Guided reading. So important but what is the correct way to do it. In over twenty years of teaching, I must have been told each year two or three ways to organise it. The number of courses I have been on or INSETs I have attended makes my head pound just thinking about it. Of course, a teacher working with a group focusing on specific areas linked directly to their needs is invaluable and, in this book, there are numerous ideas for how to develop this. Whether you are a newly qualified teacher or long in the tooth like me, there are plenty of suggestions to help. Things I have seen on courses, in INSETs, or found on the internet. I do not claim to be an expert, far from it, but twenty plus years of experience has afforded me with knowledge of what works and what does not. That’s for me, it may not for you, but there’s no harm in sharing. We start off with the teacher led group and prompts you may find useful.

What about the other four (or however many you have)? I have been a big advocate of whole class guided reading but still the carousel version that started over twenty years ago when I first started teaching is still being used. It has its merits but must be planned effectively. Over my final years of teaching, I employed this method with much satisfaction. As I worked with the main group for that day, the other groups had an activity to do. Basically, they had four sessions to do the four activities (I also often had extra activities for children to do should they complete everything). The children then rotate through the activities throughout the week. I put the activities on my whiteboard from the list of activities on the following pages. The children may do these activities in the Guided Reading book (we do not want to run up that bill do we!) or on a worksheet which will be on the pages following.