Mastering Small Group Instruction

Feb 3

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Small group instruction: where the magic happens. It's here where we get to see those long-awaited lightbulb moments. But with so many needs and so little time, it can feel overwhelming. Today, we will help you simplify your planning, chat about why small groups are so important, and give you all the tools you need to make your small group instruction successful.

Why Small Groups Matter

Small groups allow us to meet them where students are and provide targeted support.

In fact, research supports that this time is one of the most effective ways to boost reading success.

But with so much planning, what do we do? We follow a structure and this three-part framework:

Warm-up with cumulative review
Explicit teaching
Application.

Following a framework takes the guessing out of planning and ensures that your lessons are aligned with the science of reading.
This framework works because it’s digestible, it’s consistent, it’s aligned with the science of reading, it’s efficient for teachers, and gives students a confident path towards reading.

Breaking Down the Three-Part Framework

1.Warm-up and cumulative review - this sets the stage for learning.

Wiley Blevins says that we should be reviewing previously- taught skills for 4-6 weeks if we want these skills to stick.
Review previously-taught skills and reinforce the foundations:

Phonemic awareness drills

Here, we ask our students to manipulate sounds at the individual level.
We blend, segment, and isolate phonemes together.

Visual drills

Here, we connect the phoneme to the grapheme.
Simply get a stack of cards with known graphemes on them and flash through them, while the students say the phoneme.

Auditory drills

Here, we connect the phoneme to the grapheme through writing.
The teacher says a sound, and students write it down while saying the sound of the letter.

Blending practice

Here, we take any known grapheme and have students work through sounding out words with them.
Take simple CVC words and segment and blend the sounds together. Once blended, change just one part of the word.

/m/ /a/ /p/ → map
/t/ /a/ /p/ → tap
/t/ /i/ /p/ → tip

2. Explicit teaching - introducing new phonics skills.

In this portion of the framework, we need to tell the students exactly what they’re learning with specific examples.

For example, for digraph sh, you will say, “This is the digraph sh. When you see them together, it says /sh/.”
Then follow the I Do, You Do, We Do model. Within this lesson, you may have to do the I Do portion for longer or come back to it to ensure students are understanding the new skill.
From there, model the skill through guided practice and gradually release responsibility to them.
After, add in activities like word mapping and word chaining to reinforce what they just learned.

3. Application - where students take skills and apply them in a meaningful way.

This is done through reading and writing.
Reading decodables…

…reinforces specific skills and promotes fluency which allows students to build speed and accuracy.
…Provides a bridge to authentic texts. They’re used so students can make those phoneme-grapheme connections to build fluency, and then we can allow them to get into more complex texts.
…builds confidence in kids! Students get a sense of accomplishment when they read decodables.

Writing/dictation:

Dictation bridges reading and writing and helps connect the sound-to-symbol relationship.
We do this by asking students to dictate sounds, words, and then sentences.

The teacher dictates the sentence and the students write it.

“The cat is on the mat.” Students will say it several times, clap or tap it out, or whatever works to help them retain the sentence.

The teacher then asks how many words are in the sentence.

“The cat is on the mat. There are six words in the sentence, so when you write, there should be six words on your paper.”

Have students write the sentence, focusing on spelling, spacing, and punctuation.
Students will then re-read their sentence twice before the teacher checks it, picking up on any mistakes.
Review the sentence and give immediate feedback.

Putting Together the Framework

Mastering small group phonics requires intentionality and structure.
When we focus on this three-part framework, we are equipping students with tools for confidence and equipping ourselves with a seamless, streaming process for planning small group lessons.
Streamlining simplifies your workload, creates a framework that works, and maintains the integrity of your instruction.
The key is to swap the skill - not the structure. With a well-defined routine, all you need to do is adjust the phonics skills.
How to streamline each part of your lesson:

Warm-up and review:

Use the same format each day - choose a few activities and stick with them.
M/W/F - begin with a phonemic awareness warm-up and follow up with a visual and then a blending drill.
T/TH - begin with a phonemic awareness warm up, an auditory drill, and then add in a vowel intensive if necessary. Or rather, do a blending drill instead. Swap out the visual and auditory drill if needed.
Remember that the routine stays the same - only the skill changes.

Check out my three-day sample and five-day sample below in the “Resources” section!

Explicit teaching:

The new skill is introduced here, so we want to pull in activities to reinforce it throughout the week.
Ensure that we stick to high-impact activities that connect the phoneme to the grapheme and plug them into a weekly routine:

Word chaining
Word mapping
Word sort
Fluency grids
Reading words in isolation
Fun Roll & Read game

Monday: introduce word skill with word mapping.
Tuesday: practice skill with word chaining.
Wednesday: reinforce skill with high frequency words that follow the skill’s pattern.
Thursday: additional word mapping and chaining.
Friday: fluency grid, fun game, or maximize your time by doing an activity where the skill is applied in context rather than at the word level.

Application:

Consider using skill-specific decodables.
Students should be practicing what they've been taught that week.
We need to scaffold this practice with both reading and dictation:

Monday: after mapping, read the words in isolation on word cards and then have students write it in isolation.
Tuesday: fluency pyramids or reading sentences containing the skill and then have students write a few words that follow the skill.
Wednesday/Thursday: begin decodable book that contains the new skill and have students write a sentence containing the new skill.
Friday: students are re-reading the decodable book and are writing about what they read.

Lesson Planning Tips

BAT Plan (Best Available Technique)

Dedicate a specific time each week to plan all of your small group lessons.

Use pre-made resources

Invest in good decodable texts.
Quality phonics materials.
Ensure these resources align to your scope and sequence and the science of reading.

Reflect and adjust

Tweak your routines based upon your students progress and lesson flow.

Have FUN!

Even though we’re keeping the activities the same, it doesn’t have to be boring!
Use Pop Its, playdough, unifix cubes, and other manipulatives to make it fun.

Wrapping It Up

Small group time is one of the most important parts of the day where the biggest difference is made. It means working smarter - not harder - to meet student needs.
It’s intentional and impactful.
When we streamline our small group planning, we…

…save time.
…create consistent routines that benefit teachers and students.
…focus energy on high-quality instruction.

Ready to Dive Deeper?

Take your reading instruction to the next level!

Join us and become a member of Route2Reading!
By joining this membership, you’ll get:

Resources:

You’ll get access to all of the resources I’ve created.
This includes exclusive resources just for members like lesson plans, instructional videos, and monthly coaching calls.

Community:

Join a group of like-minded teachers who are passionate about students.
Share ideas, celebrate wins, and support each other.

Calling all administrators and teacher leaders!

One of my biggest passions is helping schools elevate their reading instruction.
If you’re looking for professional development that will truly make a difference, I would love to work with you and your team.
I offer customized PD sessions focused on the science of reading, tailored to meet the unique needs of your school or district.
If you’re looking for in-depth training on phonics, literacy stations, small group instruction, or analyzing student data, I’ve got you covered.
These sessions are practical, hands-on, and strategies you can implement right away.
If you want to see a real improvement on your students’ reading abilities and equip your teachers with the tools they need, take a look at my PD offerings on the website.