups are temporary, fluid, dynamic, and flexible! Read aloud – page 110 of F&P Assessment Guide (top paragraph, right column) – addresses some “sticky” situations 5-10 minutes making groups.

Getting started with guided reading Step Three… DEVELOP A MANAGEABLE SCHEDULE Week 1-2 Days 15 - 20 min. 15 -20 min. Mon Low Conferring Tues Wed Thurs Fri Distribute and discuss scheduling hand out. Note that the sample schedules below assume you have 5 guided reading groups: low, medium 1, medium 2, medium 3, and high. These are just samples – ease yourself in as you see fit. You might consider creating a document like this for yourself that best meets the needs of your class. 5-10 minutes to fill out/plan/think about schedule.

Lesson planning Lessons included with many book room sets Cheat-sheet

Anecdotal note-taking A fundamental purpose of assessment is to communicate what the child knows and is able to do. Teacher-generated, anecdotal records provide an insider’s perspective of the child’s educational experience. This perspective is vital to communication with the child and the child’s family about academic progress. Anecdotal records also facilitate assessment conversations as educational professionals describe their observations of student learning and consider ways to develop appropriate strategies to build on strengths and address academic needs. The more focused the observational records, the more helpful they can be in making daily decisions about instructional approaches. -- Paul Boyd Batstone Post-It Notes Index Cards Labels Apps (Evernote, Confer) Conferring Notebook Clipboard Boyd-Batstone teaches in the Department of Teacher Education at California State University, Long Beach

Prompting resources Fountas and Pinnell Prompting Guide/App Conferring cards (put on a ring) Other prompting tools Pinterest Teachers Pay Teachers

Prompting resources To support the reader's use of all sources of information: Check the picture. Does that make sense? Does that look right? Does that sound right? You said ( ). Can we say it that way? You said ( ). Does that make sense? What's wrong with this? (repeat what the child said) Try that again and think what would make sense. Try that again and think what would sound right. Do you know a word like that? Do you know a word that starts with those letters? What could you try? Do you know a word that ends with those letters? What do you know that might help? What can you do to help yourself?

Videos http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=17370&CategoryI D=1510 9 min.

Work time Teachers work on lesson plans for the books they checked out from the Book Room OR they could adapt a template.