Primary Reading Focus Group
Prayer and Welcome
Activity ~ What’s Working? Problems of
Practice
Looking Through the Lens of The Four
Resources Model to Promote Reading
Achievement
Break
Guided Reading and How it fits into the Four
Resources Model
Video Activity
Sharing/Question/Answer/Next Steps
 We
are here to achieve a consistent/
common understanding of the
components and practices of a
Comprehensive Literacy Program.
 Focus
specifically on Guided Reading and
Early Reading Strategies through the lens
of the Four Resources Model.
 To
understand the literacy skills required
by students to be an effective reader for
the 21st century.
 Code
User (coding competence)-i.e.,
practices that relate to decoding text.
 Meaning Maker (semantic competence) –i.e.,
practices that relate to making meaning
from text.
 Text User (pragmatic competence) – i.e.,
practices that relate to pragmatics, or the
purpose, audience, and context of a text.
 Text Analyzer (critical competence) – i.e.,
practices that relate to critical
interpretation of the text.
Reflect on your current practice….
How could you use The Four Resources
Model in planning for effective
reading instruction?
(Primary Reading Discussion Paper, 2.3.1, page 9)
Let’s look closer at …. The Conditions
that Support The Four Resources
Model
(Reading Discussion Paper, 2.3.2,
Pages 10-14)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Assessment of student progress using
on-going running records
Teaching through the Gradual
Release of Responsibility Approach
Oral Language Instruction
Accountable Talk
5.
6.
7.
8.
Metacognitive development and selfregulation by students
Extensive time spent reading
Challenging tasks that involve student
choice
Student engagement in rich literacy
activities
 Modeled
Practice
 Shared Practice
 Guided Practice
 Independent Practice
 Student Application
Primary Reading Discussion Paper (pg. 11)
Teaching through ….. The
Gradual Release of
Responsibility
1.
What do you notice? /What’s
new?/ What’s different?
2.
What is the impact on teaching
and learning?
Primary Reading Discussion Paper (pg. 11)
View the Introduction of each of
the Four Resources Model to gain
a clear understanding of these
elements.
 Read
pages 14-17
 Reflect
on the key points of the Four
Roles (highlight key points in your
book or write key ideas on the
placemat)
Which of the Four elements would you like to
explore more deeply?
Using your Discussion Paper, video clips and
graphic organizer, document your key learnings
and ideas for implementation on the t-chart
provided.
Using your Language Arts
Curriculum Document for Reading
and your placemat, sort the
reading expectations into the Four
Resource Model
Traditional Reading
Guided Reading
A
bridge between shared reading and
independent reading.
 Is
a strategy that is used to consolidate
new learning that has taken place in a
read aloud and shared reading, it allows
the students to practice their skills with
teacher support.
“It is the heart of a balanced literacy
program.”
(Fountas and Pinnell, 1996)
“…..Guided reading is a way to help
children understand how reading
works. They learn techniques to
figure out words and comprehend
texts that are just a little too
challenging for them to read without
support.”
(Tabersski, 200, p.96)
Teacher meets with small groups of students with
similar reading processes.
 Groups usually consist of a small group of students
who are being taught the same reading strategy or
are working at the same instructional level.
 Groups are formed based on assessments.
 Length of time and frequency vary depending on
reading stage.
 Each child has a copy of same text to read with
teacher support.
 A new text is introduced almost every time the
group meets.

 It
is critical that students are grouped
according to their instructional level (9094% accuracy), with comprehension. This
will allow the students to learn something
new with the support of the teacher,
while still having enough support from the
text so they aren’t experiencing
frustration.
 Running
Records are a method we use to
ensure that students are working in their
instructional zone.
Familiar
Reading
Introduction of a New Book
Scaffolded Reading
Returning to the Text
Purpose - build confidence, increase fluency and
phrasing, and deepens comprehension.
Students choose a familiar book to read from
individual “book boxes”.
 Books are added after they have been read in
Guided Reading (as recent books are added older
ones are removed).
 As students re-read familiar books, the teacher
listens in, observes, takes anecdotal notes or
running records.

Purpose – to engage students in the book and give
them the support they need to read the text
successfully . The Book Introduction may look
differently depending on the needs of the
children.
Summary Statement – The teacher provides a
one or two sentence overview of the story.
 Personal Connection – The teacher may ask a
question to connect the story to the students’
lives. A personal connection raises students’
interest and supports higher level of
comprehension.

Picture Walk – Preview key illustrations (vary
depending on reading stage). This provides
students with an understanding of the concepts,
vocabulary and language structures.
 Prediction – The teacher may have the students
predict the content of the story to begin a story
map or web.
The introduction sets the stage for the reading of
the new book or story. The skills or strategies
focussed on during the introduction are echoed
throughout the rest of the Guided Reading Session.

After the story has been introduced the children
read the new book ON THEIR OWN.
 This is NOT “round robin” reading.
 All of the children read the text at the same
time, practicing their skills/strategies.
 Students may read out loud, whisper read or
read silently depending on their reading stage.
 As students read, the teacher observes, listens,
coaches and encourages the children.
 The teacher may meet with a student while the
others re-read or buddy read the text again.

After students have had an opportunity to read and reread the new text, there should be time remaining in
the lesson to discuss the content of the book.
Some Examples may be:
 Asking questions/discussing book to check for
understanding
 Examining Story Structure
 Checking Predictions
 Working on Comprehension Strategies
*These activities vary depending on the childs’
reading stage and the focus of group needs*
Drawing a picture
 Creating a little book (using same pattern frame)
 Create a character question/answer dialogue
 Write three interesting facts contained in the
book
 Write a note/letter to a character
 Retell the story using pictures or words and a
graphic organizer

(These activities vary depending on the childs’
reading stage and the focus of the lesson).
What elements of the Four
Resources Model is the teacher
focusing on?
Reading
“Reading is a messagegaining, problem solving
activity that increases in
power the more it is
practiced.”
How would you plan for
Guided Reading using The
Four Resources Model?
What I Know
What I Learned
Key Ideas
Implementation
Familiar Reading
Introduction of a New Book
Scaffolded Reading
Returning to the Text
Key Messages:
What will I do differently in the future?
What are my next steps?