Small Groups
Meeting Individual Needs in the Intermediate Classroom
by Abby Batlle
Are you ready for small groups? Are you wondering about your next steps?
Small groups in the intermediate grades can seem like a daunting project to tackle. Don't be discouraged, the benefits are worth the risk! Once you start teaching with small groups and get into your groove, you will never go back. This handout is designed to help you identify several reasons to use small group instruction in your classroom. It will help you find a place to start when it comes to meeting the needs of the struggling readers in your intermediate classroom through the use of small groups and guided reading. Also included are tips and tricks for managing the rest of the class and what is happening away from your table. Lastly, some resources for next steps and more information will carry you through implementation of your small groups. Enjoy! It's an exciting journey!
WHY Small Groups?
Education is always changing. There are always going to be new ideas to try and new standards to meet. One thing that doesn’t change is the students. And ironically, the constant with students is that they are all different. They come to us on different levels, with different life experiences, and with unique strengths and weaknesses. In order for us to meet our students where they are and support them to make gains, we have to differentiate our instruction. This brings up the question, “How can I provide my students with materials and instruction that fit their individual needs and levels?”
“If a teacher’s job is to take each child from where he is to where he needs to go in reading, then that teacher must assess individuals. With a class of twenty to thirty-five youngsters, grouping for instruction makes sense. As teachers, we want to make learning manageable yet avoid the negative aspects of grouping. We want to be sure children are working with materials that help them take the next step in learning to read. The books they read should offer just enough challenge to support problem solving but easy enough to support fluency and meaning. But providing appropriate texts is only the beginning. The critical element is the skillful teaching that helps young readers learn the effective strategies they need to become independent.” Fountas & Pinnell
Tips for Using Guided Reading and Small Groups in the Intermediate Grades
Grouping students is one of the most efficient ways to meet the needs of struggling readers. You have many students in your class so gathering a group of students who are on a similar reading level to work together helps the teacher work smarter, not harder. Always remember that those groups should be flexible and even fluid (Iaquinta, 2006). Students will excel in some areas while they continue to struggle in others. Allow enough flexibility that your groups are always changing. Fountas & Pinnell even suggest that all "group arrangements should be temporary and should change based on growth and needs as determined through progress monitoring" (Lyons & Thompson, 2012).
Tip #2 Teach EFFECTIVE Strategies
Your time with each group is arguably one of the most important times in their school day. This is a chance to directly teach a student without 20 other students around. Because of this we must choose the most effective strategies that will take our students the furthest in their lives as readers (Lyons & Thompson, 2012). As teachers, we must be apprized to what the student needs are and stay on top of this through progress monitoring. If each and every day we know what a student is needing support with, we will change their lives as learners because we can directly meet that need.
Tip #3 HOW You Teach is as Important as WHAT You Teach
Tying into the tip above, teachers must use their expertise to artfully choose the skills to teach and when to introduce them into the guided reading group (Iaquinta, 2006). An effective guided reading group is not one where the teacher introduces and teaches as much as they possibly can while working with a group. Rather an effective guided reading group focuses on a specific goal for a specific group of students at a specific reading level. We need to go deeper into strategies and topics instead of wider with our range of strategies and topics. We know our students better than any curriculum or text book so we need to make sure we are using that knowledge to make the best instructional decisions possible for our students. The whole purpose of guided reading is to provide explicit teaching of reading strategies at the students' individual levels (Iaquinta, 2006).
Tip #4 Guided Reading is Most Effective Within a Balanced Literacy Framework
Guided reading is only one component within a balanced literacy framework (Lyons, 2012). For guided reading to work at its best, it should be used alongside modeled reading, shared reading, and independent reading (National Reading Panel, 2000). This should provide some relief for you as the teacher. Hopefully, it helps you recognize that you do not have to schedule and pull small groups all day every day. Instead, there are other types of reading happening in your classroom as well. Is it useful everyday? Undoubtedly, YES! However, there should also be room for think alouds, explicit modeling, shared reading, word work, independent reading time, etc. While small groups are the best way to meet the needs of the diverse learners within your classroom and students will benefit from small groups being the largest chunk of your day, no one believes that all the other "stuff" should go away altogether.
Tip #5 Recognize that Small Groups Build Relationships
There is no other time in a student's day quite like their small group time. This is where students feel more important and more heard than any other time. Remember that and capitalize on it by truly getting to know your students. You'll notice quickly that your students will start keeping track and asking about their turn to meet with you.
Tips to Manage All the Other Students
Many times problems arise when students come across difficulties with the station work. Whether it be too hard, too many steps, or above their level, the difficulties will lead to behavior problems and ineffective stations. One way to help with this is to directly link what students are doing in stations to the work being done at the small group table (Worthy, et al, 2015). When students extend with the reading being done during small groups, they are going deeper with the text and that leaves little room for struggling. The students CAN read the book because they have been doing so with the teacher. So next they can write about what they are reading, respond to the opinions created from the text, or reflect on the new information learned throughout the reading (Worthy et al, 2015).
