Guided Reading in a First-Grade Classroom Research by Michelle Woo

Research Question How does my guided reading instruction change in response to my students' actions during small group instruction?

Background Info School: Spalding Drive Charter ES, Title I -31% African American, 37% Hispanic, 21% White, 8% Multi racial, 3% Asian Teacher: 5 years experience, 1st year in first grade, ESOL endorsed, completing EdS program at GSU Students: -12 students: 8 Hispanic, 2 African American, 2 White -9 students below level in Reading

Timeline Aug-Sept 2007 – Began teaching 1st grade. Questioned using Harcourt’s basal reader & curriculum. Sept 2007-Jan 08 – Researched Guided Reading as an alternative method to using Harcourt. Used mostly leveled readers from www.readinga-z.com, Rigby PM books, and other available leveled books Feb 2008-present – Teacher research on Guided Reading. Incorporating basal reader and other leveled texts.

Guided Reading Goal: Help students become independent and fluent readers. Students learn reading strategies according to their needs and development. Dynamic and flexible grouping of students. Each group has 4-6 students and meets 3-5 days a week. (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996)

Key Components of Guided Reading Introduction (pre-reading) Text Selection (pre-reading) Teacher Response and decision making (while student is reading) Word Study (post-reading)

How I’ve Changed Modified guided reading lessons to accommodate ELL students. Increased understanding of various reading strategies. Increased understanding of how to respond to students while they are reading (cueing, modeling, asking, etc.) Began to incorporate language arts skills into guided reading. More student-centered.

Future Research Is it possible to incorporate CRCT skills into Guided Reading sessions? How do I organize my classroom and Reading instructional time to meet the varying levels and needs of my students? What effect does Modified Guided Reading having on my students’ reading abilities? How can I incorporate Reading Workshop into my current reading instruction? How can I integrate the science and social studies curriculum into my reading instruction?

Resources Avalos, M. A., Plascencia, A., Chavez, C., & Rascon, J. (2007). Modified guided reading: Gateway to English as a second language and literacy learning. The Reading Teacher, 61(4), pp. 318-329. Clay, M. M. (1991a). Becoming literate: The construction of inner control. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Clay, M. M. (1991b). Introducing a new storybook to young readers. The Reading Teacher, Vol. 45(4), pp. 264-273. Fawson, P. C., & Reutzel, D. R. (2000). But I only hav ea basal: Implementing guided reading in early grades. The Reading Teacher, 54(1), pp. 84-97. Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Iaquinta, A. (2006). Guided reading: A research-based response to the challenges of early reading instruction. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(6), pp. 413-418. Schwartz, R. M. (2005) Decisions, decisions: Responding to primary students during guided reading. The Reading Teacher, 58(5), pp. 436-443.