Plan a guided reading group session

Guided reading works when the session has one clear teaching point for this group and the teacher hears every child read. Weak sessions turn into round-robin reading, long book walks that give away the text, or comprehension quizzing with no teaching. Strong sessions are short and tight: a brief introduction that sets a purpose and pre-teaches only what would block meaning, independent reading at each child's own pace while the teacher listens in and prompts, a discussion that sends children back to the text for evidence, and a few minutes of word work on a pattern from the text. Prompts during reading should send the child's attention to the print first ("Check the letters. Does that look right and sound right?"), not to guessing from the picture or the first letter.

Plan a 20-minute guided reading session for a small group in
ph:grade_level reading
ph:text_or_level. Only if [GROUP_NEEDS] is given:

What the teacher knows about the group:

1. Decide what you are working from. If a specific text is named and you do not know its content reliably, do not invent plot, characters or quotes: plan around the structure and mark text-specific details as placeholders such as "[a word from p. 4 with the -ed ending]", and ask for an excerpt or summary at the end. If only a level is given, describe the kind of text that suits the group at that level and plan for it.
2. Choose one teaching point for this session that fits the group's needs and the text (a decoding pattern, reading with phrasing, monitoring meaning, an inference skill). Turn it into a child-friendly success criterion.
3. Before reading (about 3 to 4 minutes): a short introduction that gives the gist without reading the book to them, sets a purpose question, and pre-teaches at most 2 or 3 words or structures that would block meaning. Write what the teacher says.
4. During reading: every child reads the whole section independently (quietly or in their head, by age) at their own pace. The teacher listens to one child at a time. Give 6 to 8 specific prompts matched to the teaching point, worded exactly, ordered from most support to least, and what early finishers do (reread, answer the purpose question, find evidence).
5. After reading: return to the purpose question, then 3 or 4 discussion questions that move from literal to inferential and ask children to show the place in the text. Include the expected answer or the evidence to look for.
6. Word work (2 to 4 minutes): one pattern drawn from the text or the teaching point, with a quick hands-on activity (build, sort, change one letter, read and write).
7. Quick check: how the teacher will know who met the success criterion today (listen to one child read 100 words and note accuracy and phrasing, an oral retell, one written answer) and what to note for each child.
8. Timings for all phases must add up to exactly 20 minutes.

• Be concrete: write the exact teacher language, questions and words, not "discuss the story".
• Teaching prompts direct attention to the print and to meaning together; do not teach guessing from pictures or skipping words.
• Keep the introduction short. Do not pre-teach so much that the children no longer need to read.
• Match vocabulary and question demand to [GRADE_LEVEL]. If [TEXT_OR_LEVEL] looks too hard or too easy for the group needs described, say so in the Overview.
• If something essential is missing, state the assumption in the Overview rather than inventing details about the children.

Overview

Group, text or level, assumptions, and any concern about text fit.

Session goal

The teaching point and the "I can…" success criterion.

Before reading

Time, then the teacher's script and the words to pre-teach.

During reading

Time, routine, a numbered list of prompts, early-finisher task.

After reading

Time, then questions with expected answers or evidence.

Word work

Time, the pattern, the words, the activity.

Quick check

What to check, how, and a one-line recording format per child.

Next session

What the next session should focus on depending on what the check shows. If placeholders were used, end by asking for the excerpt or summary needed to fill them.