The Ultimate Guided Reading How-To Book: Building Literacy Through Small-Group Instruction

Guided reading is, in a nutshell, a type of small-group reading instruction practice whereby children learn specific reading strategies. There are four cornerstones to guided reading: group formation (which children are grouped together), text selection (what kinds of books the children read), teaching sequence (how the lesson should go, from beginning to end), and teacher talk (how teachers use their voice to aid instruction). This book shows teachers how to really KNOW their students as readers, and to be able to group them, select texts, and design interactions between them in order to provide awareness, instruction, practices, and applications that are meaningful. Effective reading teachers make every moment count -- they know what to look for, how to guide and move the instruction, and what to say to convey encouragement and student independence. Ideal for teachers of pre-readers and emergent readers, this book outlines in easy-to-understand language the basic concepts of the guided reading process with an emphasis on vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. New to this edition is information on handling a book and looking at it as a concrete object, note-taking and study skills, updated strategies, and new figures and tables.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments About the Author Introduction Part I. Foundations 1. How Learning Happens 2. The Continuum of Development 3. The Reading Process Part II. Techniques 4. Teacher Talk 5. Grouping Schemes 6. Analyzing Texts Part III. Putting It All Together 7. Before Guided Reading 8. Guided Reading 9. After Guided Reading Glossary Resource List Bibliography

About the Author :
Gail Saunders-Smith is a former classroom teacher, Reading Recovery® Teacher Leader and served as Reading/ Language Arts K-12 Supervisor and Coordinator of State and Federal Programs for the Summit County ESC. Currently, Gail is an assistant professor in the Beeghly College of Education at Youngstown State University. She is also an independent staff developer, writer, and editor. She has presented across the United States and Canada and written several books and articles on all aspects of literacy development. Gail holds a BS and MA in Early Childhood Education from Kent State University and a MS in Administration and Supervision from Youngstown State University. She completed post-graduate work at The Ohio State University and earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from The University of Akron. Gail has written fifty-five books for children, has written widely on literacy instruction, and serves as consulting editor at Red Brick Learning. Her professional books, "The Ultimate Guided Reading How-To Book," and, "The Ultimate Small Group Reading How-To Book," are available from Corwin Press. A third book will be published in the spring of 2009.  Gail has visited schools in Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia. She is a reader, writer, student, and teacher.

Review :
"Blends theory, research, and practical application for first-year teachers or those new to the guided reading concept.” "A solid resource to help teachers understand the basic foundation for literacy development through guided reading in the primary grades.” “With increasing demands for differentiated instruction, this resource provides reading teachers with a practical guide to precision in teaching. Looking forward from her most recent practice with children and their teachers, the author provides an easy-to-follow guide that reinforces the need for teachers to monitor their own progress in adjusting degrees of difficulty so that all learners advance through a balance of instructional challenges and supports." "What a resource! It is a reading specialist’s dream to use with when working with teachers. Thank you, Gail, for sharing all of your expertise! You make learning to teach reading so doable and enjoyable!"