A Microanalysis of the Small-Group Guided Reading Lesson: Effects of an Emphasis on Global Story

A study sought to replicate and extend previous research which found that an emphasis on meaning in reading leads to better recall of lesson material.than does an emphasis on accurate oral reading, and that the child who is taking an active turn recalls more of the lesson material than do the children who are following along. Six third-grade classes (149 children) received 2 lessons in which the teaching emPhasis was on global story meaning And 2 lessons in which the teaching emphasis was on surface features of language. The study demonstrated that an-emphasis on story meaning leads to superior performance on an array of outcome measures, especially for children in low and average reading groups. The study confirmed that children taking an active turn reading aloud and answering the teacher's questions, particularly children whose reading fluency is low, learn more at these moments. The study found that the average ability of a reading group, especially average group fluency, is mor