How Can I Best Help My Student During Guided Reading?

It can be difficult to know how to support your student during their independent reading time. Here are some tips!

• Provide wait time.
• Allow your student time to try it on their own. If given the word every time, they’ll come to expect that.
• Give prompts or clues as needed, such as:
• Try that again.
• Does that make sense? What word would make sense there?
• Look at how the word begins.
• What reading strategy could you try?
• Go back and reread and think about what sounds right and looks right.
• Look at the picture. What’s happening?
• What could you do to help yourself?=
• Look at the parts of chunks in the word.
• Do you know something about that word to help you?

• Tell students what they do well! Give specific and positive feedback!
• I like the way you made each word match with your finger.
• You went back and fixed that tricky part, didn’t you? Good checking!
• You were really thinking when you let the word _____, which you know, help you with the word _____. Great job! That’s what good readers do!

• Let your student make mistakes. It is part of the learning process.
• For example, if your student reads a word wrong – instead of saying ‘no’ and stopping them after every word they get wrong, let them get to the end of the page. Then ask them a question like “you said ______ here, did that make sense?” It can be discouraging for students to be stopped after every missed word. L

• If your student often skips words – encourage them to touch each word with their finger or pointer while they read.
• Have your student record and listen to themselves on Raz-Kids.
• Help your student pick books that they can read independently. 
• The rule of thumb for independent reading level is if there are 5 or more words on the page your student cannot read, than it is too difficult for an independent read.