Does your child’s school use guided reading? 

Guided reading is NOT a good way to learn to read. Parents, if your school uses guided reading and your child is struggling, please see my grade 4 science of reading page. If your child can decode and spell, then guided reading is fine. Just be sure that when your child is stuck on a word, they sound it out—not guess! 

Guided reading falls under the Fountas and Pinnell cueing system method, which is now frowned upon. Students do NOT sound out words when they are stuck; instead, as students read, you ask them to figure out unknown words by looking at the picture, looking at the beginning letter sound, thinking about what would look right/sound right/make sense or skipping the tricky word/reading on/going back. This makes reading a guessing game.

Even if your child is in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, you can still read at home with them. Alternate reading pages or paragraphs aloud to each other. Borrow books on tape or CD from the library and have your child follow along.

To Meet the “Guided Reading” Benchmark, 4th-grade students should be instructional at:

Level Q in November (independent P)

Level R in March (independent Q)

Level S by June (independent R)

Get Q-S books at Amazon or the public library. Here is a book list!

AT LEVELS Q-S, A CHILD’S READING LEVEL IS DETERMINED BY THE FOLLOWING:

These bullet points are based on the DRA2 assessment.

• Is the child reading with accuracy? No more than 10 errors/100 words.

• The child is timed. Level Q students should read at least 90 words per minute. Level R and S at least 105 words per minute for fiction or 100 words per minute for nonfiction.

• Is the child reading expressing the text’s mood, pace, and tension? OR, if the text is nonfiction, is the child emphasizing key phrases and words?

• Does the child read in longer phrases and heed punctuation?

• For Level Q only, can the child stop and describe each character using 3 specific details after reading the first few paragraphs? OR, can the child interpret what some nonfiction text features show if the text is nonfiction?

• After reading the first few paragraphs, can the child make 3 thoughtful predictions of what might happen in the text? OR, if it is nonfiction, can they make 3 predictions of what they might learn in the text?

• For Levels R and S only, can the child form 3 questions from reading the first part of the text? OR, if the text is nonfiction, can the child use the title and table of contents page to think of 3 questions that may be answered in the book?

• After reading, can the child write a summary, including important characters, events, and details, from the beginning, middle, and end? Or, can the child write essential facts from each heading if the text is nonfiction?

• Does the child use the critical language and vocabulary from the text?

• Can the child answer literal questions?

• The child has to interpret the story’s meaning and support it with details. (For example: What did the character learn? OR Why did the character feel____? OR Why did the character say ____?) OR, if the text is nonfiction, a “why do you think…” question is asked.

• The child must determine the most important event in the story and why, giving an opinion that reflects higher-level thinking.

• The child at Levels R and S must check off one strategy used to help understand the text. FICTION: made connections, asked questions, visualized, thought of reasons why things happened, understood characters’ feelings, with two examples from the text where the strategy was used. NONFICTION: recalled what they knew about the topic, asked questions, made connections, decided what was important, thought of why things happened, and visualized, with two examples from the text where the strategy was used.

Here are Grade 4 Common Core State Standards Question Stems to help you discuss different books with your child. These stems are used in school.

We administer the FREE DIBELS 8 3x/year.

• 1 Minute Oral Reading Fluency ~ Can the child read x number of words in a story with at least 96% accuracy?
• 3-Minute Maze Comprehension ~ The student reads a story that is missing words. Each time a word is missing, the student selects the correct missing word from three words.

The minimum scores to pass: 

The oral reading numbers are words your child needs to read correctly.

Here are other free literacy assessments if you want to assess your child!

Reading Survey

Your child will be asked to fill out a Student Reading Survey:

• What books have you finished reading lately?
• What are you reading now at school?
• What are you reading at home?
• What are 3 things you do well as a reader?
• What are 3 things you would like to work on to become a better reader?

No donations from my school, please! I am here to help you!  

Copyright 05/04/2012

Edited on 08/11/2024