We have just started our guided reading program this week as part of our Reader's Workshop. Guided Reading is a time when teacher gathers and reads with a small group of students who share similar reading behaviors and reading similar leveled texts. Each day I meet with 1 to 2 groups of readers, gather them on the rug and preview the text with them, introduce the story pattern (if applicable) or give a brief synopsis of the text and characters, and introduce some tricky words they might encounter. Then, the readers read the text on their own while I pull one kid at a time to read to me until I get to everyone. Finally, we reconvene again to discuss the text to check for understanding and deepen our thinking about the story.
This week, we learned that good readers get their minds ready to read by doing a 'picture walk'. This is a helpful strategy to practice with your child before the actual reading because it helps build schema for the text that supports reading fluency and comprehension. In other words, when looking at the pictures before reading, readers have the opportunity activate their prior knowledge by making self-to-text connections, text-to-text connections, or text-to-world connections. You might hear your child say, "Oh this part reminds me the time when I..." or "this part reminds me of another book ..." or "I know about this because I've seen it in a magazine or heard it on the news..." Picture walk is really a good way to get readers to 'warm up'!
Starting this week, you will see that you child is bringing home 2 books everyday - 1 guided reading book, and 1 'just right' book or a 'look book'. Please continue to support your child at home by having them read to you or a sibling everyday.
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