A series of articles providing the community with an understanding of Van Buren’s new Guided Reading program
Fluent readers are readers who do not need to divert much attention to decoding and other strategies used to figure out unknown words. These strategies are used easily and fluently. In Guided Reading, the focus with these students is reading longer and more difficult books with more depth and understanding. Generally there are two formats a lesson might use.
The first is a Guided Reading lesson. Stories are introduced in a variety of ways. The teacher may have students focus on the characters in the book, the topic, or knowledge students already have related to the book. The teacher leads the students in making predictions. They might also preview the Table of Contents, index, glossary, etc.
The children read part of the book silently. After reading, the teacher leads a discussion. This might focus on readers’ impressions, the genre, main characters, and comprehension confirmed through the author’s words. For example, a child may share that “Lucy is upset.” The teacher would ask this child or another child to confirm that Lucy is indeed upset by reading the part of the selection that confirms this. The child might find and read the part of the text that says, “Lucy’s smile disappeared. Her heart sank further and further.”
Follow up activities for fluent readers often involve collecting information with graphic organizers to organize the written product that will be produced. As with Guided Reading at other levels, mini lessons related to phonetic or comprehension skills may also be included.
Another Guided Reading format used with fluent readers is Literature Circles. With Literature Circles students read silently and respond in a variety of ways. The group members are assigned different jobs.
The Discussion Director uses question starters to lead group discussions. The Wild and Crazy Word Finder finds words or phrases that are difficult or interesting for the group to discuss. The Summary Director takes notes while reading. He then writes one or two paragraphs summarizing that section of the book. The Connector Director writes two paragraphs making a connection between the selection read and a personal memory, another book, etc. The Selection Director chooses part of the selection to read aloud to the group. She writes a paragraph explaining why she chose this part of the selection to read to the group. The Art Director illustrates a scene from the selection not already pictured. He writes a paragraph describing that part of the story and why that part of the story was chosen.
With both formats of Guided Reading with fluent readers, the students are greatly involved in the process of more deeply understanding what they read. With the “give and take” between group members as well as the teacher, one might find the Guided Reading groups to be similar to adult book groups who meet and discuss books the group has read.