Tips in Next Steps Forward in Guided Reading

Tips in Next Steps Guided Reading:
Pre-A Stage:
*Students read the book with you, students manipulate their names, say letter names, match letters to alphabet chart, name a word that begins with that letter, find a letter that makes that sound, clapping syllables, hearing rhymes, sorting pictures, writing a dictated sentence, and letter formation

Emergent: (Levels A-C)
*Teach one- to-one matching and using pictures to reinforce meaning before you teach cross- checking.  Dictate 3 familiar sight words for students to write on their whiteboard.  Encourage independent reading (if they finish the book before you call time, have them reread the story).  Do not have students read the book chorally or round- robin.  This limits the amount of text they read and impedes independence.

Early: (Levels D-I)
*Strategy Focus- always consider self- monitoring first, have students independently read the text, ask open- ended questions that will facilitate discussion and help students draw inferences, word study activities could include: picture sorting, making words, sound boxes, and analogy charts.  Guided writing is assisted writing, not assigned or independent writing.

Transitional: (Levels J-P)
*Always teach monitor for meaning as your first focus.  If students are already using meaning, work on word solving strategies.  When monitoring and decoding are strong, choose fluency and retelling.  Once students are strong in all the areas at the text range, it is time to increase the text difficulty.  Students read text independently, do not introduce every new word, prompt students to use strategies and text clues to solve most words.

Fluent Reader: (Levels N and higher)
*Always ask yourself, "What can I teach this group today that will help them be better reader tomorrow?"
*Students read text independently, students write brief response as reading, teacher confers with students individually and prompt for vocabulary clarification or comprehension clarification.