Guided
reading
Reading resources
Working together to ensure that every day, in every
classroom, every student is learning and achieving.
Shared reading
Guided reading
Independent reading
What is guided reading?
Guided reading:
• is a teacher-directed activity for small groups of
students
• uses texts at the student’s instructional level to
provide the necessary support and challenges during
the lesson
• involves intensive teaching, with the teacher
supporting students as they talk, read and think their
way through a text
• involves students practising strategies that will enable
them to read independently.
What is the purpose of guided
reading?
The ultimate goal of guided reading is to
help children learn how to use
independent reading strategies
successfully.
(Fountas and Pinnell, 1996)
Why use guided reading?
Guided reading:
• caters to the specific reading needs of small groups of students
• involves explicit teaching and practise of a key reading strategy
or skill matched to the needs of the groups of students
• provides opportunity for close observation of how each student
operates when reading in a small group situation
• develops targeted reading comprehension and vocabulary skills
• allows students to practise acquired reading skills and allows
the teacher to monitor these
• helps students to explore questions, feelings and ideas about a
text.
(Annandale et al, 2004)
Dimensions of teaching and learning
What do we want students
to learn?
•
strategies for
comprehension
•
knowledge of texts and
text features
•
related vocabulary.
How will students demonstrate
what they know and what they
can do?
What evidence of learning is
needed?
•
increased use of skills and
strategies during reading
tasks
•
successful participation in
related activities.
What do we need to do to
improve learning?
•
identify strategies/skills
that will enable individual
students to develop
effective reading
strategies
•
select appropriate texts
that can be used to
target the identified
strategies/skills.
How will it be taught to
maximise learning for each
student?
•
explicit and targeted
teaching of identified
skills and strategies for
particular students
•
differentiated follow-up
activities.
How well have students learned?
Do student responses
•
show evidence of use of targeted
strategies and skills?
•
demonstrate increased knowledge of
texts and text features?
•
reflect understanding of related
vocabulary?
Key things to consider
• Curriculum intent — Choose an engaging text at an instructional
level that enables practice of the skills and/or strategies being
targeted.
• Assessment — Observe students as they read and respond to texts.
Watch for use of strategies, comprehension, and responses to text.
• Sequencing teaching and learning — Engage a small focus group
of students in practising the selected strategies and/or skills and
responding to texts through substantive conversations.
• Making judgments — Determine how well students demonstrate
their understanding through their responses to the guiding questions.
• Feedback — Reflect on evidence of learning and monitor, assess
and record evidence of student progress. (Students may be grouped
and regrouped.)
Guided reading
— Teaching and learning sequence
Before implementing a guided reading lesson, the teacher:
• identifies a small group of students who need similar focused and
scaffolded support to practise identified strategies/skills
• selects an appropriate text at the instructional level of the
students which will allow them to practise the skills/strategies
• ensures that the identified skills/strategies become the focus of
the guided reading lesson
• pre-reads the text and plans questions related to the focus,
determining where in the text these questions can be asked.
Guided reading
— Teaching and learning sequence
During a guided reading lesson the teacher:
• states the purpose of the lesson
• gives an introduction to the text and makes links to the students’
prior knowledge
• poses an initial guiding question to direct the reading, and
indicates the section of the text to be read silently
• allows time for students to read the section independently
• revisits the guiding question to prompt and encourage the
students to share and discuss their responses
• poses the next guiding question and repeats the process
• engages students in substantive conversations about the text as
well as about the strategies needed to respond to the guiding
questions
• models and demonstrates strategies where appropriate
• involves students in personal response to and reflection on the
text.
What does guided reading look like?

Guided reading vignette
years P-3 (5:43)

Guided reading vignette
years 4-6 (4:10)

Guided reading vignette
years 7-9 (6:45)
Assessment and monitoring
Before
• What will guide the selection of the focus strategy or skill?
• What texts will allow students to practise the targeted strategies?
• Where in the text can the strategy/skill be best demonstrated?
During
• What can teachers learn about how students use reading
strategies?
• How will the teacher observe and record student responses
during the guided reading lesson?
After
• Do student responses to guiding questions during the lesson
reflect greater understanding?
• What understandings do students demonstrate during substantive
conversations?
• What do the students need to know and do next?
• What are the planning implications for the teacher?
Feedback
• How will you know if the lesson was successful?
• What learning is evidenced by student responses?
• How will this evidence inform future directions for groups
or individuals?
• How will you give feedback to your students?
Resources
•
•
•
•
Annandale, K, Bindon, R, Handley, K, Johnston, A, Lockett, L and Lynch, P 2004,
First Steps: Reading Resource Book (2nd edition). Pearson, Port Melbourne.
Anstey, M and Bull, G 2004, The Literacy Labyrinth (2nd edition). Pearson, Port
Melbourne.
Literacy — the Key to Learning: Years 1 to 3 Teacher Professional Development
Program Queensland Government Education Queensland (2007)
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home to access the Australian
Curriculum
•
http://team.oneportal.deta.qld.gov.au/sites/bluewater/Document%20Library/Bluewater%20Curriculum/
Literacy/literate-futures.htm for the Literate futures project
•
http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/index.html to access curriculum
information and resources
http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=46021 to access the
Roadmap P-10
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/574.html for Essential Learnings by KLA and juncture
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/9321.html for Years P to 9 literacy and numeracy
indicators
•
•
•
Text references
Year 2
• Duke, S 2004, Best Web of All. Mimosa Publication:
Shortlands, Australia. Illustrator: Jane Wallace
Mitchell
Year 4
• Bradman, T 2005, Happy ever after. Orchid Books:
London. Illustrator: Sarah Warburton
Year 8
• Hughes, T 2005, The Iron Man. CPI Bookmarque:
Croydon. Illustrator: Tom Gauld