"The ultimate goal of guided reading is to help children learn how to use independent reading strategies successfully." -Fountas and Su Pinnell, 1996
The Wappingers Central School Distict encourages the use of varied approaches for reading instruction. In addition to whole group instruction with our reading program, Lucy Calkins, I also teach Guided Reading Groups, based on the philosophies of Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinell.
The following reading strategies are the basis of Guided Reading. Parents and teachers may utilize them when reading with children.
1. Tell the child to look at the picture. You may tell the child the word is something that can be seen in the picture, if that is the case.
2. Tell the child to look for chunks in the word, such as it in sit, at in mat, or and and ing in standing.
3. Ask the child to get his/her mouth ready to say the word by shaping the mouth for the beginning letter.
4. Ask the child if the word looks like another word s/he knows. Does bed look like red?, for example.
5. Ask the child to go on and read to the end of the sentence. Often by reading the other words in context, the child can figure out the unknown word.
6. If the child says the wrong word while reading, ask questions like: Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right?
While I instruct a small group of students the rest of the class participates in literacy centers. These centers are also commonly referred to as learning centers or stations. The three rules for the literacy centers are:
1. Use a whisper voice. 2. Cooperate with others at your station. 3. Do your job at the station.
The following are usefully website related to Guided Reading:
