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Just as i was about to bring the class back together 
after a turn-and-talk (all names are pseudonyms), 
isaiah, one of my more outspoken students, piped up 
and said, “Guys, stop talking or else we won’t have 
time for stations!” Although I shook my head at his 
delivery, he was right. We had to get started quickly 
so i could see the two groups i was scheduled to meet 
with that day.

i smiled as i watched the kids hurriedly quiet 
themselves, legs crisscross applesauce, ears ready 
to listen. no one can deny that guided reading is our 
favorite part of the day. as a teacher, i love getting to 
help small groups of students with a specific reading 
skill, while my other students interact with literacy in a 
hands-on way. but this has not always been the case. 
i used to think guided reading was the worst.

Let’s just say that in those days, Isaiah would not 
be rushing the class to start stations. Small group 
instruction was constantly interrupted by students 
with issues from everything to bickering with another 
student to “emergency” bathroom breaks. By the end 
of my second year of teaching, i knew i had to do 
something to take back my guided reading time and 
to give my students independence and responsibility 

Taming
the

Beast:
How I Took Back 
Guided Reading

by Laura SanDLinG

during station time. Somehow, someway, i 
had to tame the beast and take charge of this 
crucial time. Through lots of trial and error and 
then sticking to what worked, i have found 
several key instructional and organizational tips 

for maximizing this crucial portion of the literacy 
block.  Guided reading can go from a chore to an 

enjoyable and learning-filled part of the day with clear 
procedures and high expectations.

Building our stamina, Building our foundation
“Yes, I love building our stamina!” Scarlett bounced up 
and down happily as i let the students get their book 
bins. it was only the second week of school, but my 
students quickly embraced the time we spent doing 
“Read to Self” to build our stamina to prepare for 
guided reading and stations. as the two sisters Gail 
boushey and Joan moser outline in their book The 
daily five (2014), building stamina in reading is a 
crucial step before the teacher can start meeting with 
any students.  additionally, this stamina must be built 
independently. Yes, independently. You may think you 
are already doing this, but think about when you first 
introduced “Read to Self” or another station.

 Were you going around praising students as they 
read quietly, did great work on an activity, or “really 
focused”? When I first started to pull groups for guided 
reading, i consonantly wondered why my students 
would suddenly stop focusing and doing well, almost 
as if we had not just spent weeks practicing. This was 
because the students were not truly independent. i 
thought i was giving them support with my constant 
praise, but in reality, i hindered by students because 
i trained them to rely on my praise if they were doing 
well. Now, I know that the key to building my students’ 
stamina is to stay back. It is hard at first because it is 
natural to praise students, but they need to be able to 
do a great job on their own, under their own power.

It is especially important to track your students’ 
stamina.  at the beginning of year, i use a stamina 
chart to graph how many minutes my students can 
read independently without interruptions. When they 
get to 25 minutes of focused reading, i know my 
students are truly independent. Whether you are using 
the daily 5 or other literacy station models, building 
your students’ stamina is the first step.

Prepare and Model, Model, Model!
At first, I would lose count of the number of interruptions 
during guided reading. i would hear, “ms. S., can i go 
to the bathroom?” to the ever-distressing, “What am I 
supposed to do?” I stayed frustrated for almost three 
years until it finally clicked: my students are not going 
to magically know what to do if they do not know what 
to expect.



GeorGia Journal of readinG 31 Volume 41, number 2   2018

along with helping your students build their stamina 
and establishing their independence, the key is to 
model, model, model. even though it may be tempting 
to get every procedure and lesson over with in one 
day, DON’T do it! Students need many opportunities 
to practice with and without the teacher’s help. To 
accomplish this, use a variety of mini-lessons to 
teach and model desired behaviors (diller, 2003). 
every year, i teach mini-lessons on what the students 
will be doing and what i will be doing during guided 
reading. Then, together we model correct behaviors 
and incorrect behaviors.

finally, we practice! make sure the materials are 
prepared and ready. Students should have their book 
bins or bags, word tiles, journals, headphones… 
whatever is needed to make your literacy activities 
run. i also check to see if my students are comfortable 
with one literacy station before i introduce another. 
We might spend several days or weeks to insure we 
have down the desired behavior and stamina. literacy 
station innovator, debbie diller (2003), suggests 
giving students about six weeks of practice time in 
their stations before even pulling small groups.

furthermore, just as the lesson plan is imperative to 
the whole-group, it is crucial for the small group table. 
The pioneers of all things guided reading, fountas and 
Pinnell (2012), outline a helpful structure of a guided 
reading lesson which includes: 1) introduction of text, 
2) reading the text, 3) discussion of text, 4) explicit 
teaching points, 5) word work, and 6) extending 
understanding. You can use this format or another 
helpful plan to keep your guided reading lessons on 
track.

use tried and true Procedures
ask three Before Me and the Emergency chair
i would be lying if i said that my students never have 
questions during our guided reading and daily 5 time. 
However, I teach the “Ask Three Before Me” procedure, 
which means they ask three friends before they wait 
in the “emergency chair.” Even when they choose to 
sit in the emergency chair, my students know to wait 
until i can pause in my guided reading lesson to assist.
 
Wear Antlers or a Hat for No Interrupting
Whenever i meet with a guided reading group, i put 
on my trusty candy-cane antler headband. Yes, the 
antlers are as crazy as they sound. However, when i 
have them on, they easily convey to my students that 
they are not allowed to interrupt me because i am with 
a small group or reading with a student. i have seen 
teachers wear baseball caps, flower crowns, or funky 
glasses. Pick whichever fits best with your personal 
style, but remember to teach the hat’s importance! 

Give the students choices
finally, one of the biggest changes i have seen from 
my guided reading and station time is to give students 
choice. i used to assign students the activity they 
would be doing if they were not meeting with me. 
However, i quickly learned that students will be much 
more engaged if they get to choose their activity. once 
you have taught all the procedures and students have 
built their stamina for that activity, let your students 
choose what they want to do.

Conclusion - Never Stop Reflecting
Now that you have received an overflow of information 
on guided reading and stations, it is time to take a step 
back. remember that your guided reading groups 
and instructional stations should always be evolving. 
according to fountas and Pinnell (2012), guided 
reading requires self-reflection from the teacher. Even 
the most experienced teachers need to evaluate their 
small group lessons and review what their students are 
doing when they are not at the guided reading table. 
if you are armed with the fundamentals, establish 
procedures that work best for your classroom and 
students, and reflect on your practice, you too can 
tame the beast!

references
boushey, G., & moser, J. (2014). The Daily 5: Fostering 

literacy independence in the elementary grades. 
Portland, me: Stenhouse Publishers.

diller, d. (2003). Literacy work stations: Making 
centers work. Portland, me: Stenhouse Publishers.

fountas, i.C., & Pinnell, G.S. (2012). Guided reading: 
The romance and reality. The Reading Teacher, 
66(4), 268-284. DOI:10.1002/TRTR.01123

Once you learn to read, 
you will be forever free.

—Frederick douglass




