
GuidedReadingvs.
StrategyLessons
GuidedReadingStrategyLesson
BeforeReading
TypeofBook:
• Unfamiliartextthatisonelevelabovethe
students’independentreadinglevel
• Allchildrenhavethesamebook
ChildreninGroup:
• Shortterm,transient,abilitygroups
BookIntroduction:
• Teachergivesoverviewofthetext:title,
setting,plot,trickywordsortextfeatures,
picturewalk
• Takethechildrentoparticularpagesthatmight
posesomedifficulty
TypeofBook:
• Canbeafamiliartext
• Childrenmayhavedifferenttextssincethey
needabookthatisatorevenbelowtheir
independentreadinglevel
ChildreninGroup:
• Maycontainchildrenfromdifferentreading
levelswhostrugglewiththesameskill
BookIntroduction:
• Maynotbeabookintroductionifstudentsare
rereadingafamiliartexttopracticethe
strategybeingtaught
NamingtheStrategy:
• Lessonalwaysbeginswithteachernamingthe
strategy,brieflydemonstratingthestrategy,
andtheninvitingstudentstotryitout
• StrategyLessonsresemblemini‐lessons
DuringReading
FirstReading:
• Allstudentshavetheirowntext,readthetext
quietlyandsimultaneously,andusuallyinits
entirety
• Teachermayaskcertainstudentstowhisper
readsothatshecanlisteninandevenprobe
forcomprehension
Rereading:
• Ifachildfinishesthetextearly,heorshe
rereadsitorrereadsafavoritepage
FirstReading:
• Allstudentshavetheirowntext,readthetext
quietlyandsimultaneously,
• Teacherobservesthestudentsusingthe
strategy
Rereading:
• Ifnecessary,studentsareencouragedto
rereadtheirtexttopracticethestrategyso
thattheteacherhastimetocoachallreaders
inthegroup
AfterReading
TeachingPoint:
• Occursattheendofthelessonbasedon
teacher’sobservationsofa“trickypart”
• Teachermayuseawhiteboardormagnetic
letters,buttheretendsnottobemany
accompanyingteachingmaterials
TeachingPoint:
• Teachermakesonemoreteachingpointbased
onwhatsheobservesduringthestudents’
readingofthetext
• Subsequentstrategylessonsbuilduponthis
day’sstrategylessonjustasmini‐lessonsbuild
upononeanother