Guided reading is not explicitly mentioned in the curriculum, but is an essential element in the teaching of reading. The purpose of guided reading is to develop pupils to become enthusiastic, motivated, autonomous and perceptive readers. It allows us, as teachers, to teach the wide range of reading skills pupils need from strategies for decoding to understanding themes in a longer novel.
This publication considers the rationale for guided reading and different teaching models, strategies and approaches. It also provides tables in which links between the new objectives from the 2014 curriculum and the former assessment focuses are made, enabling teachers to continue to use approaches and resources based on the focuses as well as planning and assessing effectively.
The final section offers some practical activities for use in guided reading sessions.