What do I do during small groups?
Although it seems like this should be the EASY part of your day. After all, there are only a couple of kids to teach, you have them grouped by level, they are all sitting RIGHT THERE.....in front of you. Have a go at it right?
Wrong. Small group instruction is probably one of the most difficult things to do as a classroom teacher especially if you haven't been teaching reading to little ones. It is HARD and it is COMPLICATED and no one taught us how to do it. Seriously, no one! Teacher school didn't prepare us for a lot of things but when it came to small groups that part was skipped all together.
So here is what I DO during small groups. I don't claim to have all of the answers but I can surely give you helping hand!
#1 Have a plan!
When I started doing small groups I was SO EXCITED on our first day. I had grouped all of my kids so I knew who needed what, I had some small group instruction books to use on their level, and I had a horseshoe table. I was all set right?
WRONG! We cruised through that leveled reader in about 10 seconds and then what? I couldn't remember what it was this group really needed the most work on. I scrambled to figure things out on the fly but I didn't feel very effective. After a day or two I was ready to give up!
To alleviate this FRUSTRATION I started writing down my plans for each group so no matter what type of day I was having I would be READY for them when they came to sit down.
You can click on the picture or HERE to get this simple planning page. Just print it out and jot down what you are going to do with each group. That way when they show up to you, you know just what to do!
#2 Differentiate
We hear that word all of the time but what does that mean REALLY? It means you should REALLY be doing different things with each group. My 2 low groups usually are right on the same path but one generally needs WAY MORE work with letter sounds so I plan extra letter naming activities in for them. I find they are not ready for the leveled readers so I work with these Word Family Guided Reading plans. They give them extra practice with letter names/sounds that they need before moving into traditional leveled readers.
#3 Be Consistent
Don't be like me and have a bad day and skip groups. Although I FEEL that way sometimes I resist the urge and press on. It would be SO EASY to just have free time but that is not where readers are made. I promise. Little readers are created right there at your small group table.
#4 You Don't Have to do it ALL!
Once I got organized enough to be effective with my lessons in small groups I started to run into that "I can't fit it all in!" scenario. We love to freak out about that as teachers right? There is not enough time!! Well actually there is, and it doesn't all have to happen at once. One way I combat this is I use our Word Family Guided Reading books as a mini lesson between groups. We all come back together and read the book on our big screen together. That way we can reinforce the skills with the groups that are working on word families. THESE BOOKS include Powerpoint copies of the books to play all together.
#5 Be Flexible and Grow with the Group
Just because you placed a student in "Group 2" doesn't mean they have to stay there forever. Make your groups flexible. If Johnny is DONE with letter names he shouldn't be sitting in a group with students who only know the letter x....and o.......why are those always the 2 they know??
The most important thing I have learned from running small reading groups is that I LEARN as we go! Every year I discover a little more about these little readers. Pay attention to what works and what doesn't work.
Here are a few links you might find helpful. And don't forget to download the free planning page to help get you started.
RTI Made Easy Letter Naming
RTI Made Easy Phoneme Segmentation
RTI Made Easy CVC Words
RTI Made Easy Digraphs
Middle A Word Family Guided Reading Lesson Plans
Middle I Word Family Guided Reading Lesson Plans
Middle E Word Family Guided Reading Lesson Plans
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