Dear Guided Reading Teachers,

For years, I struggled to make my guided reading groups consistent and engaging. I would constantly try new things and I never felt they were engaging and worthwhile, even I would get bored. I felt like I was spinning on a hamster wheel; putting in a lot of effort and not getting an equivalent pay out, in the form of reading growth. I focused on choosing leveled books, or texts rather, as they were rarely quality literature. This year, I decided I would focus less on levels and more on choosing engaging quality books. I paid attention to the levels, of course, but that wasn’t my sole purpose. Obviously, I wasn’t going to give my struggling readers a book they wouldn’t be successful with. I decided to have one of my groups read the first book in the Dragon Masters series by Tracey West. They absolutely loved it! Word spread around the classroom and I now have several students reading the series that weren’t even in the Dragon Masters group. I have been using a combined approach by letting whoever wants to read aloud, read, I also read aloud to model fluency, and students will read silently to themselves. We stop during any of those scenarios to check for understanding. Let me tell you the excitement for reading that has grown in my class this year! I have not assessed all of my students yet, but the ones I have, have shown considerable growth in according to our district leveled reading assessment. The best part for me has been to see the excitement in my class. Students are avidly reading and trying to get all the books in the series. They are excited to tell me about the books and what book they are on in the series. They come to school with a smile explaining how they are going to the library at night to get the next few books in the series. So, my advice to my fellow guided reading teachers is to trust your instinct. Get your kids excited about books. Don’t be afraid to go outside the leveled reading “box.” It will be worth it! A student excited about reading is the best outcome a teacher could ask for AND it’s contagious!

Sincerely,

A Passionate Teacher