Have you thought about implementing Guided Reading in your French classroom? If you’ve ever searched for Guided Reading information, you’ve probably found out that there are literally TONS of articles, books, and resources for using GR in English, but what about French?
To help you get started with Guided Reading in French (or maybe to improve what you’re already doing), I interviewed someone with expertise and knowledge about that topic.
Today I’m “talking” with Mme Eliane, the teacher-author behind French Frenzy and she’s sharing all about running Guided Reading in French!
This is a post in a series of interviews, where I’ll be chatting with amazing educators so we can learn their tips and strategies to make our own lessons even more enticing, effective, and fun!
Let’s get started, shall we?
Lucy: Hi Eliane, so glad to be interviewing you! I think we’ve known each other for about 8 years, isn’t that right? There are many topics we could be talking about, but today I really want to focus on guided reading. In your personal experience, why is guided reading effective in the second language classroom?
Eliane: Hi Lucy! Thank you so much for inviting me to be featured in one of your interviews. Guided reading is a big part of my reading program and I’m really excited to share my experiences running it in my classroom considering it is such an important aspect of literacy.
When I first started teaching, I didn’t know much about guided reading. In fact, I didn’t really learn about it in teacher’s college. We were taught what it was, but no one ever showed us HOW to setup or organize a guided reading program.
I knew that guided reading meant reading with small groups but I quickly realized how much my students’ reading levels varied from one another. This makes it challenging to focus on a specific reading strategy and often times, students who aren’t as comfortable in their reading are overshadowed by higher level readers.
In a second language classroom, we want second language learners to feel confident. That is why guided reading is so effective. It allows teachers to work with small groups of readers with similar reading strengths and weaknesses. In doing so, teachers are able to focus on a specific reading strategy or skill that is most appropriate for that group.
For example, when you’re working with a beginning readers’ groups, you can focus on decoding, concepts of print or using visual cues for understanding. However, when you’re working with your stronger reading groups, you’re more likely to focus on reading strategies that require more critical thinking such as making connections, inferring or reflecting. There’s no one way to setup your program and the reading strategies teachers choose to focus on will also depend on their program.
L: Let me backtrack a bit. Even though a lot of teachers talk about it, there might be people who don’t really know what guided reading is or they might have misconceptions about it. I know we could stay here for days discussing it, but what is YOUR short definition or description of what guided reading is.
E: If I had to define guided reading, I’d summarize it as being one of the key components of balanced literacy. It includes grouping students with similar reading levels and skills and working with those small groups to target some of their reading needs. During a guided reading session, the teacher can choose to focus on an activity to do before, during or after reading. I wrote a 3-part blog post series about setting up your guided reading program, types of texts teachers can use and activities to use before, during and after reading.
L: That’s a very informative series of blog post, so thank you for sharing it! Now let me ask you: What grade(s) have you taught? Do you have a favourite one?
E: I’ve taught every grade from Grades 2 – 6 and I’ll be the first to admit that Grades 5 or 6 have always been my favourite grades to teach. I taught grade 5/6 for 7 years before moving to primary. After teaching grade 2/3 for two years I taught Physical Education for two years. This year, I’m back in Grade 5 and it didn’t take me a long time to realize how much I missed it. There are definitely pros and cons to each division but I really enjoy the conversations I’m able to have with my junior students, their involvement around the school, the independence, complex activities we are able to do together and extracurriculars at that age.
L: Some teachers tend to associate guided reading with K-2. Does guided reading work as well in upper grades?
E: It’s interesting because you mentioned the word “misconception” in one of your previous questions and I think that one of the misconceptions of guided reading is that it’s a component of a primary reading program. That is not the case at all. I’ve done guided reading with students in Grade 2 and all the way up to grade 6.
There are many ways that you can adapt your program, expectations and reading focus between each grade level. For example, the structure of the guided reading session is the same. The only things that will change are the strategies you might work on and the texts you use.
Guided reading can be effective in any grade, given it can easily be modified to suit the teacher’s areas of strength or the needs of the students. Guided reading can be either very focused and specific or it can be loosely adapted to fit the needs of a more advanced class or upper grades who may be doing something like novel studies.
L: What’s the number one mistake teachers make when implementing or doing guided reading?
E: Oh, this is a good one! I think that teachers are very hard on themselves and are afraid to try something if they’re not quite sure how to do it.
I think that teachers trying to do too much is one of the mistakes teachers do often (Do you blame them? The teaching profession is constantly changing and we continue to expect more and more from teachers with little to no formal training). For example, one of the questions teachers often ask is “How often should I do guided reading?”. Though it would be great to read 3 times a week with each group, it’s not always feasible. We can’t always guarantee that this will work and it’s preferable to keep a consistent schedule that you can commit to rather than always changing on the fly.
Teachers think that simply because they aren’t able to read with their group that they aren’t doing it right, become discouraged and stop altogether. I say start small. Start by reading with each group once a week until you’ve found a schedule or rhythm that works for you. And if you miss a week…THAT’S OKAY! Start again next week. You can also add more guided reading sessions as you see fit in your schedule.
I also notice that some teachers fixate on the types of books that are appropriate for guided reading. Some don’t have access to a book room or French books and don’t know where to find French texts. I use a variety of texts with my groups and I try to choose relevant and meaningful texts. I also try to choose texts with topics that I know my students will enjoy. Sometimes, these are articles I find online, magazines, leveled books from our book room, novels, or my set of mini-readers. You’re not obligated to use board approved books. You can use any kind of French text to practice the same reading strategies you would with a levelled reader. The type of text you choose isn’t always the most important…it’s WHAT you do with it that counts.
L: I’ve met teachers who really wanted to give guided reading a try, but they really didn’t know where to start. What is ONE piece of advice you would give those teachers?
E: My biggest piece of advice for someone who wants to give guided reading a go but is unsure where to start is to start small. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get it all done at once. It may take a year or two (Or more! I am still learning!) to get to where you want to be but this can only happen if you start somewhere and learn from your experiences. What works for one teacher may not always work for the next.
The most important thing before starting your guided reading program is ORGANIZATION. Organization is key! I don’t start grouping students until I am familiar with their reading levels. Once you’ve collected enough reading data, you will use that information to guide you in your planning and organization.
I use the planning sheets in my Guided Reading Package. These pages include sheets for tracking reading levels, group making, scheduling, planning out your reading strategies and group goals, reading checklist, types of texts you want to use, etc. Once those sheets are complete, you can start to look at the types of activities you want to do with each group. My Guided Reading Package includes over 45 activities that will get you through the year. If you’re interested in getting started but you are not sure where to begin, you can preview my Guided Reading Package here.
L: And now just for fun, can you share something that most people don’t know about you?
E: Should I talk about the fact that I skipped grade 3? Or that I love coaching all the sports? Maybe that I love cruising and Alaska was my fave destination? Or that I won an arm wrestling competition in grade 12? Lol
L: LOL! Love the answer! Guess we’ll need to schedule a round 2 for this interview so you can share more details about those stories!
Thank you so much, Eliane, for sharing all you know about Guided Reading in French!
If you’d like to learn more about Eliane and what she shares about teaching French, check out her blog French Frenzy and her TpT store. Also, make sure to stop by her Instagram account and let her know you’ve read and enjoyed this interview.
Thank you for reading!
Merci!
Lucy
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