In our classroom, we will use the guided reading method of instruction. Guided reading uses small-group instruction and developmentally appropriate books called leveled readers. Within any classroom there is a wide range of reading abilities, this approach matches each child’s level with the appropriate instruction to insure success. Daily guided reading sessions last from 20 to 30 minutes. Guided reading lessons begin with introducing a book, drawing out prior knowledge, and building background. Each child is placed in a small group with other children of similar abilities and given a developmentally appropriate book to read. The teacher monitors and guides the reading of each child as needed.  Your child will be bringing home books to practice for homework. These titles are books that we have already completed in our guided reading sessions. This allows your child to practice books that they are familiar with, helping to strengthen their word identification and fluency skills as well as to build their reading confidence.  Our goal, together, is to help your child to become a lifelong reader. 

Our focus in reading will be:   

• Comprehension skills

• Fluency

• Decoding  

The following information is provided so that you have an understanding of the terms used to define Reading instruction.

READ ALOUD

Definition:  Teacher reads selection aloud to the whole class or small groups. A carefully selected body of children’s literature is used; the collection contains a variety of genres and represents our diverse society. Favorite texts, selected for special features, are reread many times.

Values:  Involves children in reading for enjoyment; demonstrates reading for a purpose; provides an adult demonstration of phrased, fluent reading; develops a sense of story; develops knowledge of written language syntax; develops knowledge of how texts are structured; increases vocabulary; expands linguistic repertoire; supports intertextual ties; creates community of readers through enjoyment and shared knowledge; makes complex ideas available to children; promotes oral language development; establishes known texts to use as a basis for writing and other activities through rereading.

SHARED READING

Definition:  Using an enlarged text that all children can see, the teacher involved children in reading together following a pointer.  The process includes: rereading big books, poems, songs; rereading retellings; rereading alternative texts; and rereading the products of interactive writing.

Values:  Explicitly demonstrates early strategies, such as word-by-word matching; builds sense of story and ability to predict; demonstrates the processes of reading extended text; like reading aloud, involves children in an enjoyable and purposeful way; provides social support from the group; provides opportunity to participate and behave like a reader; creates body of known texts that children can use for independent reading and as resources for writing and word study.

GUIDED READING

Definition:  The teacher works with a small group who has similar reading processes.  The teacher selects and introduces new books and supports children reading the whole text to themselves, making teaching points during and after the reading.

Values:  Provides the opportunity to read many texts and a wide variety of texts; provides opportunity to problem-solve while reading for meaning; provides opportunity to use strategies on extended text; challenges the reader and creates context for successful processing on novel texts; provides opportunity to attend to words in text; teacher selection of text, guidance, demonstration, and explanation is available to the reader.

INDEPENDENT READING

Definition:  Children read on their own from a wide range of materials on their independent reading level (95%-100%).

Values:  Provides opportunity to apply reading strategies independently; Provides time to sustain reading behavior; Challenges the reader to work on his/her own and to use strategies on a variety of texts; Challenges the reader to solve words independently while reading texts well within his/her control; Promotes fluency through rereading; Builds confidence through sustained successful reading; Provides the opportunity for children to support each other while reading.