Lori Lonon- Blog #6 R. Routman, Reading Essentials, Ch. 10: Examine Guided Reading

Guided Reading (AKA “Small Group Reading Instruction”) was one of the hardest things for me to manage when I first learned how to teach reading effectively.  I would struggle with how to group kids, what book to choose, what strategy to teach and what to do with the rest of the class.  With experience and practice my guided reading instruction has evolved. In Routman’s Optimal Learning Model, guided reading falls between shared reading and independent reading.  It is the first step in the gradual handover of responsibility from the teacher to the student. Routman warns about how ability grouping beyond second grade can send a message to students that they are less capable.  I am keenly aware of this and try to mix my groups up throughout the year.  Even my “lowest” group is given a text that closely resembles, in page length and font size, the books that other groups receive.  The author also warns against creating too many groups that can create a management problem.  I personally try to keep 3-4 groups at a time and meet with 1-2 groups on three days of the week..  This means that students of varying levels end up in the same group working together and I actually find that to be a benefit.

Choosing quality books that aid in the instruction of a specific strategy or genre are critical.  Routman’s checklist (pg. 155) is invaluable for this purpose.  She also suggests integrating Science and SS texts into guided reading in order make the most of your instructional time. In addition she warns against keeping the same daily schedule for reading instruction and against trying to meet with guided reading groups daily especially at the expense of independent reading.  Students get easily bored with the same routine.  For this reason I mix up my instruction daily but with purpose-the days I do not meet with guided reading groups I use that time to conference with students about reading and writing.  Routman suggests several methods of checking comprehension of a text used in guided reading, but only after students have done a second reading of the text either independently or with a partner.  I try using variety here as well, since students would become bored with the same reading response tool week after week.  Keeping it fresh also encourages their best effort.

Several pages of the chapter are devoted to managing student behaviors during literacy center time (typically when guided reading will be happening).  Basically she suggests outlining clear expectations, modeling appropriate behaviors, encouraging and giving feedback as the key to management.  She suggests holding group evaluations after guiding reading.  I have been using the Daily Five model for Literacy Centers for several years and find Routman’s suggestions to be in line with that model just not in as much detail.

The most important part of this chapter, in my opinion, is the section that focuses on purpose for guided reading and what “Teacher Talk” would sound like in a small group with focus on decoding vs meaning.  So many teachers do small group instruction because they know other teachers do it, or they read somewhere that they should.  I have personally had teachers ask me “What should my small group be about?” I think this is a common difficulty for lots of teachers, but once I began to conference with students I found that planning guided reading became so much easier.  I used my notes on each student about what strengths and weaknesses were evident and that helped me not only create the groups but also determine the focus.  My students cheer when they see their group is “meeting with teacher” today and I love that they enjoy that time as much as I do!