Guided Reading: Comprehension

Guided Reading the Four Blocks Way Teaches Comprehension

Before Reading

Modeling, Setting Purpose, Focus on Text Structures, Skills, and Strategies

Teacher models a text structure: problem and solution with the book, Clifford The Big Red Dog. Teacher is modeling using think-aloud to find problems in the book. Teacher has differentiated the product. Some students will label the problems on a sticky note with a "P." Some students will copy the problem exactly as the author wrote it in the book. Some students will write about the problem in their own words.

Teacher (Deb Renner Smith) is showing that Clifford is big by acting this out.

During Reading

Formats - Students read in a variety of groupings. Sometimes as individuals, sometimes with a partner, sometimes in small group. It is key to change the groups based on reading level of the students and the book level so that no child is stranded with text (s) cannot read alone. Comprehension of the text is our primary goal during this 3o minute section of literacy.

During this particular lesson the students were grouped in partners or triads and were reading from four different texts. This differentiates for learning by allowing for how much support students need to read, while still making sure that everyone reads text today during the comprehension lesson.

Some students read with one partner to identify problems in the book.

Some students read with two students to identify the problem. Everyone reads the book. One child reads a page or Everyone reads chorally, nobody is allowed to opt out of their turn to read. Everyone reads text every day.

After Reading

Revisiting the key point of the lesson. What did you learn today?

The whole class gathers together to share the problems that Clifford had in the four different books that were read by the children today. The students are held accountable for the teaching point through discussion and having recorded on a sticky note one of the problems that Clifford had in the book that was read by their group. The students read one of these four Clifford books: Clifford Takes A Trip, Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors, Clifford's Birthday Party, or Oops, Clifford.