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Original poster

guided reading in groups

36 replies

colleysmill · 16/03/2015 10:42

We had a letter home from school saying that from now on school will be doing guided reading in streamed groups and not be heard individually. There was a meeting about it but unfortunately the notice was really short (whole other thread!) and ofcourse I couldn't get time off work to attend. I did get a leaflet which doesn't really say a lot.

Is this normal these days? I was slightly surprised as these are reception children so only really just starting to read but I can see this would be good way to help vocab and comprehension but it's clear that children won't be heard individually. Are there any benefits to individual reading as opposed to group reading. I don't want to make a fuss if this is the norm!!

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Original poster
colleysmill · 16/03/2015 10:47

Sorry meant to add we were pretty pleased to get a place in this school but it's been quite a turbulent year for the children (now on the fourth teacher since September for various reasons - some unavoidable and some not so much) and the way school have handled some of the changes hasn't been particularly brilliant tbh

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Hurr1cane · 16/03/2015 11:22

This can be good for certain children. They all read a page each and while another child is reading they are supposed to follow the words. It can also be good to encourage confidence and reading with emphasis and using the correct voices etc.

It can also lead into very good discussions about the story and get some good conversational language. For example why/because questions,!predictions etc.

Do they have a book you're supposed to read at home individually with them every night?

Original poster
colleysmill · 16/03/2015 11:44

Yes we've still had books home to read at night - still a big emphasis on reading at home from school (which I had always expected to be fair).

Sometimes I wish I could be a fly on the wall at school - at home ds reads reasonably happily although we do get the occasional messing around and pretending he can't do it (typical 5 yr old!!)

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Ferguson · 16/03/2015 16:38

Is there no scope for you to help in the class sometimes? Many schools have volunteers, often to hear 'readers' but also 'housekeeping' activities like putting up displays, doing photocopying, etc.

Or maybe you work FT, and have no time.

This might help you get more involved with early reading:

An inexpensive and easy to use book, that can encourage children with reading, spelling and writing, and really help them to understand Phonics, is reviewed in the MN Book Reviews section. Just search ‘Phonics’.

J62 · 16/03/2015 16:49

Our school has changed to this approach too maybe it is current educational good practice. Not keen on it myself ,but guess if you read with them every evening you will pick up any issues and can raise with teacher. My child now year 6 so not affected. Feel like my views are maybe outdated on wide range of issues (new Head lots of changes with which i do not feel comfortable).

mrz · 16/03/2015 17:01

No it's isn't current educational good practice ...group guided reading came in with the National Literacy Strategy 1998 ...we didn't find it effective so chose not yo adopt the practice but many schools dud.

TheFullGammon · 16/03/2015 17:15

Both my children have been fine with it and are good readers. I was a bit surprised in YR but having helped in class I can see how much effort goes into just doing the group reads. They are doing phonics and literacy work regularly as well, it all helps.

Do ask the teacher more though, it's a reasonable question and they can't expect everyone to be able to attend every info meeting.

Original poster
colleysmill · 16/03/2015 17:41

I think I was just surprised that individual reading was to be dropped at what I perceived to be a young age. I had just assumed that the children would be heard reading individually for longer or as a mix of group and individual ( But my only school experiences are my own and dh's and we left school way back in the dark ages Grin)

I don't particularly have any concerns about ds and from our perspective he seems to be progressing. School haven't requested parent helpers for reading (but have for other trips) Some other parents at the school gate aren't massively happy about this change but I think this more about culmination of other problems this particular class have had and how school have handled them.

Thanks though for the responses.

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mrz · 16/03/2015 18:06

From an organisation point of view it's much easier to read in groups once a week

Beebee2 · 16/03/2015 18:52

We do both, I think it's a huge loss to abandon individual readers however very few of my class get good quality reading time at home with their parents making it massively important in the context of my school. Group reading works for me, to teach and reinforce general strategies but reading is so personal I couldn't fully meet all needs without the 1:1 as well. Oh and supported group reading would usually be twice per week at least. I'd be surprised at group reading only being once. Part of the rationale is often to listen to children more often, as if you have staffing issues listening more than once 1:1 with a class of 30 can feel impossible. It's a huge time investment and I think if all my class were reading every night at home and all making good progress it may be more difficult to justify the time.

mrz · 16/03/2015 18:54

How do you find two hours a day for guided reading?

rollonthesummer · 16/03/2015 19:01

I'm amazed that they've only just decided to start guided reading!? It was a huge part of the Literacy Strategy back in the 90s!

I hate GR personally, but as Mrz says, it's often popular with schools as it' more convenient to organise your class around than individual reading.

Beebee2 · 16/03/2015 19:09

Is that aimed at me mrz? I have no idea where 2 hours came from. No I don't listen for 2 hours per day........

mrz · 16/03/2015 19:15

You said twice a week ... at least. How long are your guided reading lessons? We have whole class reading lessons (Big Reading) which last an hour, plus daily individual readers.

Beebee2 · 16/03/2015 19:27

We do 25 mins per group twice a week. I have 5 groups. So each child gets 50 mins per week guided reading with an adult (once me, once my TA) but I was talking about guided reading not whole class reading sessions. My class are making good progress in reading so I'm happy what I'm doing works for my class.

mrz · 16/03/2015 19:37

I'm talking about whole class teaching reading lessons not "reading sessions" which happen every day.

Beebee2 · 16/03/2015 19:48

I know, you mentioned that, but I wasn't talking about whole class teaching or any other aspect of my timetable. I was talking about guided reading and individual readers and the balance between these in my class between guided groups and individuals as well as the reasons for this in the context of my class. The thread was about guided reading substituting individual readers, on which I commented, not anything regarding whole class groups. You asked me about "guided reading lessons" I didn't mention anything about reading lessons as it wasn't what the thread was about. Sorry I'm a bit confused.

mrz · 16/03/2015 21:23

I'm aware of what you were talking about, however you said that one session of GR a week wasn't enough and I asked where you found time for two hours per group per week. Although it now appears your GR sessions are much shorter. I mentioned how we teach to explain why I thought you taught for two hours.

mrz · 16/03/2015 21:27

You might also read the posts on this thread suggesting if guided reading is current good practice ... In the current mastery curriculum the answer has to be no!

Original poster
colleysmill · 16/03/2015 21:38

Had to pop out for a bit sorry.

I don't know what they do higher up in school - ds is my eldest so this is our first "school" experience so it's all new to us. Up to now they've had individual reading once a week and this will/has changed to group guided reading once a week. I would assume they still do big group reading as a class although ds is fairly unreliable at telling us what he's done at school!

I wouldn't say I've particularly got a strong opinion either way about it at the moment (give it a few weeks and I might change my mind!!) But I just wasn't sure what was recommended/the norm these days - I would suspect that most of the parents are pretty hands on outside of school (not that I would like to make too many assumptions) and I can advantages to both.

Time will tell I guess :)

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Original poster
colleysmill · 16/03/2015 21:40

Sorry missed the word see - see advantages in both

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Wellthen · 17/03/2015 06:50

Mrz that link is great - thank you. I'll definitely be using some of her ideas. But I would like to defend guided reading a little. We revamped our guided readng this year and have eradicated the problems she speaks of. Teaching is more targeted, covers every af, expects written answers where appropriate and directly teaches infering, evaluating, reviewing and analysing skills. If the blogger's experience was that these weren't being taught in guided reading, then it was being taught badly.

I think one of the issues is that guided reading sessions are easy and therefore easy to do a half arsed job. For a long many teachers were either getting away with bad teaching or, worse, didn't actually know what good guided reading looked like.

I think both whole class and group can be effective, perhaps one is more effective than the other in different parts of the school. I teach uks2 so can only comment on that.

I can completely see why some dont like it but I don't think you can just write off a certain style. It can be done very well.

mrz · 17/03/2015 07:10

I agree Wellthen ...reading was/is regarded as something we "do" rather than something we "teach"

rollonthesummer · 17/03/2015 08:10

didn't actually know what good guided reading looked like.

I agree with this! I remember watching clips of guided reading when the nls began which had very small groups just reading around a circle and the rest of the class (about 6 children sitting silently in the background!) were not mentioned at all or what they should be doing. We've also had two training sessions from lea people since (when there still were lea people!) who have totally contradicted each other in what a guided reading session should look like!