Responsive Guided Reading in Grades K-5: Simplifying Small-Group Instruction

"Berne and Degener stand on the shoulders of literacy leaders such as Fountas and Pinnell, Allingron, and Clay, but have further refined guided reading. This book will be especially helpful for teachers trying to get classrooms and students organized for guided reading while providing meaningful differentiated literacy activities for the remainder of the class."uTerri Lowery, MA, first-grade teacher and primary literacy coordinator, Union Elementary School, Warsaw, Ohio

"The authors provide teacher-friendly guidelines for assisting all studentsubeginning readers to able decodersuusing methods that are easily integrated into the classroom." uSandra K. Athans, MA, fourth-grade teacher, Chittenango Central School District, New York

"As a reading specialist, I got a wealth of information to share with struggling teachers who need to simplify their reading groups in order to be successful. The book is also an excellent choice for a faculty book study for teachers making the transition to differentiated instruction in RTI."uAnita Beasley, EdS, reading specialist, Butts County Public Schools, Georgia

"Berne and Degener address the critical question facing preservice and beginning teachers: 'How do I teach reading?' The book provides a complete understanding of responsive guided reading, including strategies for coordinating instructional decision making with assessment and ways to integrate the approach into a sustainable classroom context."-Kathy Headley: EdD. Clemson Universiry

Guided reading is a staple of elementary literacy instruction, yet planning and conducting reading groups can be time consuming and challenging. This hands-on book presents an innovative approach to guided reading that is manageable even for teachers who are new to small-group, differentiated reading instruction. Numerous classroom examples illustrate how to organize groups and select suitably challenging materials, structure group sessions, provide scaffolding and cues while listening to students read, and balance small-group with whole-class instruction. Special features include scheduling aids and lists of common cues for beginning and older readers, as well as suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.

Jennifer Berne is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Reading and Language Arts at National-Louis University, where Sophie C. Degener, EdD, is Assistant Professor.