Ideas for Explicit Teaching of Guided Reading
Reading is the most important academic skill a child can learn. It's been said that if you can read, you can do anything. Teaching a child to read involves more than opening a book and showing them how to sound out words; there is a sequence of steps that enable a child to learn reading skills more effectively. The steps should be used after a child has learned letter-sound correspondence, and how to blend those sounds into words. Working with several children requires placing them in groups of less than six according to their ability. However, these steps can just as easily be used with one child.
Other People Are Reading
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Pre-Reading Strategies
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Select a book that is on or below the child's reading level. They should not struggle to read and understand the text. Complete a picture walk of the book. Have the child view and discuss all the pictures. Predict what might happen and ask questions about the story. Review unknown vocabulary.
During Reading
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Read the book using echo or choral reading. This involves the adult reading, and then the child reading the same text immediately after (echo), or all readers in the group reading together (choral). Children also enjoy taking turns reading with a partner. Give students corrective feedback for mistakes and praise for reading well. Help them use context clues (text clues surrounding a new word) to discover meanings of new words. Pause at each page to discuss the story to facilitate comprehension.
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Post-Reading
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Ask the child to briefly summarize the story. Determine if their predictions came true and their questions were answered. Praise them for a job well done.
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References
- Photo Credit child reading image by Ryan Shapiro from Fotolia.com
