Guided Reading

     Guided reading is a way to help students become better readers by learning different strategies to use during reading.  It involves small groups of children who are on the same reading level to read the same book, the teacher directing the group, and the students and teacher having discussions before, during, and after the reading.

Guided Reading   Before Reading	During Reading	After Reading
Talked about things they have already been              learning about They looked at the pictures that the children saw and talked about them Made predictions about the book Teacher had the students follow her as she read the title She tells them to pay attention to the pictures as they read Sounds out some of the words together Asks them to find certain words on the page based on the sounds the letters make Has them point out words they already know Tells them to use the pictures and the text to help them figure out what they should be reading The teacher has them use their finger to follow along with the words she is pointing out	The students read out loud to themselves and the teacher goes around as the students are reading to themselves and listens to them read a little bit She helps them if they are struggling with a word Has them go back and re-read the story if they go through it one time Helps them use the pictures to help them figure out the text	Plays a game with pictures of things they read about and matching those pictures with the letter that starts the word and then the letter that ends the word The teacher gives them some tips about how to be good readers: re-read, make sure the words you are saying make sense, and make sure the letters of the text match up with the word you are saying

     I really liked the teacher's enthusiasm during the video.  It really allowed her to keep the student's attention, and make them excited about reading.  I also liked the game that they played after they were done reading.  I thought the game did a good job of helping students with their vocabulary, but it also showed a little bit of their comprehension because they knew what each picture was and the pictures came from what they had read about.  The only thing that I would do a little bit differently is I think I would like to spend a little more time listening to each students read.

     The website,readinga-z.com, seems to be a really useful tool for teachers to use for guided reading lessons.  Teachers can order all different kinds of books, and the website even has a chart to tell you what level that book is and what skills that book helps to work on.  I would use this website to either order books for my students, or I would use to get an idea of what kinds of books I need to have my students reading.