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Guided Reading as an Instructional Strategy

"It is through Guided Reading that teachers can show children how to read and can support children as they read."(Fountas & Pinnell, 1996)

In the National Reading Panel Report (1999), guided oral reading with feedback was found to positively impact word recognition, reading fluency, and comprehension. The use of this format across grade levels was found to help children recognize new words, read with more accuracy, read with more ease, and understand what they were reading.

The teacher's goal during guided reading is to interest students in the story, relate it to their experience, and provide a frame of meaning that will support problem solving (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996, p. 8). During the guided reading session, the teacher works with a group of students who use similar reading processes and are able to read similar levels of text with support. The teacher introduces the book and ties it in to their prior knowledge. The teacher then walks the students through the text, highlighting vocabulary and concepts they may come across when they read the book independently. As the students read the book, the teacher monitors individuals for evidence of reading strategies that are being applied, or not applied.

During the session, one to two teaching points may be addressed (i.e., modeling the use of a comprehension strategy, such as visualization, or locating and noticing specific features such as beginning or ending). The ultimate goal of the guided reading is for students to be able to read text and to apply strategies independently.

The National Reading Panel Report (1999) further addresses teaching comprehension strategies in the context of guided reading activities. Teachers must be skillful in their instruction and be able to respond flexibly and opportunistically to students' needs for instructive feedback as they read. Two major approaches are examined in particular: Direct Explanation and Transactional Strategy Instruction.
"The Direct Explanation approach focuses on the teacher's ability to explain explicitly the reasoning and mental processes involved in successful reading comprehension. Rather than teach specific strategies, teachers help students (1) to view reading as a problem solving task that necessitates the use of strategic thinking, and (2) to learn to think strategically about solving comprehension problems.

Transactional Strategy Instruction also emphasizes the teacher's ability to provide explicit explanations

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