Harrell Section V, Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Guided Reading: Providing Individual Support Within a Group Setting. Guided reading is an approach to teaching reading in a small group setting, while providing individual coaching. (Harrell 222)

Guided reading lessons are taught by grouping the students for instruction, beginning the process, reading aloud but not in unison and pairing students for additional practice.

Students are taught in groups that are reading at approximately the same reading level. Guided reading focuses on vocabulary development, individual instruction, and opportunities for verbal interactions, which is very useful for English language learners. It is beneficial to choose a book that is interesting to the students and on the appropriate reading level.

Teachers assess these students using running records to determine their reading levels. Running records are also useful in determining the student's use of self-correction and self-monitoring.

The teacher and students begin the guided reading lesson by walking through the book and predicting what they think is going to happen. As they walk through the book, they look at the illustrations on each page, predicting what will happen on that page, discussing and modeling the meaning of vocabulary that will be needed to read the page, and building background knowledge.

Then they read the book multiple times, with students reading to themselves at their own pace. The teacher monitors each child, listening to them read and coaching them on decoding, self-monitoring, and comprehension strategies. It is also good to pair the students up to read to one another andlisten to their oral reading one more time, coaching and celebrating their success.

After each child has been coached, the teacher then conducts a mini lesson based on the needs of the students. This time is used as an opportunity to discuss the story and determine wether the studetns need support in understanding what they have read. During the mini-lesson, vocabulary is discussed, clarified, and related back to the story. The teacher may also relate the vocabulary to illustrations in the story or background experiences that the students have had. After this mini-lesson is finished, the teacher then has the students engage in writing, phonics, or other skills activities.

I think that the guided reading strategy provides a great foundation for English language learners for reading in the classroom. This is a great way to progress through many different aspects of reading and it allows them to discuss and learn new vocabulary. It also gives them some socialization time with classmates which is very important. This give them a sense of belonging in the academic setting.

I don't see any setbacks to this strategy. I think that it is a wonderful way to work with English language learners intensively in the classroom.