Inside this issue Internet Connections Guided Reading Selecting Texts You're Invited

Internet Connections This newsletter can now be viewed on-line. You can access it by going to my homepage. You will find a link to this newsletter as well as a link to a resource table for many excellent educational websites. http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~borgert/

Guided Reading is an instructional procedure designed to teach students effective strategies while they are actively involved in reading. Readers are carefully matched with texts at an appropriate level so that success is assured. During guided reading the teacher observes the reading strategies that students are using, demonstrates reading strategies and language skills, provides direct instruction, and guides students to independence and self-monitoring. Guided reading can also provide students with the opportunity to practice the phonic elements taught.

What are the goals of guided reading? (1) A repertoire of effective strategies, (2) independent silent reading skills, and (3) a confident and competent reader.

What are some general guidelines for guided reading?

Groups should remain small (2-4 students).	Students not participating in guided reading are actively engaged in meaningful literacy tasks.
Schedule 5 minutes between groups to rotate among the students. Groups meet for about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the skill levels of your students.	Select texts appropriate to the interest and reading level of the students in the group. Texts should be at the instructional level (90% to 94% accuracy) so that the text is neither too easy nor too difficult.
Prepare students for the reading of the text by previewing the text cover and illustrations, encouraging predictions, telling a story introduction, and/or highlighting one or two unfamiliar words.	Students read softly or silently at their own pace. Readers may be at different places in the text and are encouraged to reread the text a second time when finished. The teacher rotates among students as they are actively engaged in reading, supporting and reinforcing their efforts individually.
After the reading, bring closure to the activity by discussing the story, inviting students to read their favorite page, and/or having the students reread the story with a partner.	Groups are flexible, changing in accordance with teacher observations of reading behaviors and the instructional needs of each student.

Selecting Texts involves finding the right match to support developing readers. Generally, three levels have been recognized in the literature: independent, instructional, and frustration.

The independent level is the one at which readers are most comfortable. Reading is completed automatically. Readers decode words easily and comprehension is good. Silent reading is rapid as the words are easily recognized and understood.

The instructional level is the level at which reading instruction is most effective. Students can read the materials but exhibit some difficulty with word recognition and comprehension. At this level, students need support in order to fully grasp information from reading. The instructional level includes activities related to the acquisition of word analysis and comprehension skills.

The frustration level is characterized by the inability to cope with the reading material. The material is too difficult as demonstrated through slow and labored silent and oral reading with frequent stops to decode unknown words. Comprehension is also poor with major concepts forgotten or misunderstood.

Text Selection

READING LEVEL	CRITERIA	PURPOSE
Independent reading level	95% to 100% accuracy	Daily silent reading
Instructional reading level	90% to 94% accuracy	Guided reading to teach strategies
Frustration reading level	Less than 90% accuracy	Read-aloud and shared reading

A Quick Estimation of Reading Levels

READING LEVEL	50 WORDS	100 WORDS
Independent	1-2 errors	1-5 errors
Instructional	3-5 errors	6-10 errors
Frustration	+5 errors	+10 errors

You're Invited to share your ideas about the selection of instructional reading materials for our special education programs. A meeting is scheduled for February 10, 1998, 3:15 p.m. at 4th Street, Fulton. If you can join us, please RSVP to Jim Huber or Stephanie Borgert@ 593-8608, fax 598-5975, or email borgert@cs.oswego.edu.