5 Steps to a More Effective Guided Reading Lesson

Are you struggling to make your Guided Reading really great?  Are you failing to reach every student, especially the ones who come to you reading below level?  If you’re like me, Guided Reading is one of those things I teach that sometimes makes me crazy. However, it is the heart of a successful reading class and, if implemented correctly, can make the difference between your students being successful or not.  I have been teaching elementary school for a long time and every year I attempt to figure out how to make my Guided Reading time more effective.  

After lots of trial and error, and a heap of help from other teachers, I want to share 5 steps that I have used in my classroom that have proven to increase student achievement significantly. 

1. Introduction

Always give an introduction to the text.  Sometimes it’s tempting to skip this part because, after all, we have limited time with our students.  However, even a brief opening can set the stage for a much more powerful Guided Reading lesson.  It can be used to build student knowledge about a subject and create interest in the book you have chosen for your kiddos to read.  Because this sacred time is limited, you need to make sure this part of your lesson is brief yet not skipped.  Begin by asking your students to share their experiences about the chosen subject of the book.  Take the time to briefly address any misconceptions students have about the topic. Fill in any blanks they may have and then as they begin to read the text, it is much more likely that they will connect to and comprehend what they are reading.

2. Work Work

Helping students become more successful readers is our goal.  Therefore, it is very important we support them as much as possible in their oral reading.  Before starting to read, take a few minutes to introduce students to new or unknown words that you think they will have trouble reading in the text.  Some of these words may be subject related, especially if you are reading a nonfiction book.  For example, if the students are reading a book about frogs and toads, you need to introduce them to words such as “habitat” before reading the book.  Show them the word on a dry erase board.  Discuss how to pronounce the word, breaking it apart, syllable by syllable.  Then briefly talk about the meaning of the word.  That way, when they are independently reading, this word will be familiar and will  lead to better understanding of the text.

3. Reading time

This part is, of course, the heart of your lesson.  Once you have supported your students by building their background knowledge and introducing new words, they are now ready to start reading the text.  The temptation in this part of the lesson is to use “round robin” reading, where students all follow along at the same pace taking turns reading aloud.  However, this is not the best practice when it comes to a Guided Reading lesson.  All students in the group should have their eyes on the text, independently reading the entire time.  Depending on the grade, students can read silently or younger children can use “whisper phones” to quietly read aloud to themselves.  If you don’t know what a whisper phone is, I have included a link to a picture of one similar to the one I use in my own classroom.  While the students are reading to themselves, the teacher should listen to each student read aloud for a few minutes, recording anecdotal notes about their reading behaviors.  For example, what kind of miscues are they making?  When you ask them questions about the text can they answer them?  I use the “cover and tell” strategy for this.  After I listen to a student read, I ask them to cover the text and tell me everything they remember about what they read.  Then I make notes on their retelling ability.  Did they leave out the beginning?  Did they include the story problem?  What about the ending?  These notes are valuable for planning my next steps with this group.  For example, if a lot of the students are misreading words with prefixes, I can give a brief min-lesson on this after the independent reading time is complete.  I also begin to see patterns that reveal learning gaps that can be addressed in future lessons.

4. Teaching point

This part of the lesson is brief and happens right after independent reading.  Your teaching point needs to be based on student need, which can be identified by reviewing your anecdotal notes.  Identify a skill that most of the students in your group struggled with.  Was it a phonics issue?  Was it fluency?  Was it comprehension?  Be prepared to give students a brief teaching point (no more than 5 minutes) based on what you observed while they were reading.  

5. Closing

Lastly, just like with any lesson you need to have a lesson closure.  I like to end my lesson by letting the students share a connection they had with the text.  For example, you may ask younger students to share something in their lives that is similar to what they read.  What did the story make them think about?.  Older students, or more advanced readers, can be asked to share the most important thing they learned in the text or for nonfiction the most important thing that happened in the story.  Then ask them to explain their reasoning.  Students should be able to identify the most exciting part of the story and how it helped to bring about the resolution.  Students tend to comprehend the story much better when they are able to make these connections.  At first, you may need to model this for students.  After a while, they will begin to make connections on their own, leading to improved comprehension.

Guided Reading is one of the most important things a reading teacher can do to increase reading ability and, in turn, boost test scores.  Remember that differentiation, small groups, and consistency is the key.  You must be able to spend quality time with your students, getting to know their strengths and weaknesses.  Target those abilities, using their strengths to boost their confidence.  Then begin to hone in on their weaknesses to fill in gaps.  You will see your students’ reading abilities begin to soar as you apply these techniques to your own Guided Reading time.  Questions, comments?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Leave your comments below and let’s have a discussion to help each other in our endeavor.  

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