Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading with leveled books:
Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell are leaders in the arena of reading instruction and learning. One of their biggest goals is to provide support for the development of children’s “self-directed reading behaviors” that can be used with a range of texts on a similar level. With appropriate instruction and at the correct pace, a child will build her repertoire of effective reading strategies. Practicing those strategies, the child will be able to progress up the levels of text difficulty.
Guided reading is research-based, scaffolded reading instruction that enables children to become independent readers. Using high quality leveled texts across a range of literature and informational genres, teachers support the students’ reading behaviors. The teacher selects the leveled text based on what she knows about the readers in a particular group, and uses the text to help the readers build on what they already know about reading.
Research has shown that when a text is too difficult for a reader, the learning process breaks down. The child does not develop an internal understanding of reading strategies. In comparison, when the text poses just the right amount of challenge for a particular reader, the child has opportunities to expand his knowledge of useful reading actions. The teacher’s role is to support the development of reading behaviors that students can use with each book they encounter.
Developed by Fountas and Pinnell guided reading philosophy provides the optimal support for developing readers, and gives teachers a framework for teaching to the reader’s individual level.
