Guided reading is an activity that is usually a part of a larger balanced literacy curriculum and incorporates “needs-based groupings, texts of graduated levels of difficulty, and a focus on building independence in processing print” (Rog, 2012, p. 9). Guided reading is an opportunity for teachers to support students in taking on a more challenging text so they can grow in their literacy development (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). After conducting a literature review, research suggests that the structure of a guided reading lesson is fluid based on the groups’ needs, but there are instructional practices and strategies that teachers can use to make the most out of their guided reading time. As described in Fountas and Pinnell (2005), a guided reading lesson has four major components: introducing the text, supporting effective reading, teaching processing strategies, and discussing and revisiting the Text (Denton et al., 2014).
The purpose of this project is to understand and display the research that has been conducted about guided reading, find and present the best instructional strategies to use within that time, and build a guided reading curriculum to help teachers use best practices to make the most out of their instructional time. Some of the questions that I used to guide my investigation into the existing research are as followed:
· What are the most effective and research-based strategies to use during guided reading in the elementary school classroom and how beneficial is it in a balanced literacy instructional routine?
· Is guided reading beneficial at all grade levels within the elementary setting? What materials are needed to have an effective guided reading routine, and what topics need to be covered most often?
After conducting a literature review, I have identified several themes. They are the most effective research-based strategies and best practices to use, the benefits in a balanced literacy curriculum, the grade levels that guiding reading is beneficial in, and materials and topics of instruction.
Theme One: Effective researched-based strategies and best instructional practices to be used
There is a variety of research that has been conducted pertaining to the most effective literacy strategies and best practices to be incorporated in my instruction. With that in mind, this section focuses on guided reading best instructional practices and strategies to use during that time.
Best instructional practices
Young (2019) explains, using Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal development can help students successfully read and comprehend challenging texts with help and support from a teacher. The goal of guided reading is to have students develop concepts on how to process the text, and internalize the strategies that are reviewed (Young, 2019). Internalization is also known as the acquisition of reading strategies (Young, 2019).
A gradual release model is an ideal instructional practice to use during guided reading sessions, over a period of time. Typically, teachers are providing instruction before reading and providing supports during reading, so that students can comprehend a difficult text (Young, 2019). After a few sessions using this routine, the instructional level eventually becomes the students’ independent level.
Another practice that should be used by teachers is to give students specific feedback or support based on their responses given during a small group session. This can be done through a sharp observational eye. Teachers develop the “ability to notice and understand the evidence of processing shown in the behaviors of students” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012, p. 274). Once teachers develop the ability to notice students’ processing behaviors while reading, they can respond to students using the four factors. Schwartz (2005) explains how to use four factors to respond to students specifically during guided reading time. Teaching decisions are complex and should be based on four factors that contribute to theory of literacy and instruction (Schwartz, 2005). The four factors are response history, cues, strategies, and prompt support level. The four factors mentioned are important because by using response history and the cues from the child as they are reading can guide the teacher in finding patterns in their successes or mistakes. The other two factors of strategies and prompt level support help teachers make professional decisions because teachers can analyze what strategies are or are not being used by the student, then decide about the correct level of prompt support to use. For example, the prompt should provide sufficient support for the student to notice the error and should include what cue the student used and what cue they ignored, then if the prompt does not work, provide direct feedback (Schwartz, 2005). According to Fountas and Pinnell (2012), the key to effective teaching is the ability to make different decisions for different students at different points in time, honoring the complexity of their development.
While students are in a guided reading session, the teacher needs to start out by setting an explicit purpose. If this step is missed, struggling readers may view the purpose of reading as decoding a text, instead of building knowledge through a transaction with the text (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). One way to describe reading a text for understanding is by using Transaction Theory. Transactions happen during reading and writing. The term reader implies a transaction with a text; the term text implies a transaction with a reader, which leads to making meaning, which is what happens during the transaction (Ruddell, 1994). To make meaning, the reader looks for cues while reading, and tries to determine if the cues picked up can be made into meaning. According to Rosenblatt (2005), all readers have to draw on past experiences to make the new meanings produced in the transaction with the text, this experience then flows into their memory and is brought to the next reading event. This means that all readings build on top of each other. A student can read something, produce a meaning from it, and then apply it to future readings. This is important to note because teachers need to make the purpose of the reading event clear so that students are able to interpret the text (create a stance) or relate to the text by accessing a past experience (Rosenblatt, 2005). Setting a clear purpose can be achieved by asking open ended questions to have students conduct a self reflection on what they have experienced.
