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Guided , Literature Circles, and Reading Workshop

his past summer, I had new curriculum that is specifically de- the privilege of taking signed to meet the spiritual and cultural part in the North Amer- requirements of our schools as well as ican Division (NAD) the needs of our students. It is Office of Education the purpose of this article to familiarize Elementary Reading Text- teachers with terms and practices that book Revision Commit- will make the implementation of this tee. The focus of the new curriculum as effective as possible. committee was to create Curriculum materials and instruc- a new reading series that meets the stan- tional strategies have been selected that Tdards of the NAD and that reflects cur- foster skills and a rent research on literacy. The NAD has lifelong love of reading. One specific been working with a publisher, Kendall/ area that is being addressed is the best Hunt, in Dubuque, Iowa, to produce a method for reading skill instruction. Sev- BY LISA M. WRIGHT

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eral methods have been identified, supported by research-based “best practices,” that will be easy to adapt in classrooms with a wide range of read- ing abilities and/or grade levels. These formats are, in many ways, similar to methods already being used in many of our schools. However, some changes are being made to reflect what we cur- rently know about successful reading instruction. This article will focus on three suggested formats for the deliv- ery of reading instruction: , Literature Circles, and Read- ing Workshop.

Guided Reading Guided Reading is the heart of the reading program. It is in many ways similar to the basal reading lessons in the current NAD reading program. Ac- cording to Cunningham, Hall, and Sig- mon, “In Guided Reading, teachers choose material for children to read and a purpose for reading, and then guide them to use reading strategies needed for that material and that pur- pose.”1 The main focus is on the devel- opment of comprehension strategies. “When you read, you do two things si- multaneously—you say the words, and you ‘think about’ what you are read- ing. Saying the words aloud (or to yourself if you are reading silently) is the word identification part of reading. Understanding the meaning the words convey is the comprehension part.”2 Fountas and Pinnell provide an outline for the Guided Reading process in Guided Reading: Good First Teaching Guided Read- heightens interest in the book. A for All Children.3 During Guided Read- teacher may ask questions to set a pur- ing, the teacher meets with small ing is the heart pose for reading and to build anticipa- groups of students of similar reading of the reading tion. Sometimes, the teacher engages ability for direct instruction in reading, in specific comprehension strategy in- while other students work indepen- program. struction by having students use pic- dently in learning centers. Instruc- ture cues, read to the end of the sen- tional-level materials may include basal facilitate comprehension, he or she tence and re-read, summarize, use readers, anthologies, trade books, big may take the students on a “picture sound-letter or rhyming cues, and books, magazines, etc. The lesson plan walk” through the book or have them “chunking” or breaking the word usually incorporates “before,” “during,” examine the cover to connect the stu- apart. During this time, the teacher and “after” reading segments, with the dents’ prior knowledge and personal may also introduce new “before” and “after” sections lasting experiences to what they will be read- and familiarize the students with any about five minutes and the “during” ing. As they look at the pictures to- unfamiliar concepts in the book. segment lasting 15-20 minutes. gether, they try to predict what the During the second segment of the During the “before” phase, the story will be about. This gets students Guided Reading lesson, the “during” teacher introduces the book or text. To engaged and asking questions, and phase, students take turns reading the

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During Guided Reading, the This enables the struggling reader to teacher on large chart paper. As the comprehend and enjoy more difficult teacher records the students’ re- teacher meets text without slowing down the reading sponses, the students fill in words, let- with small process. ters, or punctuation. Other activities During the third or “after” phase of include art, sketching, drama, reader’s groups of stu- the lesson, the students engage in clo- theatre, and graphic organizers. dents of simi- sure activities. During discussion of the Below is a sample Guided Reading text, students are asked to connect the lesson for 1st graders using the book lar reading story to their own lives. The teacher Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You ability for di- may also review skills and strategies See? 5 introduced in segment one or assign rect instruc- written extension activities such as re- BEFORE: tion in reading, sponse to the story, keeping a journal, 1. Introduce the book. Read the ti- or interactive . During interac- tle and the author’s name (Bill Martin, while other tive writing, the group composes a Jr.). Ask “Can you guess who the illus- students work piece together, usually recorded by the trator is?” (Eric Carle) independently in learning centers.

