Guided reading is a method by which students learn to use independent reading strategies successfully. In other words, the students perform most of the reading and the Reading Coach intervenes ONLY when the students are unable to pronounce a word or they get lost in the sentence. The following strategies can help students successfully decode, comprehend and retell a story.
Decoding - identifying the meaning of a word or phrase
When a student comes to a word he or she doesn’t know, have him or her try the following:
- Talk about what’s happening in the story.
- Check the pictures for clues.
- Think about the meaning. What word would make sense?
- Break the word into chunks by taking off the beginning or ending.
- Identify the sounds in the word and try blending them together.
- Read to the end of the sentence, omitting the word, and then go back to decide what word would make sense.
Comprehension – understanding what they have read
Meaning and comprehension are the goals of reading. Instead of focusing on missed words, focus on the overall understanding. Try some of these comprehension questions:
- What do you think this book will be about? (Make Predictions)
- Have you read any other books that remind you of this one? (Make Connections)
- Have you had any experiences like the characters? (Make Connections)
- Can you think of a different ending for this story? (Predicting)
- Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not?
- Do you know what that word means? (Vocabulary)
- Let’s close our eyes and make a movie of this in our heads. What do you see? (Visualizing)
- Recall the sequence of events. Tell me the: beginning, middle, and end.
Retelling a Story – telling their version of the story
After your students read their book, have them do an oral retelling of the story. Ask the students to close the book and tell you about the story in their own words. Have them tell you as many details as they can remember. If a child has difficulty retelling parts of the story or remembering certain details, you can use prompts such as, “Tell me more about (character)” or “What happened after…?”
Analyze the retelling for information each child gives about:
- Main Idea and Supporting Detail
- Sequence of Events
- Characters
- Setting
- Plot
- Problem and Solution
- Response to Text-Specific Vocabulary and Language