Guiding Readers in the Middle Grades

Abstract

Teachers can use guided reading strategies to help students achieve CCSS for literacy.Providing students with challenging, empowering, and equitable curriculum and learning opportunities (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010) has always been a formidable task for middle grades teachers, even more so now with the upcoming implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & the Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). This challenge is compounded as teachers try to accommodate a wide range of reading needs of middle grades students within the confines of a single class period. One-size simply cannot fit all because what represents challenge for one comes easily for another. Furthermore, practices requiring students to read daily from texts that they simply cannot read often results in a variety of avoidance behaviors and is anything but empowering. And, of course, cannot be equitable if teachers are unable, with their current instructional plans, to provide appropriately challenging and relevant learning opportunities for every student (NMSA, 2010, p. 13). What can teachers include to create that is challenging, empowering, and equitable?Guided reading is an instructional practice commonly used in primary and intermediate grades (Ford & Opitz, 2008; Fountas & Pinnell, 2001). It is used less in middle grades settings (Allen, 2000) where onesize- fits-all instruction prevails (Allington, 2012). While teachers can read about the principles of guided reading in professional literature aimed at the lower grades, little exists that targets middle grades teachers or that deals with middle grades students' needs. This lack of information may lead middle grades teachers to overlook this practice entirely or to guess at how to adapt these ideas for middle grades students.Collectively, as authors, we represent a teacher educator (Denise), a district literacy coach (Jeff), the assistant principal who oversees the English language arts (ELA) department (Scott), three eighth grade teachers (Barb, Claudia, and Joe), and one seventh grade teacher (Gayle) who have worked collaboratively to establish a guided reading practice within our school. Through our work sharing these ideas with teachers at national conferences and locally with visiting districts, we are aware of teachers' increasing interest and numerous questions about adding this instructional practice to their grouping possibilities. This article is an attempt to provide fellow teachers with this information and to illustrate how guided reading can help teachers meet the CCSS.Specifically, we define guided reading and name parameters that give structure to this instructional strategy. We believe this is important, because many teachers have what we consider to be a head nodding understanding of the practice of guided reading. By that we mean, when asked about guided reading, most teachers have heard about it and are able to mention a few key ideas associated with this practice (i.e., small-group instruction), but, within a given school, most teachers hold very different ideas about selecting texts, planning introductions, grouping students, and so forth. We believe in the power of developing common understandings of frequently used terms in education (Morgan & Williams, 2012). Doing this ensures that teachers' decision making is guided by a firm understanding of the instructional practice and that students receive consistent instruction-called the same thing from one classroom to another-during their middle grades careers. After defining guided reading and examining the parameters for this instructional practice, we examine a guided reading lesson with students who are reading below grade level and need greater support as readers. We share voices as they reflect upon their experiences with guided reading. …