Guided Reading and Writing: Strategies for Maximum Student Achievement

Gain a classroom full of students who can negotiate increasingly challenging texts with unprecedented fluency. This class provides differentiated instruction tactics to better understand how your students learn and how to apply those tactics within the guided reading framework.

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6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs
Starting  May 14, 2025
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Georgia College & State University

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Guided Reading and Writing: Strategies for Maximum Student Achievement

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Course code: 4gw

Around 30% of students in sixth grade already have trouble with basic reading and writing. These literacy problems affect performance across subject areas, and they often leave teachers wondering how to help. In this course, you will examine the reasons reading and writing are so difficult for students. Then you will encounter the total literacy framework and see what it does to mitigate literacy problems. Since this framework is based on guided reading lessons that flow naturally into writing challenges, you will learn to successfully transition from guided readings to writing lessons.

Once you have encountered the basic framework, you will investigate a number of ways to modify this basic recipe for a variety of K-12 circumstances, wrapping up with a look at good writing habits and the traits of a productive writing conference. If you're looking for the right way to get students excited about the power of literacy, this is the course for you!

What you will learn

  • Learn how to make reading and writing compelling and fun for your students
  • Acquire the basic recipe for successful lesson plans through the total literacy framework
  • Discover how to renew the confidence of your students and build their literacy skills
  • Learn how to adapt literacy lesson plans to any subject and grade level

How you will benefit

  • Renew your confidence in teaching literacy skills to struggling students
  • Discover how to use guided reading and writing experiences no matter what subject you teach
  • Acquire tangible reading and writing lesson plans that really work
  • Increase your enthusiasm for reading and writing and learn to motivate your students

How the course is taught

  • Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
  • 6 Weeks or 3 Months access
  • 24 course hours

Have you ever wondered why so many of your students struggle to read and write? You're not alone! This introductory lesson will discuss why these two subjects are so hard for students and how you can make their lives a little easier.

To really help struggling readers and writers, you need a framework. The total literacy framework is just the thing: Guided reading, writing, engagement, and assessment are the components that make it so effective. This lesson will discuss guided reading, writing, and engagement.

Assessment is the part of the total literacy framework that drives instruction. After all, you need to know where students are academically and where they need to go before you can effectively teach them. In this lesson you will look at fun and simple ways to assess students' reading and writing skills.

The recipe you will learn about in this lesson is one that you can easily modify for any K-12 setting, and it's dotted with examples from real classrooms where guided reading and writing are changing lives.

Have you ever read a great story only to think, "I could write something better than that"? Well, guess what? Your students think the exact same thing. This lesson will teach you the basics of leading a successful story writing activity.

Nonfiction is often less popular in the classroom. However, with a little imagination, you can make nonfiction come alive for your students. In this lesson, you will learn how you can make nonfiction more appealing to students.

Some students absolutely hate reading and writing poetry, but they won't after you introduce the techniques taught in this lesson! Additionally, you will take a tour of the different kinds of poetry that inspire students.

Writing papers is never going to be the most exciting part of school, but it's always going to be necessary. This lesson will discuss how to teach students to read research material and use it as a launch pad for papers that are clear and thought-provoking the first time around.

One of the neat things about employing the total literacy framework is that you can extend it across the content areas. In This lesson, you will learn how to use guided reading and writing to your advantage whether you're teaching math, social studies, or science.

Have you ever written something that was a little hard to understand? This lesson will cover ways to teach students to craft their own style, hone their organization, and check for proper mechanics before they turn in any assignments.

Writing conferences are a great chance to make sure students are successful as they turn reading into writing and writing into ideas. This lesson will discuss the power of conferences and how to make the most of them.

It's important to take time to encourage and inspire students by turning their small successes into big rewards. If you're looking for new strategies to motivate students and make reading and writing fun, you won't want to miss all the tips and tricks in this final lesson!

Cheryl Dick

Cheryl Dick has more than 25 years of teaching experience and is currently a classroom teacher. She's taught 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade and has previously worked as an instructional coach. She graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education, with a focus on early childhood education. Cheryl also holds a master's degree in elementary education from Texas-Wesleyan University and a second master's degree in educational administration from Lindenwood University.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 8 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.​

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.​

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.​

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Guided Reading: Strategies for the Differentiated ClassroomFundamentalsTeaching Writing: Grades K-3FundamentalsCreating the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for SuccessFundamentalsDifferentiated Instruction in the ClassroomFundamentalsIntegrating Technology in the ClassroomFundamentalsSolving Classroom Discipline ProblemsFundamentalsReady, Set, Read!FundamentalsWriting for ChildrenFundamentalsResponse to Intervention: Reading Strategies That WorkFundamentalsSpanish in the ClassroomFundamentals
Fundamentals
Guided Reading: Strategies for the Differentiated Classroom
Fundamentals
Teaching Writing: Grades K-3
Fundamentals
Creating the Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for Success
Fundamentals
Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom
Fundamentals
Integrating Technology in the Classroom
Fundamentals
Solving Classroom Discipline Problems
Fundamentals
Ready, Set, Read!
Fundamentals
Writing for Children
Fundamentals
Response to Intervention: Reading Strategies That Work
Fundamentals
Spanish in the Classroom