Sally Gaskins' February Blog Post-Routman Ch. 10-Examine Guided Reading

This was an excellent chapter, maybe the most beneficial in the entire book, in my opinion. Routman goes into great detail about how to teach all aspects of guided reading-information I have been needing to more effectively teach guided reading to my second grade students. Guided reading is essential to moving our students forward as readers, especially the ones who are struggling. It's not an easy thing to do, and I know this from my experience teaching first grade. Routman devotes a lot of the chapter to classroom management, how to do it effectively in order to make the most of the little bit of guided reading time you have in each group. Modeling, coaching, encouragement, and feedback are her recipe for success at teaching the rest of the class how to work independently while she is doing the important work of guided reading with a small group of students.
Another very helpful part of this chapter is the "important purposes for guided reading." Routman explains that it must be a worthwhile purpose and it's not just about "getting to a higher-level book." She provides a checklist of what she wants her students to accomplish during the guided reading time. Her "teaching tips" and "teacher talk" for a guided reading lesson were excellent, as well as the framework for thinking about a guided reading lesson on p. 170. I plan to have those checklists near me during my guided reading lessons from now on. I have used other books/guides in the past to help me with guided reading, but none of them seemed as detailed and comprehensive as this one, and I can't wait to put it to the test in the classroom.