Guided reading is, in a nutshell, a type of small-group reading instruction practice whereby children learn specific reading strategies. There are four cornerstones to guided reading: group formation (which children are grouped together), text selection (what kinds of books the children read), teaching sequence (how the lesson should go, from beginning to end), and teacher talk (how teachers use their voice to aid instruction). This book shows teachers how to really KNOW their students as readers, and to be able to group them, select texts, and design interactions between them in order to provide awareness, instruction, practices, and applications that are meaningful. Effective reading teachers make every moment count -- they know what to look for, how to guide and move the instruction, and what to say to convey encouragement and student independence. Ideal for teachers of pre-readers and emergent readers, this book outlines in easy-to-understand language the basic concepts of the guided reading process with an emphasis on vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. New to this edition is information on handling a book and looking at it as a concrete object, note-taking and study skills, updated strategies, and new figures and tables.