This is a sponsored post on behalf of Jump Library. Scroll to the bottom of this post and enter to win twenty of Jump’s high-interest nonfiction titles, with F&P levels of A-E, for your classroom!

Guided Reading helps teachers meet students’ varying needs. Through this framework, students are provided with supportive literacy experiences to help them develop the skills and strategies for independent reading success. Books for Guided Reading are leveled, giving teachers the opportunity to match students to appropriate texts and help them advance to more challenging texts as they are ready to do so.

What Does a Successful Guided Reading Program Include?

As part of any successful Guided Reading program, you will see the following (Fountas & Pinnell 1996):

• Teacher works with small groups.

• Children are similar in their reading development and read at the same level.

• Teachers introduce stories and support students’ reading in ways that help to develop independent reading strategies.

• Each child reads the whole text.

• The goal is for children to read independently and silently.

• The emphasis is on reading increasingly challenging books over time.

• Children are grouped and regrouped in a dynamic process that involves ongoing observation and assessment.

During guided reading, it is important to ensure that teachers/schools/students have:

Time and Space. Both the time and the support for consistent implementation.

Just Right Materials. Materials and books for Guided Reading that are aligned to all students’ varying needs, interests and levels.

What Happens in a Guided Reading Lesson?

The following chart offers a visual representation of what happens before, during and after a Guided Reading lesson.

Guided Reading: Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment and Evaluation is an integral part of Guided Reading. Assessment, whether informal or formal, is used to (Fountas & Pinnell 1996):

• Continually inform teaching decisions.

• Systematically assess the child’s strengths and knowledge.

• Find out what the child can do, both independently and with teacher support.

• Document progress for parents and students.

• Summarize achievement and learning over a given period–six weeks, a year or longer.

• Report to administrators, the school board and various stakeholders in the community.

From running records, observation checklists and listening to reading to formal assessments, a variety of assessment methods are used to help monitor progress, create flexible groups for Guided Reading and to implement instructional plans that support student needs.

High-Quality Books for Guided Reading 

Guided Reading requires a ton of planning. As a teacher, I spent countless hours pouring over various leveled texts and creating instructional plans to support my students’ varying levels and needs. Many of my students were considered struggling readers and it was difficult to find texts that met their reading level needs, while also ensuring that they were supportive of their interests.

Successful Guided Reading teachers and programs understand the importance of matching readers to texts. Meeting a variety of needs can be challenging and it’s important to ensure that the resources used best fit students’ needs and interests. Leveled books like Piglets, Patterns in Summer and Who Helps Keep Us Safe? from the publisher Jump can be a great resource to support Guided Reading programs. The full-color illustrations and high-interest nonfiction content will truly engage even the most reluctant or struggling readers.

Drawing on familiar concepts, such as “light and dark” and “transportation,” these texts help students quickly access background knowledge, make connections and, through each text, expand their learning of concepts, skills and vocabulary.

The titles are supportive of Common Core Informational Text standards and include text features, text spacing, sentence structure and content appropriate for primary reading level students. The “Words to Know” sections include picture vocabulary to support students and are ideal for language learners.

Teachers will love the “Tools for Teachers” section which includes vocabulary, and before and after reading strategies to support guided reading implementation. The titles are also leveled according to official Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading Levels, making them ready for immediate classroom use!

Resources

Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Enter to Win Guided Reading Books for Your Classroom! 

We’ve partnered with Jump Library to give away one entire set of all 20 titles in their new Tadpole imprint! With official F&P levels of A-E, these books are ideal for supporting your beginning guided reading groups. Enter below for your chance to win! Giveaway closes Sunday, December 17th at 11:59 p.m. Only one entry per person.

(Please note that we can only ship titles to a school address.)

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner!