Guided Reading: Responsive Teaching in Grades K-2
Learn how to use Guided Reading in your K–2 classroom.
In this 8-week online graduate course for teachers and literacy educators, learn how to plan for and teach effective small group, differentiated instruction in the primary grades.
- Classroom Teachers, Interventionists, & Specialists
- Literacy Coaches & Teacher Leaders
- Course Number: EEDUC 6047.80
- Fees are subject to change
Guided Reading is an instructional method in which teachers work with small groups of students who are reading at similar levels. In this course, you’ll take an in-depth look at how to use Guided Reading in the primary grades.
Build an understanding of reading as a complex process. Learn how to help students become more proficient readers through differentiated instruction in small Guided Reading groups. Discover how to use Running Records to study a child’s reading progress and consider the role that a gradient of texts and matching books to readers has on student progress.
You’ll also learn how to analyze assessment data to form flexible groups, select appropriate texts, and plan Guided Reading lessons for diverse groups of students.
By enrolling in an online graduate course, you have the flexibility to learn at your own pace with the support of a virtual community and have access to a variety of educational resources and materials at your convenience.
Course Outcomes
- Build knowledge of the reading process and the actions that enable students to become effective readers
- Observe, assess, and analyze students’ reading behaviors to plan for instruction
- Use the 10 characteristics of texts to analyze books along a gradient of difficulty to consider the supports and challenges that the text offers to readers
- Learn how to choose and introduce appropriate books for Guided Reading instruction based on assessment data
- Consider how each part of a Guided Reading lesson—text introduction, reading the text, discussing the text, and word work—presents opportunities for teaching and learning
- Examine how each part of a Guided Reading lesson presents opportunities for teaching and learning with attention to the needs of English learners
- Learn how to group students for Guided Reading instruction based on assessment data
- Identify characteristics of fiction and nonfiction to support students as they read in a variety of genres
- Learn how readers’ workshop provides a structure and management system that allows for whole-group, small-group, and individual teaching
Required Texts
You are responsible for purchasing/having access to the following professional texts for this course:
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2016). Guided reading: Responsive teaching across the grades. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Pinnell, G.S. & Fountas, I.C. (2016). The Fountas & Pinnell literacy continuum: A tool for assessment, planning, and teaching, expanded edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Recommended Texts
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2012). Fountas & Pinnell prompting guide, part one for oral reading and early writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2012). Fountas & Pinnell prompting guide, part two for comprehension: Thinking, talking, and writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
This option must be taken for 3 graduate credits. Take the course individually or as an elective in our 18-credit Online Graduate Certificate in Developing Literacy Expertise Through Responsive Classroom Teaching.
Gen Arcovio, Literacy Trainer
Gen worked as a literacy specialist and teacher in public schools for many years before joining the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative as a Literacy Trainer. She has experience as a Reading Recovery teacher, classroom teacher, interventionist, and literacy coach. Over the years, she has worked with many students, educators, and administrators in the area of literacy acquisition and learning.
Interested in professional learning at your school or district? Schedule a meeting with one of our faculty trainers.
“This class was amazing! I have so many tools to take back and use in my classroom. One of the best courses I have ever taken!”
Kristeen Chambers, Teacher, Two Rivers Supervisory Union, Vermont
Early Literacy Success: Building Language, Sounds, and Print Knowledge in PreK (Webinar)
This session will focus on how to provide rich, engaging experiences with language, sounds, and print in the PreK classroom.
Quick Tips for Test Prep: Supporting Your Students for Success!
Are you working to support your students to excel on standardized tests? In this 2-day training, learn how to deepen students’ understanding of the demands of standardized tests so they can respond confidently and successfully!
The New Benchmark Assessment System 2.0 (System 2, Levels K-Z)
Join us for this two-day institute to learn how to use BAS 2.0 to pinpoint student proficiencies and needs, including word-solving, fluency, comprehension and writing about reading, and examining how to transition from assessment to instruction.