Tip #2 Integrate Technology
We all know kids these days have technology at their fingertips so why not use what they are so engaged in. Just about any station can be linked to technology and students will whole-heartedly be more apt to try. The link to technology will make the literacy stations more engaging to students (Worthy, et al, 2015). Think through each station you plan and brainstorm how it could be done with technology. There are so many activities we plan for our students with pencil and paper that students could actually get more out of if we integrated technology. Some ideas to get you started using technology in literacy stations include: www.edmodo.com, www.kidblog.org, www.goodreads.com, www.LibraryThing.com, www.Shelfari.com, www.Zinio.com, www.OpenLibrary.org.
Tip #3 Provide Choice
"Providing students with choices of relevant, interesting, and appropriately challenging texts can address engagement issues" (Worthy, et al, 2015). When it comes to students, especially in the intermediate grades, they are more likely to buy in to the whole idea of school (or really anything) when they feel like they have some ownership and a choice in the matter. Students who can sit down at a table to work at a literacy station and can look through a bucket and choose their activity or their text, will be better behaved and more engaged in the learning. They feel respected and worthy when we put the choice into their hands...just as adults feel more respected when we feel our voices have been heard. Think about professional development! Don't you get more out of it when you have chosen what you want to learn about?
Tip #4 Practice and Then Practice Again
For students to be able to effectively work without you, they have to first be able to effectively work with you. If you just tell students what to do when they move to literacy stations or independent reading, don't expect results. Telling is not the same as demonstrating, working together, and practicing multiple times. Teachers must model and demonstrate (Worthy et al, 2015) many times before students can then begin their own practice. When you introduce a station think through the following:
- introduce the instructions
- include the rationale for why this station is important so students can see the meaning or reason
- show the students how to do the station
- have students join you to demonstrate how to do the station
- discuss or have students demonstrate how NOT to do the station
- discuss your expectations of the station
- ask students their expectations of the station and discuss together
- have all students practice
- discuss successes and issues
- practice some more
- walk around while students practice and talk with them about what they are doing right and wrong
- practice some more
Tip #5 Don't Jump Into Pulling a Group Too Soon
For your to truly be able to implement the tip above (Practice and Then Practice Again), don't feel pressured to pull a small group right away. Allow the class the time to get used to what they are doing and practice what they are doing to establish routines (Worthy et al, 2015). Be a rover around the room during the first few weeks of students working in their literacy stations. Just like the start of a new school year, students will need time to adjust and they will benefit from their teacher being around for reminders. As students get going, you could go sit at the small group table and watch how the class is operating and what you can see from that vantage point. Jot down ideas as you see them working...What will they do when they need to go to the bathroom but you are working with a group? What will be your level of tolerance with noise? Who should work together and who should not? As students get going, take a bit to just watch. Groups will begin soon enough and in the long run, your class will run more smoothly because you took the time watch and anticipate.
Tip #6 Ask for Student Input
When it comes to what stations to have in your class and even some of the activities within the stations, ask your students! They will let you know what their interests are and how they like to learn. By no means should the only literacy station options be student choice, but it won't hurt to put some of their ideas into action. When they see their ideas actually used, they will feel validated. Allowing students to have a say could also help address engagement issues (Worthy et all, 2015) and keep students interested in their learning during station time.
Here are some ideas for student input:
Ask students...
- what they would like to research
- writing topic or genre ideas
- their struggles
- their strengths
- book titles
- website ideas
- class website thoughts
Teach and Expect
Encourage Choice
Teach Students How to Use the Room
Parent Tips
Tip #2 Create a home reading log- Have your kids fill in a simple reading log of what books they have finished and what they thought about them. Have small prizes available when a certain number of books or minutes has been reached. Dollar stores (or other stores who have started having "Dollar Spots") might be a good place to start. You could also create the prizes that do not cost any money. These could include activities that kids are interested in. Ideas include: staying up 30 minutes later, picking the evening fun activity, computer/iPad time, choosing a family movie, no chores for the day, etc.
Tip #3 Ask questions- As you're reading with your child, ask them about what is happening in the story that the words DON'T say. Have them predict what they think could logically happen next. Ask them WHY they think that. Have them show you evidence for the answers to any question you ask. Question and discuss character decisions, actions, and roles within the story. See if they can relate any of the story events or character situation and/or feelings to a family member or to their own life. Lead them to reread if they come to a part they don't understand. Encourage them to ask questions about the story. Have a conversation before, during and after reading together.
Tip #4 Keep books in the car- Throw several books in a bag and keep it next to the kids' seats. Consistently change out the books so there are always new options. So much time is spent in the car either doing nothing or playing on a device, so why not provide some books. It's amazing how many times they will reach for the bag even during a short car trip!
