Guided Reading Sessions KS1
Sarah Collins, Debby Liddle, Justine Gregory
These units of work have been written as stand-alone sessions. However, they can (and should) be extended as appropriate.
‘The Bear Hunt’ units are designed to show how this text can be used progressively throughout KS1.
Book: ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ Michael Rosen/Helen Oxenbury / Group: Able RDate / Teaching Objectives: Locate and read significant parts of the text
Reading Targets: I can find and read the chart in ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book introduction or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Individual exploration of the text
Group discussion – what have you found out about the book?
Talk about
- Author
- Illustrator
- Story
- Familiar?
General walkthrough the book to build confidence.
Strategy check / Reinforce
- Direction
- Key words
- Pointing finger
- Picture/initial letter cues
Specific – read chart on a separate sheet and locate and read in the text. Can they find and read it?
Independent reading / Locate chart and follow with pointing finger.
Teacher supports and interacts as necessary to sustain interest and enjoyment.
Returning to the text / Question children about the task
· Did they use pointing fingers?
· How many times did they find the chart? … it helped that it was in the back a lot.
Praise – well done for finding repeating words, sounding out, using picture cues et.
Return to target: ‘I can find and read the chart’
Response / Use response prompt cards
e.g ‘I liked … because …’
Next steps / Reinforce skills by looking for other repeating phrases (we can’t go …)
More emphasis on individual reading.
Book: ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ Michael Rosen FICTION / Group: Y1
Date / Teaching Objectives: To comment on the way the book is written or presented
Reading Targets: ‘I can notice changes in the print and use these in my own reading’
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book introduction or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Allow children some time to individually explore the book.
Walk through the book allowing the children to discuss what they have discovered when they were exploring the book individually.
Reinforce the different points of the book and any strategies looked at so far in previous sessions.
Focus particularly on the pictures and words used. Use a photocopied enlarged picture from the book to brainstorm other words which could describe a particular sound/action e.g. walking in mud.
Strategy check / Focus on reading strategies e.g.
· Patterned language
· Blending e.g. consonant clusters str
· Grammar
Highlight the look of the book, the way the book has been written and presented.
Question “Can I notice changes in the print and use these in my own reading?”
Independent reading / Children individually read the coloured pages only in the book. Children decode words when necessary and include as much expression as they can when reading.
Returning to the text / Question children about their observations
“What have you discovered about the words used in the book?”
“How has the author used the changes in print?”
“Why did the author do this?”
“How will it help us to read the book?”
Response / Did the changes in print make a difference?
How did it make us read the book differently?
Which parts did you enjoy most and why?
Use prompt card – I enjoyed reading this part because …
Next steps / Look at more changes in print and how grammar has been used.
Focus on how punctuation and how it is used affects the reading of the text.
Concentrate on reading different texts with expression.
Book: We’re going on a bear hunt - Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury FICTION / Group: Y2
Date / Teaching Objectives: To identify and discuss different features of language in a story.
Reading Targets: ‘I can make connections between the sounds of language in a story.
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book introduction or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Individual exploration
Walk through book focus on illustrations, settings, character feelings.
In depth study of pictures linking to target e.g. brainstorm words to describe the sound of going through the mud.
Strategy check / Reinforce strategies taught so far e.g. phonic cues, picture cues, grammar, context cues.
Focus ‘Can I find words that sound like their meaning?
Independent reading / Find examples of onomatopoeia.
Use appropriate strategies when reading.
Returning to the text / What examples did you find?
Response / Respond to examples found - use prompt card ‘This word reminds me of … because …’
Explain which words worked and why.
Next steps / Recreate onomatopoeia using instruments, pictures etc.
Note
(For mixed aged classes the unit can be linked to a whole class performance
R – read chant
Y1 – read words e.g. squelch with expression
Y2 – Provide sound effects linked to onomatopoeia.
Book: Fun things to make and do (Heinemann Discovery World) NON-FICTION / Group: Y1
Date / Teaching Objectives: To read and follow simple instructions.
Reading Targets: ‘I can read and follow simple instructions’
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book introduction or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Allow children the opportunity to individually explore the book.
Reinforce parts of the book including contents page, index, title, equipment list, blurb, page, numbered instructions.
Predict what the book could be about.
Walk through the book with the children. Sharing ideas and discoveries.
Strategy check / Reinforce general reading strategies e.g. phonological, pictorial, grammatical, contextual.
Focus on strategies used when reading instructional writing e.g. verbs sued at beginning of a sentence, numbered instructions.
Question – ‘Can I read and follow simple instructions?
Independent reading / Children individually read text using strategies discussed.
Returning to the text / Use sequence of words to retell the procedures in the correct order.
Response / Question ‘I know this a procedure because ….’ Use a prompt card.
Discussion – ‘Do you think the instructions were easy to follow? Why?
Next steps / Children work in pairs to order jumbled sentences.
Children follow instructions working with a partner to make something from the text e.g. make a jigsaw picture.
Give verbal instructions to another pupil who is not familiar with the text using instructional language.
Guided reading Sessions Lower KS2
Sue Buxton
Book /The Iron Man- Ted Hughes ISBN 057141498
/ Group M.A.Y3Date / Teaching Objectives Y3T2 S To use awareness of grammar to decipher new words. Y3 T2 T Know how language is used to create effects.
Reading Targets Answer Questions about the text and use words or sentences in the text to justify the answer.
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book Introduction
or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Discuss what the Iron man looks like (refer to the main class session) Who do you think the iron man is?
