The purpose of guided reading is to teach children to read independently by building a bridge between shared reading and independent reading. The teacher engages the students’ interest in the book and guides the reading of the text as all students read aloud the entire text in a whisper. All texts are rated according to the reading level required, and all students must complete each level in order to move to the next level of reading. During guided reading, the teacher also offers support and prompts students when necessary to guide them as they read. Guided reading generally last for 10 to 15 minutes and is followed by activities related to the text.
Activities in conjunction with observation during guided reading and guided reading activities allow the teacher to assess each student’s level of reading. During the reading a teacher may observe a student excelling and offer activities to determine if the child is ready to move to a higher level of text. Similarly, students having difficulty with a particular level of text may be given activities to strengthen current reading levels and be placed in a lower level reading group until their reading level increases.
The purpose of small group reading is to introduce and reinforce good reading strategies. During small group reading, lessons are intended to help children who are excelling or falling behind at reading in general. Unlike guided reading, small group reading lessons incorporate all activities that include reading and speaking to teach and strengthen students’ reading potential. Like guided reading, small group reading lessons build on previously learned reading strategies and increase in difficulty as the student progresses.
Small group reading activities differ from guided reading activities in that they do not have to relate to a particular text. Rather small group reading activities may include oral phonetic games to increase the student’s pronunciation skills, which makes reading lessons easier and more productive. Activities such as cutting out paper letters and using them to build words increase reading skills by building vocabulary and spelling skills. Small group reading activities can be as short as a few minutes or consist of projects that take multiple class periods to complete.