Guided Reading

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Fluency2.1

Guided Reading

Purpose:

Guided practice develops confident, fluent readers. All readers benefit from first listening to a fluent reader, echoing back what they have heard and repeating the process independently. 

How:

  • Practitioner demonstrates by reading text out loud ("I do")
  • Practitioner and learner read the text together ("We do")
  • Reader reads the text independently ("You do")

Echo reading works well as guided practice for beginning readers:

  1. Fluent reader reads first 
  2. Beginning reader(s) repeat after fluent reader 

Paired (or shared) reading works well for intermediate to advanced readers and can be used with a group:

  1. Fluent reader(s) are matched with a partner 
  2. Each pair reads together or takes turns reading (a sentence, paragraph or page)

Silent reading can appeal to advanced readers: 

  1. Fluent reader reads part or all of a passage out loud 
  2. All readers read through the same passage silently and independently 

See It In Action

Listen:

The Answers May Vary Resource Collection on the CALP Portal includes a short audio file dedicated to Assisted Reading (also known as Echo Reading) from Chapter 2 of the AMV Guidebook ‘Strategies to Build Literacy and Essential Skills into Daily Life’. This section also notes that "Assisted reading and language experience approach were found to be especially successful in pilot literacy project for adults with developmental disabilities by the Edmonton Prospects Literacy Association."

https://centreforfoundationallearning.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/amv_assisted_-reading_audio_5.mp3

Watch: 

Improving Fluency with Oral Reading Strategies - Part 4: Echo Reading and Cross-generational Reading from Partners in Reading - San Jose Public Library

https://youtu.be/9EhHON1R_xc

Practice:

Try the Neurological Impress Technique described in Creating Learning Partners:

  1. Choose a reading selection that is at the learner’s independent reading level, that is, something easy enough for them to read on their own. Material that is a little harder can be used later.
  2. Have the learner hold the book, while you sit close to them and a little behind so you can read along.
  3. Read aloud from the book, at a normal speed, as you move your index finger under the line of print as you read. The learner reads along with you, trying to keep up.
  4. If the learner hesitates a bit, keep on going and let him catch up. If he stops completely, stop and rest for a moment and then continue. If he is extremely frustrated, stop and try again with easier material another day. About 10 minutes of this practice is enough for one sitting. The goal is simply to give the learner a chance to read with better fluency

Read More:

Decoda Literacy Solutions Back to Basics: Echo Reading

https://decoda.ca/back-to-basics-echo-reading/

Literacy Minnesota Reading Fluency Practice: Modelled Reading

https://www.literacymn.org/reading-fluency-practice-modelled-reading

 Literacy Minnesota also outlines the steps for Collaborative Oral Reading 

https://www.literacymn.org/collaborative-oral-reading