Terri Thrailkill, Examine Guided Reading by Regie Routman

Since my primary purpose this year is to work with small groups of first grade reluctant readers, I was interested in reading chapter ten, Examine Guided Reading.  I most often spend time with these students guiding and supporting them through a manageable text while encouraging them to use effective reading strategies. The author, Regie Routman, points out that a broader view of guided reading might include guiding students in “choosing books, making sense of text, decoding and defining words, reading fluently, monitoring one’s comprehension, determining the author’s purpose, and so on.”

Routman stressed the importance of selecting books for guided reading very carefully—“Your guided reading lesson will only be as good as the text you use.” With the goal of moving each student toward independence, the teacher should “provide a text with just enough challenge so that the learner is able to do most of the reading and problem solving on her own by integrating strategies over which she is gaining increasing control.”  A good selection will support students as they read for meaning but a poor selection can make reading for understanding difficult. The list of “Qualities for an Excellent Text for Guided Reading” provides very helpful criteria in selecting appropriate text that will engage students and support their reading independence.

The author reminded me that the optimal guided reading experience only happens in a “congenial environment of acceptance and trust.”  Only then will students feel free to share their thinking, take  risks to try out what they are learning, and expand their reading competency.

Routman understands that juggling small group guided reading instruction in the early grades is challenging. In first grade, meeting with readers as often as possible, especially at the beginning of the year, is important in moving them toward independence. Seeing low-performing readers every day or at least four days a week is recommended.  Hopefully, the three tier reading model that has been implemented in our school this year will help the low level readers gain traction.

As important as guided reading is, teachers should examine their schedule and make sure that it is not dominating instructional reading time. Be flexible—what is usually taught in guided reading may also be taught in another context, like reading aloud or shared reading.  The author suggests that teachers “think about reading instruction going across the curriculum.” For example, some days devoting reading to social studies or science texts may help fit it all in. 

Many teachers struggle with the management of the other students while they are engaged with a small guided reading group. Routman addresses this issue by encouraging teachers to simplify their planning and management. “Make reading the primary activity or students not in a group”, instead of “exercises in isolation, and other tasks unrelated to helping students become better readers. “ I was guilty of this in my earlier years of teaching. Students, especially low-performing readers, need to experience large amounts of easy, comprehensible text on their level in order to read well.  So, providing them interesting, readable texts and allowing them to read alone, or with a partner, while others are engaged in guided reading is extremely worthwhile.  I try to provide texts for my students to add to their individual “book boxes” or “book bags” in their classrooms for this purpose.

The author gives many teaching tips about managing the students when they are not in the guided reading group.  Most importantly, “expectations for students need to be clear, easy to accomplish and worthwhile.” Model expected behavior and what students should do if a problem arises many times before expecting students to work independently.

I found the section on “Teacher Talk for a Guided Reading Lesson” helpful in providing a good list of teacher prompts that should help focus readers on words or meaning during a guided reading lesson. Even though Routman provides a good framework for a guided reading lesson, she reminds teachers to “think about your students’ needs, not a set of required procedures.” She cautions against getting bogged down with complex forms or plans and trying to do everything in one lesson.  Great advice for teachers like me who try to fit in “just one more thing” when time is really up!

Perhaps the most powerful take-away from this chapter for me came from the section listing some important purposes for guided reading. Underlying all purposes for guided reading is the question, “How is what I am doing today going to help students become more independent readers?” If this question guides my planning and the time spent with my guided reading groups, then hopefully these struggling readers will experience success and begin to experience a lifelong love of reading.