Whole class teaching of reading is becoming an increasingly important part of literacy instruction, especially as we work to ensure all ākonga have access to rich texts, explicit teaching, and high-quality discussion.
When done well, whole class reading allows teachers to model thinking, scaffold understanding, explicitly teach comprehension strategies, and build shared language around texts. It also creates consistency across classrooms and reduces the cognitive load that can come from constantly rotating groups and activities.
One of the biggest shifts in literacy education is the understanding that our “lower level” readers do not make accelerated progress by only ever practising with lower level texts. If students are continually exposed only to simplified texts, they simply become more practised at reading simplified texts. Accelerated progress happens when students engage with rich, age-appropriate texts alongside strong scaffolded instruction, explicit modelling, supported discussion, and carefully designed follow-up tasks.
This is where high-quality Tier 1 teaching becomes incredibly important.
At The Resource Cupboard, our Guided Reading Plans and response activities are designed to support this approach through carefully scaffolded questioning and purposeful response tasks. Questions move from surface understanding through to deeper thinking, helping students build confidence before engaging with inference, author’s purpose, themes, language features, and critical thinking. The response activities continue this scaffold, supporting students to process and apply their understanding independently while still accessing complex ideas and vocabulary.
Strong reading instruction also relies on understanding Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 teaching:
• Tier 1: High-quality classroom instruction for all learners through explicit modelling, shared reading experiences, vocabulary instruction, scaffolded questioning, and structured response activities.
• Tier 2: Additional small-group support for students who need more targeted teaching alongside Tier 1 classroom instruction.
• Tier 3: Intensive, individualised support for students with significant literacy needs requiring specialist intervention.
The reality is that strong Tier 1 teaching matters deeply. The more explicit, structured, and responsive our classroom reading instruction is, the more students we can successfully support before they require additional intervention.
Our resources are designed to support this work by providing consistent, high-impact reading instruction that aligns with the refreshed curriculum while reducing planning overwhelm for teachers. Because teaching reading shouldn’t feel like reinventing the wheel every day.