Guided Reading

I love guided reading for all grade levels.  If you are unfamiliar with the term guided reading it is simply a child (or children) reading along with a teacher or parent.  Guided reading can be done with just a parent and child reading together with the parent helping the child with new or difficult words and the child reading as much as they are able to do on their own.  In a classroom setting guided reading is incorporated into several curriculum areas.  Kindergarten students will often have small reading groups based on their reading ability.  They will have guided reading time to read through their reading curriculum texts while other students work independently.  Older students will use guided reading for literature and other curriculum areas such as science or history textbooks. 

Guided reading is sometimes overlooked by classroom teachers and homeschoolers alike.  In the same way that it is faster and easier to do the household chores yourself rather than instructing a child to do it, it is simpler and easier for a teacher or homeschooler to read to students or have the students read silently themselves.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with reading portions of the text to a student or having the student be personally responsible for a specific portion of reading; however, reading aloud and in groups has multiple benefits for students. 

For the youngest students, preschoolers and kindergarteners, guided reading is an excellent way to develop reading skills.  Although they may not be ready or able to read along, preschoolers can learn the flow of language.  Following along from page to page, turning pages along with you and following the flow of the story, helps to develop an understanding of how the words flow from left to right, line to line, and page to page.  It also helps develop student skills of sitting still, following directions, following along.  Guided reading also helps pre-readers to feel they are a part of reading even if they can't read words yet. 

For beginning readers, guided reading allows them the ability to read books beyond their reading ability and gain confidence in reading.  Beginning readers can read books more advanced for them while receiving help through difficult words or passages.  They gain a sense of accomplishment from reading progressively more difficult books encouraging them along the way. 

For all reading levels, guided reading offers some excellent benefits.  Oral reading skill is one of the best benefits to guided reading.  Reading aloud and hearing others read aloud improves student confidence, oral expression, and language skill.  Before a child is ready to learn the rules of punctuation and grammar, they can hear it in the natural flow of oral reading.  Stops and pauses for commas and end punctuation, expression for questions and exclamatory sentences are all incorporated into oral reading well before a student is ready to learn the rules of punctuation.  Oral reading helps students develop expression in their reading and also helps students learn to follow along whether they are reading or not.

It has amazed me in recent years how many people, children and adults, are uncomfortable reading out loud in front of others.  Teaching Junior-age students in Sunday School, I am amazed at how many of the students struggle to read verses aloud in class.  Adults, too, are often leary of reading aloud.  Guided reading from early on throughout a student's education is an excellent way to improve confidence in oral reading, expression in reading, and overall student skills too.

So how do I use guided reading in our classroom?  I'm so glad you asked :)  I try to sprinkle it into our school day whenever possible.  I enjoy Abeka's Primary Bible Readers for grades 1-3.  Josh and Joy and I each have one.  I select passages from the Bible Readers for Josh and Joy to read out loud for Bible class that go along with the Bible lesson.  I have lots of fun literature books with 5 or 6 of each book so that each of my five little ones and I can each have a book.  The older students read, while everyone follows along.  For Josh and Joy, we read everything aloud, from silly fiction books to science and history and language books.  To be sure they are following along, I'll read for a while and then ask one of them to pick up where I left off.  This is a great way to be sure they are reading along.  (keeps them on their toes)  Of course, it is not necessary for every homeschooler to purchase multiples of each book in order to use guided reading instruction.  You can read with your child from a single copy of a book.  Guided reading allows the student and the teacher to both read and to practice oral reading skills along the