1. Lauren Shepherd 2015
Managing
Guided Reading
Effectively
A Handout for Teachers
Lauren Shepherd is a 3rd grade Reading and Language Arts teacher seeking her master’s degree in
the field of Education, specifically in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Literacy.
Guided Reading is an incredible tool that teachers can use to help students
consistently improve their reading abilities. When deciding how to create and
manage an effective Guided Reading program, many aspects need to be
considered. Things like how to group students, how often to meet with them, and
what to focus on become very important. Each step of the Guided Reading
program needs to be carefully considered so that teachers can meet each
student’s individual needs.
This handout is meant to give teachers a framework of aspects to consider when
designing their own Guided Reading program, as well as many valuable resources
to stay organized throughout the process. If done correctly, students who are
involved in a well thought out Guided Reading program will be able to improve
upon specific skills and become stronger readers who are able to think more
creatively and analytically.

2. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
1
"TODAY A READER, TOMORROW A LEADER." — MARGARET FULLER
Guided Reading is by far one of the most talked about and
researched topics in literacy learning. While it is widely
known as one of the most beneficial ways to increase student
achievement in reading, each teacher has to put his/her
special touch on it, taking individual needs into consideration,
to make it worthwhile.
“The very term ‘guided’ suggests a type of instruction that
would be less about modeling and more about coaching.
Research reveals that the frequent use of “coaching during
reading” may be one of the most significant distinctions
between highly effective schools and moderately or less least
effective schools (Taylor, Pearson, Clark, & Walpole, 1999). This
handout will provide educators with the tools needed to
“coach” a successful Guided Reading program in their
classroom that benefits the individual needs of each student.
“Once you learn to read, you will be
forever free.”
- Frederick Douglass
TIPS FOR TEACHERS – Preparation is the key to success
1. Create a Schedule –One of the most important
steps in creating and managing an effective Guided Reading
program is creating a schedule that allows you to get to
each student at least two times per week. Teachers should
plan for direct and indirect teaching to “better ensure that
the power of instruction away from the teacher rivals the
power of instruction with the teacher” (Ford & Optiz, 2008).
Students should know their routine and be actively
engaged the entire time. Schedule specific groups to meet
with on specific days, and stay on time! Meet with each
group for 15-20 minutes, then move to the next group. All
other students should know their routine as well, whether
that be participating in a Book Club (Tip 9) or engaging in
another literacy activity like listening station, mobile apps,
or sight words match games (Tip 10).
2. Assessment – Assessing student learning is a
key component in directing instruction. “Careful
observation and analysis of errors that students
make as they read these texts can provide
information to guide our teaching decisions”
(Schwartz, 2005). Teachers must take in-depth notes
and assess students regularly using running records
and comprehension questions so they can move
students up through reading levels throughout the
year. Like the computer program described by
Pretscher et al. (2012), teachers should “continuously
and dynamically monitor students’ performance using
reading rate measures and responses to
comprehension questions, adjusting the reading
content level to match each students’ progress.” As
one can see, good assessment can lead to greater
student achievement.
MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY

3. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
2
4. Choosing the Right Books - Teachers should choose
texts that are on the student’s current reading level. This is
proven by Petscher et al. (2012) as they state that “grade-
level texts were not nearly as successful as providing daily
lessons using texts matched to the instructional reading
levels of struggling readers.” Teachers should also choose
books that fit the students’ current needs. Using the ongoing
assessments, focus on texts that will push students through
their weaknesses. When students start to come out of their
comfort zone and really start to test their limits, true growth
will happen. And most of all, find texts that are interesting to
students. Do a reading inventory and find out your students’
interests, and maybe even allow one student to pick the book
(from a specific selection) each week. Make it fun!
3. Grouping – One of teachers’ toughest
decisions is how to group students in the most
effective way. Instead of focusing on quantity
issues like how many per group, how long, and
how frequently they should change, teachers
should “understand that purpose is what should
guide group formation, membership, and duration”
(Ford & Optiz, 2008). To do this, teachers should
create homogeneous groups based on reading level
and/or needs. Teachers should keep in mind that
“students may be on the same level, but their
needs are different,” (Ford & Optiz, 2008), and that
students can be placed in more than one reading
group. Ultimately, teachers should be flexible in
their grouping, changing groups based on recent
assessments and what each student needs.
"The man who does not read good books is
no better than the man who can't." —
Mark Twain
5. Keeping Accurate Data – Keeping accurate and
ongoing data is imperative for student achievement. Data
“should provide feedback to both teachers and pupils as to
what needs more emphasis in teaching and learning situations”
(Ediger, 2010). In order to keep accurate data, teachers should
keep a Guided Reading Notebook. Staying organized is going to
be key in running an effective Guided Reading program. While
there are many great examples of premade forms that can be
found on the web (see Webliography, page 5), teachers must
find organizational tools that work best for their own needs. A
few key tips to keeping ongoing data:
 Organize the binder into different parts with a tab (or place)
for each student
 Keep a list of comprehension questions in the binder
 Create (or find) a rubric for answers to comprehension
questions
 Create (or find) a form for anecdotal notes
 Create (or find) a form to keep observational data
 Keep extra forms in the binder
 Create a schedule to make sure each student is assessed in an
ongoing and a timely manner.
Remember! Make this work for YOU!
Data should drive instruction- not drive you crazy!

4. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
3
7. Writing About Reading - Another key aspect of
helping struggling readers succeed is allowing students to
have time to reflect on their reading through writing. In the
very successful Spell Read program described by MacPhee,
Rashotte, and Torgesen (2001), students ended each guided
reading session with a free write “about what was read, again
to emphasize the importance of what was read.” Literacy
should be well rounded, and students should start to
understand that reading and writing go hand –in-hand. To
implement this into guided reading, teachers should encourage
students to use the comprehension strategies discussed in Tip
6 to go more in detail about their thoughts. Simply writing
their thinking on sticky notes throughout their reading will
help solidify new learning. An extension would be to have
students take one sticky note and expand their thinking,
creating an entire paragraph with text evidence and deep
thoughts. This is a great use of higher-level thinking skills like
analyzing and evaluating.
8. Motivate and Challenge – “Children need to
experience joy and delight as a result of the reading
experience” (Gambrell, 1996). We all know that we
must be our students’ cheerleaders and encourage
them to push themselves. Most students, especially
those who struggle, need motivation and challenges to
spike their interest in reading. “We are not teaching
children to read, we are also teaching children to be
readers” (Watson, 1997). Students must know that
they CAN read and read well. One motivational
technique is to always start with a positive statement.
Find something the student does well and compliment
him/her on it. Once they are motivated and realize they
can, indeed, succeed, students will push themselves
harder. Simply put, it is a mindset we must instill in
our students. In order to help students improve
throughout the year, we must challenge them. By
increasing the complexity of their texts just by one
level during guided reading, students are introduced to
new vocabulary, and are challenged to think more
analytically. Since this is a guided process led by a
caring “coach,” the students will feel comfortable
pushing themselves, knowing that if at first they don’t
succeed, their teacher will be right there to motivate
them again.
6. Teaching Comprehension Strategies –
Responding to reading is the most crucial part of the reading
process. After all, if you do not understand what you are
reading, everything else is pointless. “Guided reading should
help children to become metacognitive: knowing what they are
know; the why and how of reading” (Brown & Palinsca, 1982).
So how is this done? Teachers can create a list of metacognitive
cues that students can be taught to use as they read. Some of
these may include:
Teachers should spend time modeling each of these strategies
before allowing students to try to use them on their own. Once
students master one, they may move on to another. Teachers
should make sure to emphasize that good readers use multiple
strategies as they read to better understand the text.
Don’t forget that greater fluency aids in comprehension! One
sure-fire way to build fluency is by reading texts “multiple
times, sometimes over two or more lessons, so that students
could strengthen their understanding” (Fisher & Frey, 2014).
With the right amount of motivation, Literacy
Learning should be fun and engaging.
"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable
that is spelled out is a spark." — Victor Hugo,
Les Miserables
 Text to Self Connection
 Text to Text Connection
 Questioning
 Making Inferences

5. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
4
10. Engage Students in Different Kinds of
Reading – While teachers are pulling groups, students
should be fully engaged in a literacy activity that is both
fun and beneficial to the learning process. It is important
for teachers to model student expectations “To implement
kidstations [literacy rotations] effectively teachers must
do preliminary planning at the beginning of the year… It is
during this time that teachers can answer questions and
guide students through the process” (Guastello & Lenz,
2005). Some of these stations could include Istation and
other computer programs, listening stations (Books on
tape), match games that teach sight words, and mobile
apps that increase fluency.
9. Book Clubs – Setting up Book Clubs for students to
participate in throughout the year creates responsible
readers. Teachers can sporadically change groups based
on interest and/or reading level. “Text-based discussions
improve comprehension and allow students to clarify
their own thinking and consider the thinking of others”
(Fisher and Frey, 2014). Book Clubs allow students to
truly apply their learning. Like all other strategies,
expectations for book clubs should be modeled and
monitored by the teacher. The best part about these Books
Clubs is that they are run completely by the students, so
the teacher can focus on his/her reading group!
Student-Led Literacy Activities
TIPS FOR PARENTS
1. Read with Your Child - Set a routine and read with your child every day and take turns reading. While
students definitely need time to read independently, they benefit greatly from hearing others read as well.
Model what “good reading” looks like and sounds like. Children are like mirrors – they will reflect what they
see.
2. Build on what happens in the classroom – Talk to your child’s teacher about what his/her strengths and
weaknesses in reading and focus on those. Ask what they are working on in class and for resources to use at
home. Teachers LOVE for parents to get involved, and students benefit from the extension built in at home.
3. Ask Questions! – During your read aloud, stop and ask questions like:
 What has happened so far?
 Why did he react that way?
 What is the character feeling right now?
 What are you thinking?
4. Create a Family Challenge – After a long day at school, students need motivation to continue their
learning. Make it fun and create a family challenge! For example, the person in the family that reads the most
minutes in one week gets to assign their chore to the person who read the least. Be creative and USE
INCENTIVES!
5. Library Visits – Take a biweekly or monthly trip to the library. Talk to your child about the books he/she
likes to read, and make it your mission to find a perfect book for your child. Encourage him/her to venture into
new types of books!

6. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
5
WEBLIOGRPAHY
1. www.Janrichardsonguidedreading.com
Jan Richardson is an educator with many
years of experience. Her website not only has
a link to her book, but it also has examples of
student data and weekly teacher tips.
Teachers can also see examples of guided
reading groups through videos on the page.
This would be a great blog to subscribe to!
4. www.TheCurriculumCorner.com
This website has many resources for
teachers based on the grade level (1st-
3rd and 4th – 6th).The best feature for
guided reading management is the
“workshop management” tab. This page
includes many adaptable and printable
resources like running records, reading
logs, and a teacher binder. Teachers can
use this website to organize their guided
reading time for easy management.
2. www.Tips-for-teachers.org
This website includes tips and
resources for all core subjects.
Reading resources include guided
reading materials, literacy bags,
book lists, and guided reading
activities. Teachers can use this
website to find examples and
resources for new activities to
complete during guided reading.
Switch things up for a change!
5. www.Busyteacherscafe.com
This website was designed by a
wonderful teacher who took the
time to create many resources to
keep teachers organized. Under
the guided reading tab, there are
many resources for printable
forms. Some of the most useful
forms are the anecdotal notes and
checklist. These forms are
perfect starting points for
teachers and will keep them
organized throughout the year.
Other forms include student
tracking sheets for fiction stories,
vocabulary strategies, and
discussion cards.
3. www.Teachingchannel.org
This website full of videos and is a great source for teachers to
use when looking for examples of effective guided reading.
Teachers must create a free log in, but then have access to
hundreds of resources like videos of teachers in authentic
situations, as well as videos of other literacy concepts. Once
teachers create their own log in, they can opt to receive weekly
tips and links to videos straight in their email.

7. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
6
Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children
This book is an excellent resource for beginning teachers and teachers who need to refresh their
Guided Reading time. Fountas & Pinnell give excellent resources to guide the teacher through the
entire Guided Reading process like how to group students, teaching strategies like fluency, accuracy,
and comprehension, and assessment of student learning. The best part of this book is that it gives the
teacher a list of thousands of leveled books that can be pulled and used throughout the year with
Guided Reading groups.
Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G.S. (1996). Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Next Step in Guided Reading: Focused Assessments and Targeted Lessons for Helping Every
Student Become a Better Reader
As one can see from the title, this book focuses on assessments that directly influence instruction in
small groups of all levels (beginning reader to fluent). Richardson guides teachers in how to accurately
analyze data from simple assessments, then gives easy to follow guidelines for activities that will
increase fluency and overall comprehension. There are several examples of engaging lesson plans that
are sure to motivate students while tremendously improving their reading skills.
Richardson, J. (2009). The next step in guided reading: Focused assessments and targeted lessons for helping every
student become a better reader. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word Recognition, Fluency, and
Comprehension
This is a great book for educators looking to find different strategies for teaching accuracy, fluency,
and comprehension. Rasinksi focuses on oral reading as the main technique to guide students through
reading improvements. There are many parent letters and forms for teachers to use to keep more
accurate data as well. The best part is that there are detailed examples of lessons, pictures, and
student work so that teachers can really understand the best way to implement these useful
strategies in his/her classroom.
Rasinksi, T.V. (2003). The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word Recognition, Fluency, and
Comprehension. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

8. MANAGING GUIDED READING EFFECTIVELY
Lauren Shepherd
2015
7
REFERENCES
Brown, A., & Palinscar, A. (1982). Inducing strategic learning from texts by means of informed
self-control training. Topics in Learning Disabilities, 2, 1-17.
Ediger, M. (2010). DATA BASED INSTRUCTION IN READING. Reading Improvement, 47(4), 175-
178.
Fisher, F. and Frey, N. (2014). Close Reading as an intervention for struggling middle school
readers. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 57:5, 367-376. doi:10.1002/jaal.266
Ford, M.P. & Optiz, M. F. (2008). A national survey of guided reading practices: What we can
learn from primary teachers. Literacy Research and Instruction, 47:4, 309-331, DOI:
10.1080/19388070802332895.
Gambrell, L. (1996). Creating classroom cultures that foster reading motivation. The Reading
Teacher, 50, 14-25.
MacPhee, K., Rashotte, C.A., and Torgesen, J. (2001). The effectiveness of a group reading
instruction program with poor readers in multiple grades. Learning Disability Quarterly,
24:2, 119-134.
Petscher, Y. Reutzel, D., Petscher, Y. & Spichtig, A. (2012). Exploring the value added of a guided,
silent reading intervention: Effects on struggling third-grade readers’ achievement. The
Journal of Educational Research, 105:6, 404-415. DOI: 10.1080/00220671.2011.629693
Taylor, B. M., Pearson, P.D., Clark, K.F., Walpole, S. (1999). Effective Schools/Accomplished
Teachers. Reading Teacher, v53 (n2) p156-59.
Watson, D. (1997). Beyond decodable books: Supporting and workable literature. Language Arts,
74, 635-643.