Guided Reading in the Common Core Classroom

Guided Reading has been around for a while. It may have been called something different in the past, but this method is still the best way to help your students succeed in the Common Core reading classroom.

Guided Reading is designed to help students read both literature and instructional text at their instructional levels while incorporating reading strategies to help them make sense of text.

One of the most important parts of guided reading is the teaching and utilization of graphic organizers. These organizers help students make sense of text in a visual way. You can access three of the FREE graphic organizers we use in our classrooms by clicking on their names: Venn Diagram, KWL Chart, and Describing Wheel. We also have a super bundle of 25+ graphic organizers that you can access by clicking here.

A  second method we use during guided reading are reading comprehension guides. These guides are designed to teach students how to use various reading strategies in a fun and engaging way. Click here to access our FREE guided reading tips, hints, and strategies. This resource has been downloaded over 13,000 times!

Click on the following names for two FREE examples of reading guides we use in our Common Core classroom: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and James and the Giant Peach. Each guide also includes an answer key.

To access over 50 guides we have created for intermediate level (grades 3-5) novels, you can click here. Title such as The Lightning Thief, Swindle, Bridge to Terabithia, Rules, The Red Pyramid and more can be found.

If you would like to get started on creating your own reading comprehension guides, remember to focus on strategies such as: predicting, comprehension, questioning, inferring, visualizing, and summarizing to name a few. Guides can be adapted for any grade level and any book. Try to include some fun activities as well (end of book projects, word finds) to keep the students excited about the books!

Our students are actively engaged during guided reading and it has made all the difference. Watch your district and state assessment scores rise by using guided reading in your Common Core reading classroom!