Reading Strategies to help further development
Guided reading provides students with an opportunity to further develop strategies and concepts that were introduced during the whole group instruction (Rog, 2012). A strategy that is beneficial to include in a guided reading block is time to talk. According to Fountas and Pinnell (2012), when students talk about their reading to each other, they often use the language of texts, which is usually more complex than their own. By creating a discussion every day, teachers work towards richer conversations that extend students’ language (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). Teachers can get readers thinking and using what they know about the topic and text, to promote dialogue and expand comprehension (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
Revisiting the text and creating a reading-to-writing connection are other strategies that should be incorporated into guided reading lessons (Rog, 2012). According to Hedin and Conderman (2010), rereading may help students resolve some comprehension problems when using science and social studies passages. An idea to incorporating rereading and making connections can be to work on a different activity in a progression format each day of the week. For example, Day 1 can be an introduction, first read, and a discussion, Day 2 can be a reread with a specific purpose, and Day 3 can be a reading-to- writing connection. Rereading a text can also be used to build fluency (Lipp & Helfrich, 2016). This means that during group students are rereading a text that they had read in a whole group session or the night before for homework. To help the teacher listen to the fluency of each student, whisper reading can be used. This is when the students whisper read the text to themselves at the same time of others in the group. There are many reasons why students may not reread a text on their own. Some reasons could be the amount of effort required, the length, difficultly, or the perception that rereading will not be helpful (Hedin & Conderman, 2010). But, in a guided reading group setting, “teachers can find sections of text that provide opportunities for successful comprehension as a result of rereading and paraphrasing” (Hedin & Conderman, 2010, p. 564). Then, by creating reading-to-writing connections, readers will revisit the text and reflect on the text that they had just comprehended from the multiple reads.
Theme Two: The benefits in a balanced literacy curriculum
A balanced literacy curriculum touches and develops all parts of literacy. According to Fountas and Pinnell (2012), guided reading instruction takes place within a larger framework that brings coherence to the students’ learning and does not stand alone. Fountas and Pinnell (2012) explain that guided reading provides the small-group instruction that allows for a closer tailoring to individual strengths and needs. Guided reading is “only one component of a comprehensive, high-quality literacy effort that includes interactive read-aloud, literature discussion in small groups, readers’ workshop with whole-group mini-lessons, independent reading and individual conferences, and the use of mentor texts for writing workshop” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012, p. 281). In my experience, I have found that guided reading is helpful because I am able to work with multiple learners on one specific skill that was covered during a whole group session.
Within guided reading groups, more differentiated reading instruction can occur than during whole group instruction, because of the intentional teaching of skilled teacher with a small focus group (Lipp & Helfrich, 2016). Young (2019) conducted a quasiexperimental study, with a pre/posttest design in collecting quantitative data from second grade students. The study found that a balanced literacy approach implemented by the teacher was effective and when given guided reading more frequently, there was greater growth in students’ reading ability, than the control group (Young, 2019). Implementation and scale can create the differences in findings between studies. Using the strategy of talking with a neighbor guarantees that students will be talking for at least 50% of the time, compared to other times when one or two students dominate the conversation (Rog, 2012).
English Language Learners also benefit from guided reading that is placed within a balanced literacy curriculum. Kamps et al. (2007) explain that English Language Learners may have difficulty with learning word structures, vocabulary proficient, and comprehension because the students’ first language is not the same as English. The article goes on to state “that instruction should be evidence-based, explicitly taught, and curricula should include a scope and sequence of essential reading skills (p. 154).” This means that the group can have an introduction to the content or skills during a whole group session, then receive a deeper understanding during a guided reading session.
Theme Three: The grade levels that guiding reading is beneficial in
In younger grades, teachers focus on building foundation skills within students’ literacy development. In a study completed by Denton and her team in 2014, they set out to find the effectiveness of guided reading, explicit instruction, and compare both approaches to typical reading instruction in second grade students. The study found that when comparing results from students who were split between a guided reading group, explicit instruction group, and a control group, there are no significantly higher scores between the experimental groups. But, the guided reading group and the explicit instruction group scored higher than the regular instruction group (Denton et al., 2014). Another result that was found in the study is that the students in the guided reading group spend more time reading a connected text for each lesson (Denton et al., 2014). This is important because the students were able to build on their skills each day of the group.