Tip #5 Read books online- There are several fun and interactive literacy websites that could be a enticing alternative to always reading a book. It provides the kids with "screen time", but it also has an educational piece.
Some of these websites include:
- www.storylineonline.com
- www.gigglepoetry.com
- www.kidsreads.com
- Wacky Web Tales
- Reading Planet
- www.factmoster.com
- www.starfall.com
- www.wegivebooks.org
- www.spellingcity.com
- www.speakaboos.com
- http://interactivesites.weebly.com
Tip #6 Apps for Tablets and iPads
- Websites with App Lists: Reading Rockets; Apps in Education
- Say Word
- Word Creativity Kit
- Tikatok StorySpark (writing and reading)
- Tales To Go
- A Story Before Bed
- Reading Trainer
- Free Books
Webliography: Where else can I go for help?
These videos are found on the TeachingChannel.org and come from a series by a teacher named Jenna. She teaches 5th grade and uses small groups and guided reading on a regular basis. Throughout this video series Jenna provides tips, ideas, and ways to set up and manage the whole system. While it's great to read about new ideas, it's even better to see them implemented with a real class and that's what this video series enables us to do.
2. Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)
This link takes you to the section for 4th/5th grade activities (but could easily be used higher and lower than these grade levels). This website offers research-based activities which are easily made useful for stations or to add to independent reading time. The activities print out with instructions and all of the pieces that are needed. Another beneficial piece that makes this website full of useful activities for guided reading, literacy stations, or independent reading times is that all of the activities work with any book and are not specific to one title.
This is an article on Reading Rockets that provides an in-depth look at setting up literacy stations to accompany guided reading or small groups. The article breaks down literacy stations from what they are to how to implement. There are many useful tips and ideas that can be immediately implemented in any classroom. There is also a list of resources at the bottom of the article. These are all links to more help on this same subject.
Jan Richardson has some wonderful books, videos, information, and tools to use with guided reading and small groups. This link provides video clips to see different levels of guided reading in action. From her homepage, you are also able to see and download different templates, research, and ideas for using guided reading in your classroom.
This is a website that gives some of the basics for guided reading in intermediate grades. The university collaborated with Irene Fountas to provide this webpage. This page is a starting point for guided reading/small groups and explicitly lays out the basics for getting started.
Use Space Creatively
Be Organized!
Integrate Technology
Bibliography: What else can I read for support?
This book is step 1! There is so much foundational knowledge about guided reading that can be learned in this book and implemented throughout any grade level. The big question that this book does a wonderful job of answering is: How might teachers best support a literate community yet still meet the needs of individual readers? This text gives ideas, lessons, templates, pictures, reasons, and beyond for why and how we should use guided reading.
2. Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work Stations in Grades 3-6 by Debbie Diller
Just as the Fountas and Pinnell book is a good foundation for Guided Reading, this book by Debbie Diller is a good foundation for Literacy Stations. This is a wonderful starting point full of ideas for getting started with stations. You could pick a few to integrate in with simply reading, responding to reading, and writing about reading.
Here is a video summary of the book.
3. Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation For All by Debbie Diller
This is a resource for what to do during the small groups in grades 3 to 6. There are many ideas for many different levels as well as resources and templates to use with the groups.
Here is a video summary of the book.
4. Reading Workshop 2.0 by Frank Serafini
While this book focuses on Reader's Workshop, there are many ideas that are relatable and transfer to small groups and literacy stations. The "2.0" focuses on integrating technology into reading and writing. There are many ideas and tips for bringing literacy stations and response to reading into the technology age.
5. Reading Essentials by Regie Routman
This book is a resource for small groups, what the other students are doing, and Reader's Workshop. It's an all-around good resource for best practices in teaching reading.
6. Teaching Reading in Small Groups by Jennifer Serravallo
The ideas in this book are perfect for a classroom that has a variety of needs (which is any classroom, right?!). The purpose of this book is finding the best ways to meet the needs of struggling readers.
7. The Daily 5 by Boushey and Moser
The Daily 5 provides the basics for the management of literacy stations and small groups. It is a system that can be adapted to fit the needs of your classroom, but the ideas in this book are a great starting place for the organization and management of it all.
Sources
Worthy, et al (2015). What Are the Rest of the Students Doing? Language Arts Vol. 92 (Issue 3). p.173-186.
Iaquita, A. (2006). Guided Reading: A Research-Based Response to the
Challenges of Early Reading Instruction. Early Childhood Education Journal Vol. 33 (Issue 6), p. 413-418. 10.1007/s10643-006-0074-2
Flynn, L. (2012). Instructing Struggling Older Readers: A Selective Meta-
Analysis of Intervention Research. Learning Disabilities Research and
Practice Vol. 27 (Issue 1), p.21-32. 10.1111/j.1540-5826.2011.00347.x
Fisher, D., Frey, N. (2014). Close Reading as an Intervention for Struggling
Middle School Readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Vol.
57 (Issue 5), p.367-376. 10.10002/jaal.266