selection. The teacher listens, guides, helps, and praises them as they read. Assessment also occurs during this time, in the form of running records4 (notes taken on children’s reading habits and progress). Teachers can use many grouping variations for this time segment. Students may read indepen- dently, in small groups with the teacher (shared reading), or they may be encouraged to partner-read, echo- read, or choral-read. In partner reading, two students sit shoulder to shoulder and take turns reading a page or a paragraph, helping each other with dif- ficult words. Echo reading also uses partners, with the more proficient reader reading a sentence first, fol- lowed by the less proficient reader. Students are encouraged to “track” their reading, placing a finger or pointer under the words as they read them. This method helps students gain confidence in reading aloud, learning new sight words, and learning correct pronunciation and expression. In choral reading, a group or pair of stu- dents read softly aloud simultaneously. Scaffold reading is a variation of this ap- proach. One student reads “under- neath” the other student, saying the words simultaneously but more quietly and supporting the other reader through difficult or unknown text.

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During the 2. Talk about the book. “This is third or “after” have something to bring to the discus- like a song or poem about animals of sion. The better prepared their re- different colors.” phase of the sponses, the better the discussion and 3. Conduct a picture walk, reading lesson, the more learning that occurs. Prompts are a few pages aloud. one example of a response. Students 4. Introduce vocabulary and com- students en- are asked to complete prompts such prehension strategy. “What pattern do gage in clo- as: “I thought . . . ,” “I liked . . . ,” “I you see in this book? What keeps re- wonder . . . ,” “I felt . . . ,” “I noticed peating?” Review sight words on index sure activities. . . . ,” “I predict . . . ,” “A connection cards they are to use later in their writ- is . . . ,” “My favorite person is . . . ,” ing: what, do, you, see, I, at, me. Notice to read individually and are asked to “A question I have is . . . ,” “If I could the rhyming words see and me. bring their responses to the discussion change . . .” circle. The students must make prepa- Students may also be given Post-It DURING: ration through their responses so they notes to write down ideas, words that 5. Teacher reads book to students. 6. Students choral-read book. 7. Teacher takes notes while stu- dents are reading.

AFTER: 8. Students respond to the story by placing felt pieces about the story on a board as the teacher rereads the story. 9. Students write a new line to the story and illustrate it, i.e., “Lion, lion, what do you see? I see a yellow chee- tah looking at me.” “Green fox, green fox, what do you see? I see a lion look- ing at me.” These pages can be bound into a new book for classroom use. 10. Read a related book such as Po- lar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? 6

Literature Circles Students need to practice the skills and strategies introduced in Guided Reading. Literature Circles, small groups (three to six students) that are formed around a particular text choice, are one way students can apply what they have learned.7 Materials may in- clude trade books, both fiction and nonfiction, poetry, content texts, maga- zine articles, etc. Typically, the teacher puts together sets of materials (four to six copies) that are related by a com- mon theme or author. Students choose which text to read, and all students reading a common text are grouped to- gether. (Schlick Noe’s Website contains many helpful tools for literature cir- cles.8) The Literature Circle format is very simple, yet fosters learning. Students are assigned a chapter or chunk of text

