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Recipes for Effective Literacy Instruction

Guided Reading

 



Do You Know Where Your Readers Are?

 

 

 

 

 

FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS PHOTO, CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO.  Many thanks to Rahshene Davis at University Heights Charter School for this helpful explanation of how UHCS uses data to drive instruction!

 I keep this photo on my phone to show it to every school leader I meet.  It’s the wall in Rahshene Davis’s office at University Heights Charter School.  The W.R.A.P. (Writing Reading Assessment Profile) indicates what reading level students are on, correlated to Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Books.  Each student’s name is written on a colored strip of paper corresponding to the color of the reading levels for his/her grade.  For example, the kindergartners are purple, and letters A-D are purple.  You will notice from this chart that many of the students who arrived at UHCS in September were not even on the chart; they couldn’t read a word.  But look again: in December, look at the progress.  And again, in March.

This wall is in a room where teachers meet for professional development, and every time they walk in, they're reminded of why they are there.

If you want to know more about leveled reading and guided reading, CLICK HERE for a terrific Website ("Instructional Strategies Online" provided by Saskatoon Public Schools).  I highly recommend this site.

Also, check out the Independent Reading page for logistical suggestions.

 


How should YOU assess your students' reading levels?  Here are a few suggestions, though many others are out there....

 

W.R.A.P. Primary: (K-2)
 
W.R.A.P. Intermediate: (grades 2-6 and beyond)
 
McLeod Assessment of Reading Comprehension (More of a broad screening tool using “cloze” reading passages, it can be administered to a whole class in 15 minutes)


How can you match students to the most appropriate books?

 

Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Books: (K-8) 
"your complete resource for leveled books and Guided Reading instruction, including

  • over 32,000 leveled books that are sortable by level, genre, series, or publisher
  • video clips of guided-reading classrooms in action
  • organizational and classroom management tips
  • suggested read-alouds for all grades
  • professional development information for individuals and groups"
Lexile Framework for Reading (“an educational tool that connects readers with reading materials using a common measure called a Lexile…which denotes both reading ability and text difficulty on the same scale.  When used together, Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures enable educators, parents, and students to select books and other targeted reading materials that meet and challenge a reader’s unique abilities and interests.”)
 
SEARCHING FOR BOOKS?  Worldcat.org enables you to search both libraries and bookstores, and even provides price comparisons among the booksellers!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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