Janet Seymour seems like she makes a concerted effort to break the guided reading into different segments so different students with different learning abilities can excel in specific type of modules. Now I will say that with the flow of following the progression from Session 1 to Session 2 and so on, a student may not flourish in the later session because of lack of understanding the storyline in the earlier sessions. Because the activities are so tied in to the theme and gist of the story, one could argue that it might be difficult to follow through with the activities later on.
I also like the aspect of allowing the kids to be somewhat imaginative by asking them to possibly predict the outcome of the story prior to actually finishing the book, and why the author chose to have characters do certain things. This creates a sense of imagination among the students rather than just testing and quizzing on their factual knowledge of the story which I think ends up being very short-sighted.
Interestingly enough in the the introduction The Giver, I believe that it's Carmel French who thinks because of the level of difficulty with the novel that everyone should read along together so there can be a general understanding level amongst the group. I will say that I cannot necessarily agree with that interpretation or assessment. I think you can guide along for a time, but at some point you have to allow for learning by trial and error or the student is going to fall into too much of a comfort zone, especially when it comes to reading.
Plot lines are a very helpful tool in my opinion especially if you are reading a story that may be slightly above the level of the current grade. Any aid that can assist the general understanding of a slightly more sophisticated novel is definitely something that helped me when I was in the 5th or 6th grade.
The greatest part about this guided reading lesson breakdown is The Billy Goats Gruff. That story was one of the first I can remember actually really getting into as a child. It was not presented to me in a classroom setting but rather at home. Now with the advantages the Internet possesses at home, I would think parents to a much larger extent than mine, can get extremely creative in teh ways that they can convey stories to their children, but more importantly, convey the meanings of stories in different fashions.