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Discussion are interesting or that they do not logs are per- Reading instruction as well as an op- know, and favorite quotes or questions portunity for students to apply what to bring to their group. They don’t haps one of they learn in Literature Circles and/or have to write in the book and can find the most im- Reading Workshop. Some teachers the quotes easily, as the Post-It serves have found success in merging the Lit- as a bookmark, too. Making and deco- portant com- erature Circles and Reading Workshop. rating bookmarks based on certain Another option is to integrate Litera- chapters of the book is a traditional re- ponents of ture Circles into content-area subjects sponse in Literature Circles as well and the Literature such as science, social studies, or encourages student creativity. It can be Bible. Every instructional plan should done at the beginning or end of the Circle. address both strategy instruction as book as part of a celebration. well as practice in a variety of formats, Discussion logs are perhaps one of Literature Circles has been found to be as it draws students closer to God and the most important components of the more effective than a Guided Reading inspires a lifelong love of reading. ✐ Literature Circle. Using these record program alone, especially for strug- ______sheets, students enter their name, the gling readers. In addition, it helps stu- date, which chapter they are reading, dents who have not developed a love Lisa M. Wright and a written response such as a list of for reading, but who possess strong teaches grades 3-5 at words they wonder about; questions reading skills. Its strength lies in its al- Des Moines Adventist they have; or how the story relates to lowing students to self-select their Junior Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. She holds their lives, to something going on in reading, for research shows that choice a Master’s degree in the world, or to something else in the increases motivation. Furthermore, it reading education. book. Responses can be as simple as a helps students concentrate on compre- journal entry for each chapter. A vari- hension or gaining meaning from the ______ety of responses can be used through- text. They develop and confi- REFERENCES out the reading of the text. This format dence as they read material on their in- can be applied across the curriculum dependent reading level. 1. Patricia M. Cunningham, Dorothy P. in Bible, science, or social studies. Below is a sample format for Read- Hall, and Cheryl M. Sigmon, The Teacher’s I really enjoyed using this format ing Workshop: Guide to the Four Blocks: A Multimethod, Multi- with my upper-grade students when Teacher Read-Aloud: level Framework for Grades 1-3 (Greensboro, N.C.: Carson-Dellosa, 1999), p. 42. we read the book A Thousand Shall The teacher reads aloud to students 2. Patricia M. Cunningham, Dorothy P. 9 Fall by Susi Hasel Mundy. The stu- from a variety of materials, including Hall, and James W. Cunningham, Guided dents asked many thought-provoking different genres, themes, and authors. Reading the Four-Blocks Way (Greensboro: Car- questions, learned interesting answers Children Reading: son-Dellosa, 2000), p. 43. to them, and acquired new vocabulary. Students self-select books or other 3. Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, Most importantly, they learned from materials on their own reading level to Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All one another. There were moments read independently. Children (Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1996). when discussion stopped and they Children Sharing: 4. Wright Group, Guided Reading: A Prac- weren’t sure of themselves, and mo- Several students share what they tical Approach for Teachers (Bothell, Wash.: ments when I wasn’t sure of myself, are reading with their classmates. Wright Group, 1995), pp. 55-81. but when they had new insights to To adapt Reading Workshop to 5. Bill Martin, Jr., Brown Bear, Brown Bear, share, they really shone. I particularly multigrade classrooms and a variety of What Do You See? (New York: Holt, Reinhart, enjoyed this experience because it al- reading levels, Cunningham, Hall, and and Winston, 1967). lowed me to shed the role of “Con- Sigmon recommend teaching young 6. Bill Martin, Jr., Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (New York: Henry Holt, tainer of All Knowledge and Wisdom,” children, in particular, three ways to 1991). 10 and put the power in the students’ read : 7. Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles: Voice hands. I finally understood the mean- • “Pretend read” by telling the and Choice in Book Clubs & Reading Groups ing of teacher as facilitator, and was re- story of a familiar storybook; (Portland, Maine: Stenhouse, 2002). minded that truth belongs to all of us, • “Picture read” by looking at a 8. Katherine L. Schlick Noe, “Literature not just to those in authority. book about real things with lots of pic- Circles Resource Center;” accessed May 31, tures and talking about all the things 2005, at http://fac-staff. seattleu.edu/ kschlnoe/web/LitCircles. Reading Workshop you see in the pictures; and 9. Susi Hasel Mundy, A Thousand Shall During Reading Workshop, emer- • Read by reading all the words. Fall (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald gent readers may choose what they Publ. Assn., 2001). want to read. Using Reading Workshop Conclusion 10. Cunningham, Hall, and Sigmon, p. in conjunction with Guided Reading or Teachers need to provide Guided 28.

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