Teaching Guided Reading, Digitally!
I wrote in this post a few weeks back that I am so thankful that I started turning my Guided Reading Passages into digital resources a few years ago. Who knew that we would need them as much as we do?
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming school year, I think it’s important that we become familiar with technology and online resources now. This way our students can receive quality instruction from us throughout the year! When it comes to reading instruction, our students will need the guidance and direct instruction that they would need from us in person, even if we’re all apart. Digital Guided Reading Passages can help you accomplish that!
What comes with a set of passages?
The Digital Guided Reading Passages come in individual reading levels, bundles of level ranges, and entire year bundles! So, if you teach second grade, and the majority of your class reads between a Level H-Level M, but you have a couple of students around a Level C-D, you can get Levels A-M in one set! Or, purchase the levels you need individually!
Within each set of passages, you and your students receive a menu of passages to choose from. Selecting one story from the menu takes your students directly to the text. They will click through the slides to read the story. Once done reading, they will do some vocabulary work immediately following.
Lesson Plans and Running Records
Teachers have access to lesson plans for each passage, so you have some pre-reading questions and word work already prepped for you! You also receive a digital running record file for each story. As your students are reading, you can be taking notes and noticing patterns in your students’ reading. This works whether they are sitting across from you at a table, or you’re listening over a video call!
After reading, there are separate Google Slides with comprehension questions for students to complete. Younger students can be read these questions, and you can enter their answers. You can also assign the questions and have students can type and draw in their responses on their own. Older students could also easily be assigned the slides to complete independently and submit back to you!
How do I teach guided reading, digitally?
Begin by selecting the level your students will be reading from, and sharing that presentation with them through Google. Because the menu of passages in one pack is all the same reading level, you could let students choose their own text, or pre-select a text for them!
Use the lesson plans to complete the pre-reading tasks via video call. If live video calls are not something you will have access to, you could pre-record talking through the questions and tasks you want students to consider. This way, they could watch your teaching, but answer questions with a parent or on their own.
Allow students to read the passage, and take notes about their reading along the way. If a live call is not possible, you could ask a parent to record their reading and send you a voice file! From here, you could make notes about feedback and support you’d like to provide the parent. You can also refer back to these notes when talking to the student in a future live-teaching session.
All the Comprehension Questions
After the reading is complete, students will complete the brief vocabulary task built into the same presentation! Because this will be shared with you, you can see their answers.
Finally, you will assign the comprehension questions for the passage the students read. As with all good guided reading instruction, use the notes from the way the student read, along with their answers to the comprehension questions. This information can be used to inform your instruction for next time! Is this the right reading level for them? Is there one particular skill within this reading level that they need to master before moving onto something more complex (phonics, fluency, etc.)? Was this far too easy, and you need to assign something more difficult next time? Considering these thing as you listen to your students read will help you adjust your teaching, and create growth!
Guided reading will certainly look different for many of us this year, but it’s not impossible! You can find sets for ALL levels in my TPT store by clicking here!
2 Responses
You have some excellent resources available! Thank you from a Reading Intervention Teacher!
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much! Your comment means so much to me!
Aylin