Using Your Data for Small Group Instruction

Fall is settling in all around. Leaves are starting to change color and Starbucks has been selling pumpkin spice lattes for three months. Which means that by now, teachers everywhere have assessed their kids and are ready to really get into small group work. But many of those same teachers are also in limbo. While in the past, it might have been easy to grab a leveled text and plan lessons around it that included vocabulary, comprehension, and accuracy work, this practice is now frowned upon in many places. Now what? What options do teachers have if they have no idea what sort of text level kids are comfortable with? How do we go about using the data we have for small group instruction when levels aren’t a part of the picture?

Let’s explore the options. 

Most likely, you have done a phonics assessment. Hopefully, though, you have gone beyond word lists and have also listened to your kids read real text, giving you information about their fluency.  And ideally, you’ve conducted a quick running record or two, as well as had a short conversation with  your students about their reading to gauge what sorts of texts they enjoy and can comfortably read. 

Hopefully you have also conferred with children to learn more about them as readers and as people.  Perhaps you’ve even done an interest inventory to really help determine student interests, strengths, and challenges from their perspective.  You may even have asked parents a few questions about their children as readers.  Maybe you have also  taken note of engagement and stamina habits across your classroom. This hard and soft data equips you with a comprehensive view of your students as readers to begin small group work.

So now what? What to do with using all that data for small group instruction?

Let’s categorize the types of data you have, and I will share a few ideas for small group work using that data. 

Phonemic awareness and phonics

We begin here because this is so foundational.  We know that if kids have trouble reading the words on the page, they will very likely have trouble comprehending. So your phonics data, of course, tells you where the breakdowns are and where they’re ready to go next. Looking across your class, you can pinpoint a relative sweet spot to target your whole group instruction, and you’ll also see what patterns some kids need to strengthen and where some kids are ready to go next. 

Stronger students would benefit from more complex spelling patterns or work with morphemes. Resources abound for these areas, but keep in mind that a scope and sequence in relation to where your students are and your state standards will be the guide. The scope and sequence you’re using will also point you toward the targeted remediation that these kids need to fill foundational gaps.   Words Their Way is one excellent resource, filled with ideas for working with small groups.  And I recommend checking out the small group lesson plan template that  Shifting the Balance’s Burkins and Yaris share.  They have a K-2 and a 3-5 version.  They also have excellent, free resources for working with morphemes on their site.

Fluency 

Fluency is crucial for comprehension, and there are many measures out there that capture this data. While the Hasbrouck and Tindle fluency norms are a helpful dipstick gauge, I actually prefer something simpler like Rasinski‘s fluency rubric. It captures a more complete picture than just a number can ever do. A rubric like Rasinski’s (Fountas and Pinnell have a great one in their Benchmark Assessment tools too) shows you exactly what kids need.  Much more teacher-friendly and usable than the fluency norms, Rasinski’s rubric actually tells you what to do next.  This tool will allow you to see whole group needs, which of course should be addressed whole group for time-saving instruction.

But you will also see much more.  You’ll note students who may read way too fast, who are not reading for meaning. As well, you will also have students who are too slow. This could of course likely be attributed to lack of phonics skills, but it could also be that they need work on phrasing. Although it takes time, this is a simple thing to work on. Not so simple is intonation and stress. There are many aspects of strong fluency, and many things to teach into. Zeroing in on specific skills will give you what you need in terms of targeted instruction. 

It also could be that they are not paying attention to punctuation, or their stress is off when they’re reading. All of these things affect comprehension and they’re all things to work on when thinking in terms of fluency.  

For fluency, I always turn to Rasinski.  He shares very simple, practical ideas for working with small groups here, but his Megabook of Fluency hits every aspect of fluency, and is a book you’ll use over and over again for years to come. I cannot recommend it enough.  His website is definitely worth exploring, as he generously shares many free resources and ideas perfect for small group instruction.

Comprehension

Using a variety of data such as your computer-based screeners, text conversations with kids, observations on general class discussions, and perhaps their beginning of the year jots and answers on class assignments tells you a lot.  Asking kids to retell or summarize a short passage they’ve read will tell you even more.  This could be something from your curriculum, your content studies, or a leveled text for this (which there is nothing wrong with using).  Armed with all of this information, you will have great insight into students’ comprehension. It’ll also tell you, incidentally, what sorts of levels kids are able to read to help you choose books for instruction. Just make sure that this isn’t the only kind of text they encounter in small group. Paired with something like an engagement inventory and an interest inventory, you have quite a comprehensive set of data to begin targeted small group work with. 

That engagement tool might show you that kids have been losing focus during reading. A child with an unfocused brain isn’t going to understand anything they’re reading. Your interest inventory may reveal that the books that you have provided in your classroom library do not entice certain students. Maybe they are actually not able to find what they’re interested in.  Anyone who has ever read something they’re not invested in understands how hard it is to stay focused. It’s torture! 

Weaker comprehension may actually be attributed to these engagement factors. 

Your individual conversations with kids may reveal things that computerized assessments can’t. For example, you might uncover that a child isn’t pausing to think about what is going on as they read. In nonfiction, maybe it’s that they’re not keeping the title or text structure in mind and getting lost in all the details.  There are any number of comprehension roadblocks, giving you myriad options for small group work.  Serravallo’s The Reading Strategies Book 2.0 is an incredible resource with go-to strategies to use for all manner of comprehension work. 

From your data collection, patterns will emerge that will lead you in where to begin.  It’s all about having the right kind of data in the first place, then considering which steps to take first.  Using a model such as Scarborough’s Reading Rope or the much more comprehensive Active View of Reading as your guide, you’ll begin from the foundational level (including book choice and engagement) to the more abstract, deeper work.  Serravallo also offers a brilliant hierarchy of skills to guide your small group work in her Reading Strategies book.

Having a wide variety of data will give you a large array of options for small group instruction.  It’ll also give you room to be more flexible in targeting student needs than traditional guided reading centered on a particular book.  Because the data allows you to laser-focus on specific needs, groups will also become more fluid.  You’ll avoid that “I never get to see all my kids” feeling.  And because it’s so targeted, there’s no wasted time creating or conducting long, book-centered lessons.  

Swimming in data doesn’t have to be daunting.  Categorize what you have: interests and engagement, phonics, fluency, and comprehension.  Look for correlations and causations.  Then, choose the most foundational area of focus needed. From there, the sky’s the limit in how to address those needs!

That said, it’s always easier to do this work with a thinking partner.  And I’m here to be that thinking partner. Just reach out for a coaching call! I’m here to help you sort through the data, decide next steps, and help you get started on the work you most want to do–teach!

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Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers as I can.  Because no one can do this work alone. I’m available to you, too, through virtual coaching calls! 

Or, consider joining my Facebook community–a safe, supportive environment (really!)  where you can ask questions, learn ideas, and share your thoughts among other literacy-loving educators!