Young (2019) described that when analyzing the effectiveness of guided reading, older students shown an improvement in fluency but no significant effect on comprehension. There can be many causes of fluency and comprehension struggles that students face. According to Roberts (2008), many older struggling readers are victims of poor early reading instruction and “comprehension difficulties are complex and may relate to inadequate vocabulary or conceptual knowledge, weak reasoning or inferential skills, or an inability to apply active comprehension strategies” (pg. 63). This statement explains that educators should understand the elements of literacy instruction of older students and what it can look like in a classroom setting in order to make their reading instruction effective. When a teacher understands the elements of literacy instruction for older students, they can build a guided reading plan for their students to grow.
Guided reading can be effective in any grade level, but teachers should understand what makes instruction effective and appropriate for their students. The recommended skills for learning to read are needed for all children.
Theme Four: Materials and topics for instruction
During a guided reading session, teachers should be using a text that is at the group’s instructional reading level (Rog, 2012). One strategy that can be used when picking a text for the group is the Just- Right Reading strategy that helps teachers identify books at the instructional level of the group (Rog, 2012). Students should be able to read 90%- 95% of the text, and 10% of the text will be accessed through scaffolding of the teacher (Rog, 2012). By keeping the groupings fluid and temporary allows teachers to make changes based on frequent assessments and student progress (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). For example, a teacher may choose a Just-Right text for a group one week, then the next week it could not be challenging enough.
The students’ level will determine what topics are covered most often. For example, with emergent readers, it is important to cover phonemic awareness, concepts about print, letter- name recognition, the alphabetic principle, and phonics (Rog, 2012). Some topics that could be covered for early reader are developing retelling/ comprehension skills, using vowel combinations, making connections to prior knowledge, write about ideas from the text, and participate in a discussion about the text (Rog, 2012). For developing and fluent readings some strategies to cover are locating specific details in a text, make inferences, using context clues, and identifying story elements or key ideas (Rog, 2012). Because guided reading takes place within a larger framework of a literacy curriculum, it is important to keep in mind that it does not stand alone. Guided reading time can be used to dive deeper into mentor texts or hold comprehension discussions (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
According to Fountas and Pinnell (2012), a guided reading lesson plan should follow a base structure. Changes can be made based on the groups’ needs. First, the teacher should start with the selection of a text, then move onto the introduction of the text (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). One way that this can be done is to activate background knowledge or conduct a picture walk. Next, the group should start reading the text either as a group or independently then hold a discussion to cover the guiding question or comprehension (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). After that, the teacher should make explicit teaching point, solve key words, and extend the students’ understanding of the key ideas (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
Some materials that are helpful to teachers and lead to smooth session are a timer and an organizational system that works for them to keep track of group levels, texts, and skills. Sticky notes are another thing that can be helpful when having students jot down their thoughts or noting an important page.
Summary
In summary, the purpose of this project is to understand and display the research that has been conducted about guided reading, find and present the best instructional strategies to use within that time, and build a guided reading curriculum to help teachers use best practices to make the most out of their instructional time. The themes that I have found in my research are the most effective research-based strategies to use, the benefits in a balanced literacy curriculum, the grade levels that guiding reading is beneficial in, and materials and topics of instruction.
The most effective research-based strategies are determined on what level your students are at and what skills they need to improve on. Some strategies that should be used throughout the guided reading instruction is the gradual release model, time to talk with other groupmates, and using multiple reads of the same text. Based on the students’ progress through the sessions, teachers should keep notes or formative assessments so they can monitor progress effectively (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012). This allows for teachers to make decisions about groupings and throughout lessons that are responsive to the students’ learning (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
The topics that are needed to be covered are determined by the students’ reading level. Some examples are: phonemic awareness, letter- name recognition, phonics, developing retelling/ comprehension skills, using vowel combinations, making connections to prior knowledge, participating in a discussion about the text, locating specific details in a text, using context clues, and identifying story elements or key ideas (Rog, 2012).
This literature review has helped me develop my purpose statement because it has given me an understanding of guided reading, the best instruction strategies to use in the short time frame, and had given me an idea of what needs to go into a guided reading resource to help teachers use best practices to make the most out of their instructional time.
Moving forward to my Methodology section, I am going to use this research to create a resource that teachers can use to individualized instruction paired with specific feedback on a concept or topic covered during this time. I will design a daily lesson plan template, a list of routines, and materials that can be used to make guided reading time more effective. Also, I will include tips of how to choose helpful texts for each reading group. The resources that teachers will use are a timeline with daily strategies to include in guided reading instruction based on best practices and the literature review. For example, if teachers are focusing on cause and effect one week during guided reading, I will have resources and activities for that skill within my design. The teachers that use the materials will benefit from having a resource that will be simple and easy to follow, while still making the most out of their short small group time, by using strategies that have been researched-based.