GUIDED READING “The aim of guided reading is to develop independent readers who question, consider alternatives, and make informed choices as they seek meaning.” —Dr. Margaret Mooney, literacy educator and author
KEY FINDINGS
> > Guided reading places students on an accelerated course to independent reading with accuracy, fluency, and comprehension (Scharer et al., 2018; Richardson, 2016). > > Guided reading is potent, strategic, and differentiated small-group reading instruction, and its aim is clear: to help readers process—accurately, proficiently, and independently—increasingly challenging, conceptually rich, complex texts on grade level (Scharer et al., 2018; Richardson, 2016). > > Guided reading also acknowledges that children bring different backgrounds and instructional experiences to the reading process and therefore move forward at different rates. The small-group model allows teachers to target specific learning needs, provide appropriate scaffolding, and gradually reduce support to promote independence. Guided reading essentials include small groups, instructional- leveled texts, and targeted teaching” (Richardson, 2016). > > Based on 40 years of irrefutable research drawing from cognitive science and the linguistic principles that inform our understanding of language and literacy development (Clay, 1976, 2001; Holdaway, 1979, Mooney, 1990, Fountas and Pinnell, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2017; Johnston, 2010; Allington, 2012), guided reading supports all readers: challenged, gifted, and those for whom English is a target language (Scharer et al., 2018). > > “After systematic assessment to determine their strengths and needs, students are grouped for efficient reading instruction. While individuals always vary, the students in the group are alike enough that they can be effectively taught in a group. Texts are selected from a collection arranged along a gradient of difficulty. The teacher selects a text that students will be able to process successfully with instruction” (Pinnell and Fountas, 2017).
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CHAPTER 5: TEACH
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