"A small group of students who are at a similar point in their reading development are seated across from you at a small kidney-shaped table. Each student reads, softly or silently, the same text individually. You guide a discussion of the text meaning and make teaching points based on your observations of the students' reading strengths and needs. 

Steps in the guided reading process:

1. Gather information about the readers to identify emphases.

2. Select and analyze texts to use.

3. Introduce the text.

4. Observe children as they read the text individually (support if needed).

5. Invite children to discuss the meaning of the text.

6. Make one or two teaching points.

7. Engage children in letter/word work activity.

8. Extend understanding through writing about reading (optional).

9. Reflect on the lesson and plan the following lesson." - Fountas and Pinnell

"Becoming an effective teacher of guided reading takes time and effort; but the benefits are worth it. As you teach students, you will have the satisfaction of seeing them apply today what you taught yesterday; you will notice behavioral evidence that they are taking on new understandings; and you will see them expand their competencies and move to higher levels of texts."- Fountas and Pinnell -https://fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/what-is-guided-reading 

During their practice, Jen checks in, coaches, and provides support to each individual reader. At the end, she pulls them back together to re-cap. What you'll notice when you watch this video is that the students don't all "get it" perfectly by the end of the lesson. This will happen! The important thing to do is to reflect and adjust. For this lesson, Jen pulls the students back together the following day to re-teach the strategy. The second time, however, she offers more support on a number of levels: she creates a more explicit visual, selects texts that will provide easier access to the strategy, and reviews necessary vocabulary before having the students practice. 

While a typical guided reading lesson is structured around the same text, Heinemann author and teacher leader, Jennifer Serravallo has recently written an excellent professional development text titled, Teaching Reading in Small Groups that provides teachers with the possibility of grouping students around a shared skill/strategy that they need support with and allowing students to bring their own independent reading texts to apply the focus skill/strategy taught with support from the teacher.  

In this video, Jennifer Serravallo teaches a small group strategy lesson on inferring.  You'll notice it follows a predictable structure. First Jen will introduce the strategy and involve the children in a quick example and shared practice. Then, students select a book from their independent reading baggie, and try the strategy.