WHAT DOES SMALL-GROUP GUIDED READING INSTRUCTION LOOK LIKE?

The Guided Reading lesson looks different at different stages of development.

That said, there is no “formula” for a guided reading lesson at any stage; the
format will vary according to the needs of the group. Reading records will provide
information for the teacher to target instruction most effectively. There are
certain common elements, however:
 Start with learning goals: What do we want students to know and be able
to do because of this lesson sequence?
 Often a comprehension goal will come from the class read-aloud and
instruction. If we teach a strategy to the whole class, it makes sense
for all guided reading groups to practice it with their own texts.
 Add a word-level, vocabulary and/or fluency goal specific to the
needs of the group.
 Use the chart READING BEHAVIOURS TO OBSERVE AND SUPPORT at
the end of this document to help you determine what students need
to learn next (pages 10-12).
 Choose an appropriate text: Guided Reading texts should be supportive
but stretch the students as readers. We usually use the guideline of 95%
accuracy (almost all the words) and general comprehension for instruction.
Leveled books are a convenience, but the main thing is to find a text that
the students can mostly read on their own but has a few challenges to
make them use some strategies.
 Longer Texts (Levels H+): Plan on spending 2-3 sessions with groups
reading longer texts. Your guided reading lesson is an opportunity to help
students access prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. They may
read independently or with a partner away from the guided reading time.
When you meet as a group again, you can discuss what they read and
return to the text to share interesting ideas or questions.
 Consider adding a “must-do” task after each guided reading lesson, to
encourage students to independently apply what was learned in the lesson.
 Plan the lesson using a planning template: The following chart provides
suggestions for how to plan your guided reading lesson at different levels.
Use the appropriate planning template (pages 5-9) to record the focus and
key skills/strategies for each lesson.

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 Text Level Guided Reading Instruction Next Steps
Level A-B Before Reading: Move to the next
books, Big - Teacher presents the text (picture walk) and discusses stage when
Books and with the students to help them build oral language students can
large charts skills, make connections and activate prior knowledge. track simple lines
with poems, - Teacher introduces/reinforces a few sight words that of print, can
songs, etc. that appear in the text. match letters
have been During Reading: and words in the
used for Class - Teacher reads first and then students echo read text, and know
Shared Reading pointing to each word. When text is familiar, students at least half of
can choral read and/or read independently for repeated the alphabet, as
practice. well as how to
After Reading: read and write
As follow-up, ask students to: their own
- find their favourite page and read aloud names.
- complete a sentence cut up using the sentence pattern
in the book
- hunt for specific words or letters in the text
- use sound boxes to reinforce phonemic awareness or
play letter games using words from the book

Level C-D Before Reading: Move to the next

books with at - Teacher presents text (picture walk) and students stage when
least one or discuss to make connections and activate prior students can
two lines of knowledge. identify all
print per page - Teacher reviews high frequency words as necessary alphabet letters,
with repetitive before reading, focusing on recognition of basic sight hear beginning
sentence words (is, the, like, can, etc.) using word cards for and ending
patterns and review. sounds,
supportive During Reading: recognize 20+
pictures. - Students echo read first few pages. Then, read sight words, and
independently or “whisper read” as teacher listens to read simple texts
each child individually. with finger
- Students practise partner reading and independent tracking.
whisper reading for repeated practice.
After Reading:
As a follow-up, ask students to:
- find their favourite page and read aloud
After several readings, ask students to:
- complete a sentence cut up
- practise word families - ‘If you know ‘cat’ then you
know bat, mat, sat, etc.’
- create their own pages using the sentence pattern

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Level E-G Before Reading: Move on when
books with a - Teacher introduces the text and guides students to students read
variety of activate prior knowledge. the texts fluently
sentence - Teacher may not guide students through the entire after rereading,
patterns and text but highlights unfamiliar words and structures. automatically
punctuation. - Teacher shows students how to do their own picture recognize short
Print is on the walks. vowel words,
same place on - Teacher reviews sight words, as necessary. and most high
every page. During Reading: frequency
Illustrations - Students ‘whisper read’ the text on their own. words.
directly - Teacher listens to individual students read and notes
support the their reading behaviours. Students must
meaning of the After Reading: also show
texts. After first reading, students can: understanding of
- reread with a partner or choral read as a group for the text and be
extra practice able to retell or
- respond both orally and in writing (Use the pattern summarize the
from their favourite page to write their own idea (ie If main ideas.
the book says – I can run in the garden. The students
write their own sentences. (I can run on the beach or I
can run around the school.)
- practise retelling what they have read

Level H-J books Before Reading: Move on when

which are - Teacher introduces the text with a short preview students can
usually longer (“This story is about…”), activates prior knowledge and read
texts with sets purpose for reading. independently
some - Teacher Introduces essential vocabulary that students after initial
unfamiliar or might not solve on their own. introduction and
specialized - Teacher encourages students to use before, during support from the
vocabulary. and after reading strategies. teacher, retelling
Illustrations During Reading: and showing
and photos - Students read independently (not in chorus or round increasing
connect to the robin) as the teacher listens to one student reading. knowledge of
general - Students reread the text as time permits. high frequency
meaning of the - The whole text may not be read in one day. word vocabulary
texts. After Reading: and decoding
- Teacher prompts discussion about the story or key abilities.
information, focusing on higher level thinking.
- Word and letter patterns and word-solving strategies Students will
are reinforced, based on the identified needs of the also show
group. beginnings of
- Students respond both orally and in writing with a fluency, phrasing
focus on retelling or summarizing key ideas. and expression.

