2. RESEARCH QUESTION
Will daily, 20 minute guided reading
lessons increase student’s performance,
confidence and interest in reading?
3. BACKGROUND
• What I have noticed in my 5th grade classroom:
• Many students are two or more grade levels behind in
reading fluency, accuracy and/or comprehension.
• Many students do not enjoy reading when they enter my
classroom because they find it difficult or boring.
• What I know about Guided Reading
• Daily, 20 minute guided reading lessons have been proven
to improve student performance on reading fluency,
accuracy and comprehension.
• When students enjoy what they read, they enjoy reading.
4. MY GOALS
• Through this action research, I hope to learn about the
effectiveness of guided reading on my student’s
performance and reading levels.
• Performance will be assessed through F&P reading
assessments.
• This action research will also help me determine if
guided reading improves student’s oral reading fluency
and accuracy.
• Confidence will be measured through a survey given at the
beginning and the end of the research period.
• It will also be measured through student engagement during
lessons.
• I also hope to see if reading engaging and exciting
reading books at their level will change student’s
attitudes towards reading
• Interest will be assessed through a survey given at the
beginning and the end of the research period.
5. LIT REVIEW
• Several great resources to check out if you are
interested in guided reading:
• What is Guided Reading- Fountas & Pinnell
• What is Guided Reading- Scholastic Article
• Using Guided Reading to Develop Student
Independence- ReadWriteThink
6. GUIDED READING OVERVIEW
• Guided reading is “planned, intentional, focused
instruction where the teacher helps the students,
usually in small group settings, learn more about the
reading process” (Ford, M.P., Optiz, M.F., pp. 229)
• Guided reading is considered a “best practice”
because of all of the gains it can offer to student’s
independent reading skills and performance.
• Guided reading should only be one part of a
comprehensive literacy program in order to yield
successful results (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
7. GUIDED READING GROUPS
• Groups are 6-8 students
• Groups last for 20 minutes
• Groups are homogeneous (include students who
are all at the same independent reading level)
• Groups are flexible and temporary
• Students can move in and out of a group at any time
based on their rising or falling reading level.
• Students should be grouped within their Zone of
Proximal Development (Burkins, J., Croft, M., 2013).
• Assessments should be ongoing so that students
can move in and out of groups as necessary.
8. GUIDED READING TEXTS
• Texts must be high quality and engaging.
• Teachers need a wide variety of different texts to
choose from for each group throughout the year
(all at the right level for the group).
• Texts should be within the groups Zone of Proximal
Development.
• Text difficulty should be assessed by the Fountas
and Pinnell assessment.
• Texts should include extensions that students can
read after the lesson.
9. GUIDED READING LESSON PLANS
• Part One: Before Reading
• Introduction to the text
• Make predictions
• Teach reading strategies
• Part Two: During Reading
• Use strategies taught before reading
• Whisper read
• Teacher conferences/running records with some students
• Part Three: After Reading
• Answering questions: within the text, about the text, beyond
the text.
10. METHODOLOGY
• Research was conducted during the first few months of
the 2014-2015 school year
• Veritas Prep Charter School in Springfield, MA
• A group of thirty 5th grade students
• Guided reading exposure during 2 classes per day–
reading workshop (2 groups) and morning tutoring (1
group)
• Each guided reading group met for 20 minutes and
focused on reading habits such as: predicting,
monitoring comprehension and inferencing.
• Students were assessed through F&P tests and surveys.
12. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
• Inconclusive results:
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
I love reading.
You will often see
me reading in my
free time.
Sometimes I get
really into a book,
but other times I
have trouble
finding something I
like.
I don't like reading
because it is hard
for me.
I don't like reading
because it is
boring.
Reading Interest
Reading Interest
13. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
• Before: After:
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
I love to read
in front of the
class, you
can call on
me anytime.
Reading Confidence
I don't mind
reading out
loud, but I
don't raise my
hand to
volunteer.
Reading out
loud terrifies
me
16
14
12
10
8
Reading Confidence
6
4
2
0
I love to read
in front of the
class, you
can call on
me anytime.
Reading Confidence
I don't mind
reading out
loud, but I
don't raise my
hand to
volunteer.
Reading out
loud terrifies
me.
Reading Confidence
14. ANALYSIS
• While the full results of this project are not yet
finalized, I believe that this initial spike in the positive
direction for both reading interest and reading
performance will continue throughout the 2014-
2015 school year.
• I plan to keep these guided reading groups going
for the entire year to see if student’s interest,
confidence and performance in reading increases
over time.
15. REFLECTIONS
• Things I missed:
• A survey about student’s specific preferences when it
comes to genres and reading habits.
• Need more research about how to boost student
confidence in reading besides just having students read out
loud.
• Things to add:
• Pair guided reading lessons with phonics and decoding
lessons next time
