• Guided Reading Level Chart
• Literature Circleguided Reading 101 Lesson
• Guided Reading Approach

In public schools there are reading groups, formed by two to five children in the same class, called literature circles. In homeschooling, we can use the ideas of literature circles to discuss books with our children. Depending on which forms you find online, literature circles have different roles for discussion. Literature circles expand on what is learned in guided reading. They allow students more autonomy to engage with reading material. A student's level of reading ability is typically at or above.

In public schools there are reading groups, formed by two to five children in the same class, called literature circles. In homeschooling, we can use the ideas of literature circles to discuss books with our children. Depending on which forms you find online, literature circles have different roles for discussion. These give great ideas for journaling questions and discussion with your kids about the books they read. All of your children don’t necessarily have to read the same books. Each can read a different book and then gather together and share with each other. These are just starting points for you to mold into your homeschooling program.

Literature Circle #1

Roles:

• Passage Picker – pick parts of the text that are significant, engaging, or unusual and record them, explaining why they fit this category (e.g. an interesting part, a good description, a funny part, a scary part, a sad part)
• Word Wizard – look for special unknown words in the text and record them along with their meaning/definition (e.g. new vocabulary, different, strange, funny, interesting, important)
• Artful Artist – visually depict anything about the story that engaged you (e.g. a character, the setting, an event, a surprise, a problem, a prediction of what would happen next)
• Summarizer – write and share a brief but interesting summary of the reading so far
• Connector – find and record connections between the book and real life (e.g. your own life, other stories, other people, similar events, similar places)
• Discussion Director – write down some good questions to discuss with your group (e.g. who, why, when, where, how, what if)

Literature Circles #2

Roles

• Discussion Director – write a list of questions to discuss with the group
• Connector – find connections between the book and the outside world
• Summarizer – prepare a summary of the reading focusing on the most important parts
• Vocabulary Enricher – look for a few important words that are puzzling or unfamiliar and look up their meanings
• Illustrator – draw a picture related to what you read (e.g. a sketch, cartoon, diagram, stick figure)

Literature Circles #3

Roles

• Summarizer – summarize the high points of the reading
• Word Wizard – pick 3 -5 new words from the reading and look up their definitions
• Interrogator – choose 3 – 5 interesting questions about the reading
• Map Maker – pick a story map or graphic organizer to describe the reading (e.g. character map, story elements, venn diagram)

Discussion Director

Summarizer

Word Wonder (Word Wizard)

Connector

Awesome Artist

Passage Picker

Plot Character Fiction Map

Guided Reading Level Chart

Literature Circle Log

Literature Circleguided Reading 101 Lesson

Over the first few years of school, it is crucial for children to master the basics of reading, from sounding out letters and words to making sense of whole books. If they don't learn those skills — ideally by the time they finish the 3rd grade — they'll stand little chance for success in later years.

Guided Reading Approach

But while students may need the basics of literacy, the basics aren't all they need.

For decades now, researchers have known that many children succeed in reading over the first few years of school only to experience a '4th grade slump,' setting them on course for years of academic frustration. In grades K-3, when teachers emphasize phonics and the reading of storybooks and other simple texts, most kids make progress. But when their teachers begin to give them longer, more academic reading assignments — that is, when the emphasis shifts from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn' — many students lose steam.

Even if they've mastered the basics in the first few years of school, students still need to be taught how to make sense of the varied and increasingly difficult materials they encounter in the science, history, math, English, and other subject area classes that comprise the middle and high school curriculum. They must be taught how to write clear, compelling texts of their own. And they must be taught how to communicate effectively for many different audiences, both in and outside of school, using all sorts of tools, from pen and paper to the spoken word to the latest electronic media.

In short, literacy instruction remains every bit as important in grades 4-12 as it is in grades K-3.

What's being done to improve the teaching of reading and writing in the nation's secondary schools? And what can you do to teach reading and writing more effectively in your classroom? This document is designed to help you get up to speed on recent research and policy developments, to give you some practical advice on teaching reading and writing, and to point you toward a wide range of additional resources.

References

Click the 'References' link above to hide these references.

