Exploring Guided Reading

“Guided Reading: Who is in the Driver’s Seat” is an article that is pertinent to all Elementary school teachers and administrators because it discusses the technique of Guided Reading. This article is pertinent because it provides students with more effective reading strategies than other previously used methods of reading instruction such as basal readers. The article points out, for example, that Guided Reading is a more effective method of teaching reading versus that of basal readers because this approach places students in the driver’s seat, rather than the classroom teacher. In other words, in Guided Reading, students are held more accountable for finding and utilizing strategies that will help them to figure out unknown words in texts rather than the classroom teachers.

According to the article, Guided Reading encourages and emphasizes many higher order thinking skills that are essential to successful reading now and in the future. Some of the strategies that Guided Reading promotes are word-analysis, word solving, and comprehension. In addition, the process of Guided Reading also emphasizes other essential skills including exposure to various genres of texts, opportunities for students to link prior knowledge to what they are currently learning (schema-based instruction), as well as exposure to useful reading tools including K-W-L charts, word maps, story maps, and graphic organizers.

In closing, I really enjoyed reading “Guided Reading: Who is in the Driver’s Seat.” I particularly enjoyed this article because it offers suggestions and research-based strategies to elementary teachers and their campus administrators that can be used to promote and foster successful reading. From my previous experience in teaching Guided Reading to students, as well as from reading this article about Guided Reading, I strongly agree that the process of Guided Reading should be fostered and encouraged by all elementary teachers and their campus administrators because...