The article on guided reading that I found was about issues with "challenging" texts. The article stated that students who work with books that are too challenging may be able to get through the book, but they compromise their reading process--and if reading is fragmented or uneven during guided reading it is very likely that students will transfer these inefficiencies to their independent reading time. The article suggested that teachers should increase their sensitivity to readers who are distressed with challenging texts and ask questions to assess reader distress.
I think that it is very important for teachers to choose texts that are appropriate for students, there is a fine line between too challenging and too easy, and as teachers we have to choose our texts wisely. The article I read gave some really good websites to visit such as ReadWriteThink.org which has tons of resources for aspiring teachers.
Here are some handy tips to decide if a text is too difficult: Students are off task, nervous, or engaged in inappropriate behavior, students read haltingly, the lesson takes more than 15-20 minutes, the teacher has to support all readers and cannot shift attention to one student or has no time to make notes about the lesson, and the teacher is tired from extensive explanations.
Some handy tips for a text that is just right include: students are focused, students sound like good readers most of the time (with occasional stops to problem solve), the lesson lasts 15-20 minutes, the teacher makes notes about guided reading session, and the teacher is quiet and listening for much of the session.
A classroom operating on a guided reading session where the text is just right for the students is most certainly a more organized and learning enhancing classroom, can you think of any other suggestions to make a guided reading session work for students? Have you ever been in or observed a class where the text was too hard for the students? How did the classroom work or operate?
I really like how you posted the clues to seeing if the reading level is on target for the children.I have been in a class where the text was too hard for some students but not all students. The teacher had expressed to me that the trick when dealing with books that may be to hard for some students, is to find a book that the possibly "lower level" students are super interested in. I think that it is a challenge but if done well can make a big difference... that being said I hope I do it well LOL!
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to choose books that are going to be relevant and interesting to the children. It is always more fun and engaging to read when something has meaning to you! I also like how you included the hints that some children may be struggling. It would be great to use in a portfolio.
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