Strategy check / How can we work out what a new word says? Look at the picture, read the rest of the sentence and leave a gap, go back and see if you can fill in the gap, break down the word into syllables. If you can not work it out or you do not understand what it means, write it down to discuss later.
Independent reading / Children to read to the end of chapter 1 silently. Adult to hear one or two children read, to check decoding skills.
Extra for children finishing first Make a list of al the exciting words that are used.
Returning to the text / Discuss any problem words
Response / Do we know where the Iron Man comes from yet? What happened to him? (He fell off the cliff and broke into pieces)
Was that the end of him? (no, he put himself together again) How did he do that? What do you think will happen next? Are you enjoying it? What was your favourite bit.
Next steps / Continue using the cycle above over the next few days/sessions
At the end discuss the whole story. What was their favourite bit? Who was their favourite character? What was their favourite description? Children to write a recount, Day in the life of the Iron Man. Draw an annotated picture of the Iron Man.
Book / Dear Daddy – Philip Dupasquier ISBN 0140505407 /
Y3 lower ability
Date / Teaching Objectives T2T2 W6 To read on sight words from App.1 Y2T2 T2 to use phonological, contextual, graphical and grammatical skills to work out unfamiliar words and to male sense of what is read.Reading Targets Be able to read key words and to know what to do when you get stuck on a word.
Teaching sequence / Strategy
(What teacher and pupils will do) / Comments/assessment
Book Introduction
or recap
(if an ongoing series of sessions) / Look at the front cover. What do you think that the book might be about? Why are there two pictures on the cover?
Look at the first two pages. Can you see any key words that you recognise? Are there any words that you might find difficult?
Read the first two pages together. Why are there two pictures,,one of a boat at the top, and one of a house and garden at the bottom? (The little girl is writing to her Daddy, who is on a boat)
Strategy check / How can we work out what a new word says? Look at the picture, read the rest of the sentenceand leave a gap, go back and see if you can fill in the gap, can you work it out from a similar word you know, can you work it out by blending phonemes? If not , remember it or write it down to ask later.
Independent reading / Children to read the rest of the book silently. Adult to hear one or two children read to check decoding skills.
Returning to the text / Were there any words that you had problems with? What were they?
Response / What is the name of the little girl who has been writing all the letters? What happens in the end?
Adult to look at each of the pictures of Sophie’s house and discuss what is happening. Then look at the pictures of the ship and discuss what is happening there.
Next steps / Each child in the group to copy one or two different pictures of the ship and to write a short letter underneath from Sophie’s Dad to Sophie. Sheets to be put together to make up a book,”Dear Sophie”
Guided Reading Sessions – Upper KS2
Sue Wyatt and Carolyn Pearce
Book: The Seeing Stone, by Kevin Crossley-HollandContext:
· The book is made up of 100 short and very short chapters
· The story is set in the Welsh Marches in the year 1199 and gives a wonderful insight into life, society and history of the time
· Suggest this book is read largely at home perhaps over one half of a term
· I found the children were dead keen to read the whole book once we were at about chapter 10 and into the characters and events
· This lesson came when we had read up to Chapter 25 (one quarter through) / Year group Y6 high ability
Time – approx 25 minutes
Teaching objectives
For children to analyse how moods and feelings are conveyed using inference and deduction with reference to the text
Reading targets
I can use inference and deduction to discuss Arthur’s moods and feelings
Teaching sequence / What teacher and children will do / Comments/assessment
Book introduction (or recap if an ongoing series of sessions) / · Have read up to ch 25
· Brief recap about the Welsh Marches in 1199 and the main events in the story so far
· Discuss what we know of the relationship between Arthur and his siblings Serle (older brother) and Sian (sister)
· Who were his friends? – Gatty, Merlin, Oliver
· Discuss the importance of the stone (ch 20) / Welsh girl in group very knowledgeable about Welsh stories/legends, dragons and language – and very keen
One girl read all 100 chapters straight away
Allow about 10 minutes for this
Strategy check / · Very competent readers but still need comprehension strategies reminder (esp context, inference from text and making connections), use dictionary to look up any unknown vocab (there is also a glossary at the end of this book)
· Brainstorm what we have learnt about Arthur so far and how we know it – examples from text, children make notes on prepared sheet
· Children then to begin to list aspects of Arthur’s character, his hopes and anxieties / Prepared sheet to consist of 3 boxes – character, hopes, anxieties
Independent reading / After brainstorming ideas, read p48 where hopes and fears etc are featured straightforwardly in text / About a minute
Returning to the text / Children pick out 3 sorrows, 3 fears and 3 joys from p48
Do we need to add anything to our original list?
Inference and deduction – any other examples of anything Arthur has said or done in recent chapters that show us what he thinks and feels? / Author gives snippets of information which gradually build up a picture of the characters
Response / Children encouraged to give any examples of events/reflections showing Arthur’s feelings and aspects of his character
Next steps / · For homework: children write examples on prepared sheet to show understanding of above discussion
· Homework – read next 5 chapters and be able to tell me next time more information/examples of a fear, a sorrow and a joy / homework
Further lessons / There are so many ideas to develop study of this book but you might find it useful to have a seesion on any one (or more) of these:
· Specific technical vocabulary used in the story
· Specific sections of text – description, reflection etc
· Discussion of some of the many issues raised in the book eg Crusades, religion, duty, magic, feudal system, and its implications, importance of stories in any culture, dragons in Welsh stories, relationships between family members etc etc
· Stone as a ‘motif’ commonly used in fantasy fiction eg in Lord of the Rings’
· Mystery of Merlin
And this book is Book 1 of a trilogy……….. encourage the children to get hold of the other two, they are really good.
Angela McAuley