For a long time, guided reading, where students work in small groups on books matched to their independent reading level, was a staple in many classrooms, mine included. However, research on the Science of Reading has started to cast doubt on its effectiveness, particularly for struggling readers. This left me wondering: If guided reading isn’t the answer, what should we be doing instead?
1. Don't Be Afraid to Use Grade Level Text
I’ve been diving into this topic a lot recently, sparked by a video from Doug Fisher on gradual release of responsibility and explicit instruction in reading. His points reminded me of similar ideas I’ve seen on Tim Shanahan’s blog. Both Doug Fisher and Tim Shanahan emphasize that while it’s important to support students, we need to rethink how we’re scaffolding them into complex, grade-level texts, not just giving them texts they can already read on their own.
For many of our students who are at risk or far behind, we tend to rely heavily on decodable texts in small group settings. While these texts are helpful for practicing decoding skills, they often lack the rich language needed to build vocabulary, sentence structure, or comprehension skills. This can limit our students’ exposure to the types of texts they’ll encounter in real-world reading.
2. Don't Put All Your Eggs in the Reading Screener Basket
One of the most eye-opening things for me has been understanding the limits of reading screeners. A lot of the tests we rely on to gauge students’ reading abilities—such as DIBELS, DRA, or other fluency screeners—focus heavily on decoding skills, which is just one aspect of reading. However, reading is much more than decoding; it also involves vocabulary development, comprehension, and fluency.
When we focus only on decoding with our struggling readers, we risk missing out on these other essential components of literacy.
3. DO Offer Scaffolding Strategies
So what’s the solution? The key is finding ways to scaffold students into more complex, grade-level texts, even if they struggle with decoding.
Here are three strategies to try:
1. Echo Reading
The teacher reads a sentence or passage first, and the students repeat it after you. This allows students to hear proper pacing, expression, and accuracy before attempting it themselves.
2. Choral Reading
The whole group reads aloud together, which can boost confidence and help struggling readers feel supported as they follow along with stronger readers.
3. Cloze Reading
This method reminded me of how I learned to read growing up—through scripture study! My parents would read aloud, but pause on certain words they knew I could read, giving me the chance to fill in the blanks. You can use this same strategy with grade-level texts, pausing on words for students to read while you support them by reading the harder vocabulary and comprehension tasks.
The Key: Find the Right Balance of Support
There’s no one-size-fits-all method for scaffolding students into complex texts, but the goal should always be to push students toward challenging reading while offering the right amount of support. One of Tim Shanahan’s key points is that if a child can read a text independently, then they don’t need you there to guide them. When you’re working with students in a small group, it should be on texts that are slightly beyond their reach, so you can be there to help them make sense of it.
The biggest thing to consider for each of your reading groups is no longer moving them from level I to level J, but instead, the continuum of support you will offer.
- What’s the most supportive way to help a student with a difficult text?
- When do I see evidence that each group is ready for me to start dialing back that support?
When these questions drive your small group planning, you'll be able to strike the right balance, ensuring your students aren’t just mastering decoding but also developing the vocabulary and comprehension skills they’ll need to tackle grade-level texts.
By blending research with practical strategies, we can make our small group instruction more effective, ensuring every student is working not just on decoding but also building the rich literacy skills they need for long-term success.
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