Guided Practice for Reading Growth, Grades 4-8. Laura Robb
read selections or read silently along with you as well as reread pieces to develop fluency and deepen their comprehension of vocabulary and information. When developing readers continually practice reading and rereading, they begin to read with the fluency and expression, which signal understanding and depth of comprehension.
Developing Readers Need to Talk About Texts
Student partners discuss pictures and text to deepen comprehension.
Many developing readers have not had opportunities to read and discuss books with a partner or in a small group. Even if they’ve listened to teachers read books aloud, there’s no guarantee that they were listening and remembering. An ideal time to model how to talk about reading is during daily read-alouds and small group instruction. For example, you can talk about literary elements (see Appendix C), your feelings, and the text structures of informational books such as compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem solution (Allington & Johnston, 2002; Garas-York & Almasi, 2017; Robb, 2017).
Using the picture book Free As A Bird: The Story of Malala by Lina Maslo as a text, I’ve included examples in italics of the kinds of text-focused talk I model for students. These are examples you can adapt and refine as you plan think-alouds based on a read-aloud or when discussing a common book with small groups:
The protagonist and problems: I know Malala will have problems growing up in Pakistan when people say after her birth, “What bad luck.” This makes me think that adults see girls as second rate, and it’s better to have boy babies.
Feelings the book raised: I felt sad when Malala realizes women didn’t have the same rights as men. She was supposed to marry early and have children. If she had dreams of what she wanted to be, she most likely couldn’t achieve them.
Decisions made: Malala’s father encouraged her to be free and follow her dreams. She attended school and won public speaking contests. The Taliban threatened her life when Malala decided to talk about education for girls. She continued to attend school even though it was dangerous.
Antagonists’ role: The Taliban threats made Malala want to go to school and keep talking about her belief in education for girls. Their threats and the thought of not being able to go to schools gave her strength to speak out.
Outcomes: The enemy shot Malala, but she recovered in England. Once Malala was well, she became an activist, speaking out for equality and education for girls around the world.
Changes in the protagonist: Malala did not accept the traditional role for Pashtun girls. Instead, she spoke out for girls in her country and continues to speak out all over the world. She developed boundless courage and the belief that education and learning was a right for boys and girls.
Settings: The book starts in Pakistan to show a girl’s position in Pashtun society and what Malala fought against. It also shows her father’s and mother’s support for Malala to achieve her dream of being educated.
Cause/Effect: Cause: The government and enemy fired guns at each other. Effect: Malala and her brothers hid in their parents’ bedroom. Secretly, Malala continues to go to school.
Encourage students to notice what your response showed to ensure they understand your thinking. Most likely, you’ll be met with silence the first few times you do this. That’s okay, as talking about a text is new territory for these students. Continue to think-aloud, explain your response, and eventually, students will join the noticing conversations.
Time to Reflect
Reserve time to mull over what you’ve read in this chapter. Discuss the questions that follow with yourself or a colleague who is also reading this book.
How do guided practice lessons improve developing readers?
Why is it important for students to do the lion’s share of the work?
Why are kid-watching and taking observational notes important to student’s progress?
Descriptions of Images and Figures
Back to Figure
The notes read as follows:
2.20.2020
Sisters
Page 57 (passed goal of page 35)
Good comprehension
Was able to retell what was read since last conference.
Felt book was at a good independent reading level. Able to read words easily and enjoy the story.
2.25.2020
Reading goal page 80 got to page 83
Feels this is a good book for her because of density of text, easy to read so she’s enjoying the book.
Comprehension is evident with strong retelling – lots of details/character emotions
Meet 35.5.20
Reading goal page 100.
3.5.20
Reading goal page 100 got to 115.
Read aloud – fluent with expression.
Continued to practice decoding – read through the word.
Emma is enjoying book!!
Suggest reading arts/drama once finished with sisters.
Emma 2.13.20
Milla takes charge
Milla – protagonist; Chocolate chip/Milla’s pet pig.
Tracks with finger
Decoding suggestion: Read through the word that is causing problem.
Reading goal: page 11.
Read to page 7
Explain for except 6
Abandoned book – characters were confusing
Sisters
Page 13
Goal for next conference/Page 27; 2.18.20
Sisters
Reached page 17
Raina’s little sister is annoying
Didn’t track with finger: she felt it was because of fewer words.
Reading goal page 35 2.26.20
Back to Figure
The notes read as follows:
Pitching in for Eubie
Conflict/problem: Eubie’s family doesn’t have 3,000.00 dollars to pay for room and board for her to go to college.
Resolution/solution: Eubie and her family will work more jobs to make more money.
Character development: Lily (the narrator): protagonist
Helpless – She’s only doing what she always does.
Problem/conflict: Antagonist
The conflict lily is having is she wants to help make money like the rest of the family.
Pitching in for Eubie; April 8, 2019
Narrator: