Build on Best Practice, Know the Research , and Use Programs as a Resource

At the beginning of this chapter the author is talking to a group of frustrated teachers at a reading conference.   The teachers were frustrated because although they felt they knew what their students needed, they were mandated by the school where they were teaching at to teach a particular structured and scripted program.  They were mandated to use this programs because it was a scientifically, research-based program that was guaranteed to help their students succeed and was promoted by the National Reading Panel.  Now this next part really surprised me, the professionals who serve on the National Reading Panel only include one middle school reading teacher, the additional members are a physicist, a chancellor, an educational psychologist, an accountant and several other members who have never taught or have much experience in a classroom!  They use a scientific process to analyze data and as teachers very well know when it comes to a classroom, every classroom, every day is a different group of children and different circumstances.

When looking for a new reading program to adopt be involved and look at the research, just because a company says that the program is research based doesn’t necessarily mean that the research took occurred with English Language Learners, struggling students or students with disabilities.  It may just have occurred with normal progressing students.

In addition to basal reading programs, the trend is to purchase software for tens of thousands of dollars were students read leveled books, then are tested for comprehension on the computer.  When students were asked in-depth or open-ended questions about the book they were unable to answer the questions.  Also, using a program where students receive points for correctly answering questions gives students extrinsic motivation for reading.  Instead students should be intrinsically motivated and read for the joy of reading and learning.  Teachers may use these computerized programs as a supplement to the reading program, but it should in no way be the reading program.

An effective reading program is led by effective teachers whose students:

·         Spend about 50 percent of their time reading and writing,

·         Spend enormous amounts of time reading texts which are easy so they can read successfully with fluency, accuracy and comprehension.

·         Receive well crafted, explicit demonstrations during all aspects of reading, including independent, small group and whole group instruction.

·         Are involved in open-ended talk about a book that is conversational rather than interrogational.

·         Are assigned meaningful and challenging tasks which students have choice and integrate several content areas.

·         Work is evaluate more on improvement and effort than achievement using a rubric that students were involved in creating.

Routman ends the book with a reminder that we need not only need to take the time to ensure that every precious moment we spend with our students is valuable, educational, and ensuring their success, but we also need to take time for ourselves and our families.  Coordinate your classroom schedule so that students are doing more reading and getting more out of their reading.  Remember, more worksheets does not necessarily mean students are learning more. 

Examine Guided Reading

Routman defines guided reading as building on student’s strengths, supporting the student and demonstrating in order to move a student toward independence.  Guided reading can be helping a student choose a book, decoding text, making sense of the text, defining words, building fluency, monitoring comprehension, and determining author’s purpose.  Guided reading groups should not be grouped by ability past second grade.  Instead they should be in flexible groups such as literature circles, literature studies, reading and discussing a story that has already been read, reading with a partner, read a small passage or chunk or reading that was begun in class, engaging in reciprocal teaching or rereading part of a familiar text such as reader’s theatre.

The quality of books should be examined before being used for guided reading.  Ask yourself these questions when examining a book:

·         Will this book adequately support the student as a reader?  Consider:

o   The size, placement, and appearances of print, including spacing between words and lines, and page layout.

o   Pronounceable words and repetition of common words.

o   Number of unique words compared with familiar words.

o   Sentence patterns and language sophistication.

o   Degree of predictability.

o   Familiarity with vocabulary and concepts.

o   Degree of support provided by illustrations/visuals.

o   Genre and content.

o   Length of book.

·         Does the book support reading for meaning?

·         Will the student enjoy the text?  Is it interesting and relevant?

Establish a workable schedule.  In primary grades students should meet with the teacher every day.  In grades 3-6 students only need to meet with the teacher 2-3 times per week.  Ensure that guided reading does not dominate your schedule, allow enough time for daily independent reading.  Shared reading should take up 10 minutes, guided reading 20 minutes and independent reading 30 minutes.

What should the other students be doing?

When planning literacy centers for students you are not working with in guided reading groups ensure that students are spending most of the time reading or doing activities related to reading such as writing a response to their writing, raising questions for an upcoming discussion group, writing a book review for the class, advertising or promoting a book for peers and performing reader’s theatre.  Make sure students know that you are not to be interrupted when you are working with a guided reading group.  Create expectations about how students should work such as whispering, staying on task, and have students take turns being a monitor.  The monitor should quietly remind other students of expected behavior.

What does a guided reading group look like?

·         Choose a book or text that offers support and a few challenges.

·         Briefly introduce the book to the students by previewing, providing background knowledge and key vocabulary and read the first few pages aloud to get students interested in the text.

·         Have the students read the book or text silently.

·         Monitor comprehension by checking to see if students are rereading, checking words against pictures, or using other strategies.

·         Have students read silently looking for a particular answer and then write responses in journals.

·         Support and teach as necessary.

·         Have students read on with partners.

·         Occasionally extend and respond through reader’s theatre, reading response logs or illustration for certain scenes.