Guided Reading Approach for Kids with Special Needs

The article I read on guided reading talked about how beneficial guided reading is not only to average achieving students but also to students who are deaf, who are English language learners, and students who have learning disabilities. The teacher in the article came up with her own guided reading process to help students with learning needs. The first step the teacher did was place the students into homogenous groups based on their reading level. Then the teacher selects a book for that group that is appropriate for their instructional reading level. The second step is to show the students the cover, title, and author and build background knowledge on the book before they start reading it. The teacher also introduces new vocabulary words to help with comprehension while they are reading. The third step is to have the students read segments of the book out loud first and then silently to themselves. After each segment the teachers asks the students questions about predictions, self-questions, or mental imagery. The fourth step was to have the group discuss the book. During this time they can revisit the text to clarify information, problem solve unclear information and can reread passages that will help them build fluency. Because the students' instructional reading level is matched to the readability level of the material, the struggling reader's abilities grow as a result of learning to read materials that are challenging and that present opportunities for applying newly learned skills and strategies. I think that guided reading is a great way to help students build up on their reading skills.