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Level K-M Before Reading: 3 Ps: Preview, Prior Knowledge, and Students are
books which Purpose for Reading learning to use
are longer Teacher models and supports comprehension strategies comprehension
texts including Predicting, Making Connections, Previewing strategies to
representing a Vocabulary deepen their
balance of During Reading: If students are demonstrating fluency, understanding.
fiction and they can begin reading silently. Ask students to read
non-fiction short chunks of text at a time, then pause to discuss and The focus is on
texts. question. comprehension
Focus on practising comprehension strategies and rather than
thinking aloud. decoding.
Students read silently or with partner.
Teacher and students ask questions to monitor Move on when
understanding. students can
After Reading: Small group discussions about the story read these levels
or information learned in the text. accurately,
Rereading for fluency, fluently and with
Evaluating, Responding in Writing (using graphic comprehension.
organizers that have been introduced and modeled by
the teacher in Read Aloud or Shared Reading.

Note: With longer texts, teacher may chunk the reading,

introduce the text, get them started with reading a page
or 2, then send them off to read the specific section
independently. The next guided reading lesson begins
with a discussion about what was read and then a new
section of the text is introduced.
Level M and Before Reading: 3 Ps: Preview, Prior Knowledge and Students reading
beyond books, Purpose for Reading at these levels
longer texts Teacher models and supports comprehension strategies often need less
representing a including Predicting, Making Connections, Previewing teacher guidance
balance of Vocabulary and should be
fiction and encouraged to
non-fiction During Reading: Students read silently short chunks of engage in
texts, with text. independent
figurative Teacher guides discussion with higher level questions discussions and
language and and prompts, as well as metacognitive use of extensions with
nuance. comprehension strategies (How did that strategy help their peers.
you better understand the text?).
Students are guided to interpret figurative language and Working in
literary devices. Literature
Circles, Book
After Reading: Summarizing, Responding in Writing, Clubs or with a

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 Extending experience with the text. partner to
discuss and
respond to texts.

Small-Group Guided Reading Plan (Levels A-D)

Date: Students:

Reread Familiar Book: (Observations of Students Reading Independently)

New Book Title/Level: High Frequency Words:

Picture Walk: (Introduce new vocabulary in pictures and repeating sentence pattern)

First Read (Echo Read) Observations:

Second Read Teaching Points: (Sentence pattern, matching picture and words using initial
and final consonants, finding HF words and new vocabulary on the page)

Follow Up: (Individual or Partner Reading, Sentence Cut-Up or Drawing/Writing)

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 Small-Group Guided Reading Plan (Levels E-G)

Date: Students:

Reread Familiar Book: (Observations of Students Reading Independently)

New Book Title/Level: High Frequency Words:

Picture Walk: (Discussion about pictures to introduce new vocabulary and sentence patterns)

First Read Introduction (setting purpose) and observations of students reading

independently:

Second Read Teaching Points: (Reviewing new vocabulary, highlighting key events or ideas)

Follow Up: (Individual or Partner Reading, Oral and written retelling, personal written
response based on idea from text)

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 Small-Group Guided Reading Plan (Levels H-J)

Date: Students:

Book Title/Level:

Before Reading: Review previously read section of text or introduce new text. (Ask
questions, make predictions and connections)

Introduce/Discuss New Vocabulary:

During Reading: Set purpose for reading and listen to individual students.

After Reading Teaching Points: Review key strategies for word solving (word and letter
patterns) and comprehension.

After Reading Discussion: (Summarizing/Retelling)

Follow Up: (Individual or Partner Reading, Written retelling/summarizing)

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 Small-Group Guided Reading Plan (Levels K-M)

Date: Students:

Book Title/Level:

Before Reading: 3 Ps (Preview, Prior Knowledge and Purpose for Reading)

During Reading Observations: (Listen to individual students read)

After Reading Teaching Points: Stop after short chunks of text to review reading strategies,
discuss text and ask questions)

After Reading Discussion: (Summarizing/Retelling)

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Follow Up: (Student Response to Reading - Reading Response Journal or Graphic Organizer
previously taught to whole class)

Small-Group Guided Reading Plan (Levels M+)

Date(s): Students:

Book Title/Level:

Before Reading: 3 Ps (Preview, Prior Knowledge and Purpose for Reading)

During Reading Observations: (Lit Circle or Book Club Schedule/Roles/Group Work)

After Reading Discussion: (Summarizing/Retelling/Analyzing/Evaluating with examples

from text)

Teaching Points: Based on Observations During Lit Circle/Book Club - Meet with to group
review comprehension and vocabulary strategies

Follow Up: (Student Response to Reading - Reading Response Journal or Graphic Organizer
previously taught to whole class/Group Project)

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READING BEHAVIOURS TO OBSERVE AND SUPPORT

These are specific behaviours that students need to learn and practise in reading development. This
range represents the developmental learning progression that we typically expect for students in
primary and elementary (Grades 1-5).