ACT (2006). Reading between the lines: What the ACT reveals about college readiness in reading. Ames, IA: Author.
Bates, L., Breslow, N., and Hupert, N. (2009). Five states’ efforts to improve adolescent literacy (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2009–No. 067). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands.
Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C. (2006). Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy: A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Graham, S. and Perin, D. (2007). Writing next. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Haynes, M. (2005). Reading at risk: How states can respond to the crisis in adolescent literacy. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education.
Heller, R. and Greenleaf, C.L. (2007, June). Literacy instruction in the content areas: getting to the core of middle and high school improvement. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2005). Creating a culture of literacy: A guide for middle and high school principals. Reston, VA: Author.
National Association of State Boards of Education.(2009). State Actions to Improve Adolescent Literacy: Results from NASBE's State Adolescent Literacy Network. Arlington, VA: Author.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2004). On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Reading Instruction: An Overview of What We Know and How We Know It. (NCTE Guidelines by the Commission on Reading). Urbana, IL: Author.
National Governors Association. (2005). Reading to achieve: A governor’s guide to adolescent literacy. Washington, DC: National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices.
Short, D. J., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007). Double the work: Challenges and solutions to acquiring language and academic literacy for adolescent English language learners: A report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Southern Regional Education Board (2009). A critical mission: Making adolescent reading an immediate priority. Atlanta. GA: Author.
Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D., Rissman, L. M., Decker, S. M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J. Francis, D. J, Rivera, M. O., Lesaux, N. (2007). Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Murray, C. S., & Kosanovich, M. (2008). Effective instruction for adolescent struggling readers: A practice brief. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Murray, C. S., & Kosanovich, M. (2008). Effective instruction for adolescent struggling readers: A practice brief. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Hart, T., & Risley, B. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Biemiller, A. (2006). Vocabulary development and instruction: A prerequisite for school learning. In S. Neuman and D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Vol 2) (41-51). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Moje, E. B., et al. (2008). The complex world of adolescent literacy: Myths, motivations, and mysteries. Harvard Educational Review 78:107-154.
Wade, S. E., & Moje, E. B. (2000). The role of text in classroom learning. In Kamil, M., Mosenthal, P., Barr, R., & Pearson, P. D. (Eds.), The handbook of research on reading. (Volume III, pp. 609-627). Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Applebee, A., & Langer, J. (2006). The state of writing instruction in America’s schools: What existing data tell us. Albany, NY: Center on English Learning and Achievement.

References

ACT (2006). Reading between the lines: What the ACT reveals about college readiness in reading. Ames, IA: Author.
Bates, L., Breslow, N., and Hupert, N. (2009). Five states’ efforts to improve adolescent literacy (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2009–No. 067). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands.
Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C. (2006). Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy: A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Graham, S. and Perin, D. (2007). Writing next. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Haynes, M. (2005). Reading at risk: How states can respond to the crisis in adolescent literacy. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education.
Heller, R. and Greenleaf, C.L. (2007, June). Literacy instruction in the content areas: getting to the core of middle and high school improvement. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2005). Creating a culture of literacy: A guide for middle and high school principals. Reston, VA: Author.
National Association of State Boards of Education.(2009). State Actions to Improve Adolescent Literacy: Results from NASBE's State Adolescent Literacy Network. Arlington, VA: Author.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2004). On Reading, Learning to Read, and Effective Reading Instruction: An Overview of What We Know and How We Know It. (NCTE Guidelines by the Commission on Reading). Urbana, IL: Author.
National Governors Association. (2005). Reading to achieve: A governor’s guide to adolescent literacy. Washington, DC: National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices.
Short, D. J., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007). Double the work: Challenges and solutions to acquiring language and academic literacy for adolescent English language learners: A report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Southern Regional Education Board (2009). A critical mission: Making adolescent reading an immediate priority. Atlanta. GA: Author.
Torgesen, J. K., Houston, D. D., Rissman, L. M., Decker, S. M., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J. Francis, D. J, Rivera, M. O., Lesaux, N. (2007). Academic literacy instruction for adolescents: A guidance document from the Center on Instruction. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Murray, C. S., & Kosanovich, M. (2008). Effective instruction for adolescent struggling readers: A practice brief. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Murray, C. S., & Kosanovich, M. (2008). Effective instruction for adolescent struggling readers: A practice brief. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction.

Hart, T., & Risley, B. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Biemiller, A. (2006). Vocabulary development and instruction: A prerequisite for school learning. In S. Neuman and D. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (Vol 2) (41-51). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Moje, E. B., et al. (2008). The complex world of adolescent literacy: Myths, motivations, and mysteries. Harvard Educational Review 78:107-154.
Wade, S. E., & Moje, E. B. (2000). The role of text in classroom learning. In Kamil, M., Mosenthal, P., Barr, R., & Pearson, P. D. (Eds.), The handbook of research on reading. (Volume III, pp. 609-627). Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Applebee, A., & Langer, J. (2006). The state of writing instruction in America’s schools: What existing data tell us. Albany, NY: Center on English Learning and Achievement.