Just like you, I truly want to make a difference in
improving ALL levels of reading of my students. After years of teaching and
working with teachers and Reading Recovery tutors and implementing researched
pedagogies, I finally found the right procedure.
My success in Guided Reading and Literacy
pedagogy took me to London, the United States of America and parts of Australia
where I consulted and ran workshops in schools on how teachers can effectively
and easily implement Guided Reading.
I have now created an affordable, easy to navigate
digital platform where you can access training, worksheets and other handy
tools plus a copy of my book: Truly
Guided Reading, so you, too, can experience the success I have had in
teaching children to read.
The recording of the digital workshop, is a combination of an
oral and visual, Power point; this was an achievement in itself. Only my mouth
could move as any minuscule paper rustle or quiet opening of a door, even the
children’s voices in the swimming pool next door were recorded! This caused
many a slide to be repeated.
Disregarding these inconveniences, the Power point is
constructed as three components:
Component 1
Because teachers support small reading groups during Truly
Guided Reading and children are involved in independent activities, a teacher
must shape the learning environment in a way that students become autonomous
workers. This component shows teachers how, over a 4-5, week period, they
prepare the classroom environment (a checklist and behaviour expectations chart
are provided) so small group instruction is successful. You and the children
are fully prepared and children are well versed in working autonomously.
For children to be autonomous workers, a Task Board (or task
baskets for young children) is essential.
Where do tasks come from? The easiest and most relevant
approach is reinforcing the learning from whole class learning, Shared Reading
and Writing and Read Aloud. From knowledge gained in student-centred clusters,
Independent Tasks for Early and Developing and Early Fluent Readers are
created, for example, manipulative tasks, generic worksheets or the same
learning concept set at different levels of complexity.
Component 2
Shows teachers how to implement Truly Guided Reading effectually where students become independent and fluent readers; readers for life. Details such as daily Guided Reading session times for each Early, Developing and Early Fluent are included as well as who reads aloud and who reads silently.
Implementing Guided Reading, involves, Orientation to the
text and unfamiliar words: During Guided Reading: After Guided Reading
discussion: Re-reading, early and developing readers: levels 1-10 quickly
learning 15 high-frequency words.
Orientation, activates schema allowing students to
anticipate structures and patterns when they read independently. Unfamiliar
words are heard by the students flowing from a sentence or phrase, rather than
pointing out the single word. The aim of Guided Reading is for students to
take-on problem solving strategies which teachers’ model or prompt - ‘fix up’
and thinking strategies that relate to vocabulary and text meaning. Asking
open-ended questions allows children to interpret and analyse the text just
read.
Non-fiction texts are read during Guided
Reading and you will note that as children become more independent readers they
move to Reciprocal Teaching (non-fiction) and are involved in Book Clubs,
fiction, (or something similar). This follows the pedagogy of the Optimal
Learning Model (Pearson and Gallagher’s, 1983): beginning with maximum teacher
support and the children gradually taking major responsibility.
Component 3
Assessment is vital as it is the indicator of levels the children
move to next - up (or down) and most importantly whether the teacher needs to
modify instruction to cater for the learning needs of their children.
Assessment consists of (1) Daily Recording, not only
students’ strengths and weaknesses, but what the teacher aims to reinforce and/or teach next and (2)
Running Records (an example of a recording sheet is included). Information
about the taking of Running Records is combined with the recommendation to
consult Dame Professor Marie Clay’s book, Observation Survey (included in
bibliography).
It is essential teachers monitor each student’s progress (an
example of an Excel monitoring sheet is included).
It is great that you can go back again
to view the Power point Truly Guided
Reading. There may be parts that you want to re-examine. Also, a digital
workshop can reach rural and outback schools as well as suburban.