Level A and B Reading Strategies - Concepts About Print:

Texts • Matching spoken word to printed word
including Big • Pointing under the words and moving from left to right
Books, Poems • Carrying the pattern from page to page
and Songs on • Matching lines, words and letters in print
Charts
Comprehension:
• Using illustrations to confirm their reading
• Reacting to the text. For example, they might say that the dog is excited
to go outside at the end. Reacting to a text is a key reading behavior that
shows the student knows that reading is about making meaning.

Level C and D Reading Strategies - Concepts About Print:

• Making a return sweep to the beginning of the next line, in text with
more than one line of print

Reading Strategies - Word Solving:

• Using knowledge of phonics to read: CVC words, blends and digraphs,
and short vowels
• Beginning to self-correct using beginning and ending letter sounds (as
well as meaning). For example, cup for cold lemonade, or cake for cookie
• Segmenting through a word, saying each phoneme or by using
phonograms (c-a-t or c-at) and blending the word together (cat)
• Building a repertoire of high frequency words read automatically

Comprehension:
• Beginning to monitor, noticing when reading does not make sense, sound
right, or look right
• Retelling what was read

Level E and F Reading Strategies - Word Solving:

 Reading compound words, contractions, and words with the CVCe
pattern

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 • Noticing errors or unknown words and solving those words using
meaning, structure and phonetic cues
• Recognizing and using word endings (-ing, -ed)
• Beginning to solve unknown words, pausing to consider the correct
meaning, and rereading if the solved word does not make sense or sound
right
Fluency:
• Reading with more phrasing and is beginning to respond to print
features. For example, attending to punctuation, large or bold print, or
dialogue to add expression

Comprehension:
• Retelling details from text
• Identifying beginning, middle and ending
• Making connections to prior knowledge

Level G, H Reading Strategies - Word Solving:

and I  Becoming skilled at solving multisyllabic words with complex letter sound
relationships, using vowel combinations and word chunks (syllables rather
than letter by letter)
 Becoming efficient when reading continuous text (monitors, searches visual
information, predicts, confirms with meaning and structure, self-corrects, etc.)
• Consistently notices and processes unknown words, confirming with meaning,
as words are solved.
• Stopping and self-correcting at the point of error, using previous word solving
skills. For example, more and more multisyllabic words, complex spelling
patterns, and compound words are used at this level and onward

Fluency:
• Reading with more phrasing and responds to print features such as
punctuation, large print, or dialogue to add expression. For example, student
pauses at commas or raises their voice at an exclamation point
• Attending to longer, more complex sentences with adjectives and adverbs

Comprehension:
• Determining the meaning of unknown words by using context and meaning
• With guidance, drawing inferences and making judgments from reading
• Asking and answering questions (“wonderings”) about text
• Responding to reading both orally and in writing

Level J, K, Reading Strategies - Word Solving:

and L • Skilled at solving multisyllabic words with complex letter sound relationships,
using vowel combinations and word chunks syllables rather than letter by
letter)
• Rereading for self-monitoring without prompting
• Self-correcting at the point of error/miscue

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 Fluency:
 Reading with fluency - appropriate pace, attending to meaning, pausing and
reading in phrases and sentences, responding to punctuation and reading
most words with automaticity

Comprehension:
• Pausing to think or to react to text, while reading
• Drawing inferences and making judgments from reading
• Demonstrating increasing independence in using strategies to make meaning
from print
• Understanding and applying the structures of different text forms: narrative,
informational, functional

Level M + Reading Strategies – Word Solving:

 Reads unfamiliar and multisyllabic words, using knowledge of phonics and
word parts, to word solve
 Rereads for self-monitoring without prompting
 Demonstrates reading with intonation, including with some stress on words in
response to meaning, pausing and reading in phrases and sentences,
responding to punctuation, and reading most words with automaticity

Fluency:
 Uses the punctuation and dialogue to make the reading sound like a story -
including voices of the characters
 Reads with fluency, that is, reads with an appropriate pace, attending to
meaning, with a sense of relative ease

Comprehension:
 Pausing to think or to react to text, while reading
 Drawing inferences and making judgments from reading
 Demonstrating increasing independence in using strategies to make meaning
from print
 Understanding and applying the structures of different text forms: narrative,
informational, functional
 Summarizes key elements of text both orally and in writing (using graphic
organizers

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