What to Teach in Small Group Reading (Besides Phonics)
Recently, I was talking with a kindergarten teacher about small group instruction. This extremely seasoned teacher felt unsure about next steps for her students. In essence, she said that she “knew the science of reading is all about phonics and decodable text” and that because of that, she didn’t know what would be good for her high performing students who were already reading well past typical kindergarten expectations.
Cue the record needle ripping off the record sound effect. I was flummoxed.
For several reasons.
This teacher’s comment had me stymied because she had gotten the message that the science of reading must focus only on phonics. But the science of reading is absolutely not just about phonics and decodables–it’s far more than that. This corrective message has been shared again and again and again. Yet the misconception that SoR is synonymous with phonics seems to be quite pervasive. Even journalist Natalie Wexler is alarmed at this misconception, saying that we “need to look at “all the science, not just the part relating to decoding” in order to support a more comprehensive translation of science into practice for literacy education.”
“{L]et’s be clear that the science of reading is bigger than phonics. The science of reading is the converging evidence of what matters and what works in literacy instruction, organized around models that describe the how and why.”
NWEA
The second reason this seasoned, well-trained teacher’s comment about small group reaidng instruction was so alarming?
She genuinely feared that the practices she’d been doing for years–vocabulary work, listening to kids read and coaching them into self-monitoring and fluency improvement, as well as questioning and discussion that reflected and enhanced comprehension–were no longer “allowed.” She was afraid that none of it followed the science of reading. Because again, the message she heard was that the focus for her kindergarteners must be only on phonics.
No doubt this comes from all of the back and forth all over social media platforms and news media. The term “science of reading” has become so narrow, it’s no wonder this teacher was so unsure of herself. And with all the blaming and shaming so prevalent, this teacher was afraid to “do it wrong.” Mark Seidenberg notes the same occurrence when he says that “[t]he impact of the term science of reading as used today is as much bound up in its tone as in its meaning; it now often seems to be used as a rhetorical cudgel to challenge those not adhering to some particular conception of it.”
The over-generalization that phonics is everything has, insofar as this teacher had determined, crowded out the importance of becoming readers who self-monitor on the way to making meaning. The importance of questioning and discussion in service of deeper comprehension had been, in her mind, stamped out.
But her kids need these things. All kids need these things.
While the majority of kindergartners will spend the year learning how to crack the code to read and write CVC words, many will certainly be ready for so much more.
Seidenberg advises, “[i]f a student is reading–if they’ve “broken the code,” as Phil Gough put it years ago–instruction can focus on the many more things that need to be learned to become a skilled reader.” Which is exactly the sort of thing this teacher was already well-versed in doing.
This isn’t the only time that this narrow view–yet gross overgeneralization–of what the science of reading really means has occurred. It’s happened all throughout history.
Tim Shanahan goes into depth on this in a 2020 ILA article that’s well worth the read.
In other words, we’ve been here before.
Without a clear understanding of what it really means to bring the science into our instruction, we risk continuing to swing too far in opposite directions, never finding the sweet spot that truly balancing it all requires. It’s a hard lesson that the UK has learned as well, as the US is not the only country to heavily focus on phonics in recent years.
So what is this teacher to do? How can she assure best practice, evidence-driven small group instruction?
First, it’s important to understand what makes for strong small group instruction. Instruction that is well-informed, driven by student data and sound decision-making, and considers all the research (and evidence) to follow best practices.
Which means considering the 5 Pillars of Reading, plus the things that ought to be pillars, like writing and background knowledge.
Here’s what to think about when designing small group reading instruction–whether you’re a kindergarten teacher or not.
- Lead with data. Data, not a formulaic program. Knowing exactly where students are in relation to their next steps is everything.
- Know the next steps. Let your standards, not a program, guide you. A teacher’s role is to provide the ladder to proficiency, wherever students are on that progression.
- Keep it succinct and to the point. To borrow from Anita Archer, “teach the stuff and cut the fluff.” There is no need for an everything-but-the kitchen sink lesson that drags on for 20-30 minutes. That’s unnecessary and cognitive overload. This teacher should be sure to begin with establishing the purpose of the lesson for students, so they have an idea of what they’re about to work on and why–and then stick to that purpose.
- Be mindful of materials. There’s a wide range of texts that can be used for small group instruction. This kindergarten teacher would be wise to use meaty decodable texts for the student she was worried about. This ensures a shorter, simpler story that will be appropriate for this age level. Jump Rope Readers are my favorite, as well as Blevins’ Dynamax books and Pioneer Valley’s Infocodables. But when children have a solid understanding of vowel teams, there’s nothing wrong with level C/D and even E books. Those texts tend to contain a lot of vowel teams. Every publisher is different, though, so there are certainly no hard and fast rules here. The teacher will need to choose books carefully, bringing her knowledge of what this child can do and can almost do to the forefront. Shared reading poems and songs as well as text from content studies are also great for small group instruction.
- Along with material selection, consider how the text can serve as a background knowledge builder or enhancer. Thinking about the social studies and science concepts students will need to learn is a great place to start, but so is just building understanding about a variety of topics and concepts.
- Include word work. Perhaps a very, very brief phonological awareness warm up, as well as explicit teaching about how a particular pattern works if that’s where students are. It’s very important to follow a scope and sequence here. Depending on the skill and grade level of the students in the group, there may also be opportunity for a “teachable moment,” such as an uncommon pattern or spelling exception or a morpheme unit. Teaching and reinforcement of a high-frequency word or two is also great to includ in a set of small group lessons.
- Depending on the general reading level of students, teach into fluency. Early readers in kindergarten and beginning of first grade are typically not ready for this, but students that are ready to transition out of decodable texts are. Fluency is a major part of comprehension, so helping kids to read more smoothly and expressively is important. It’s also key to helping students become more self-aware of their reading.
- Keep the goal of self-monitoring in mind. We absolutely must ask students to cross-check for meaning. This is actually the whole purpose of “msv.” After reading a word,phrase, and sentence, all readers, from age 5 to 105, should constantly monitor for whether or not it sounds grammatically correct and makes sense. Anything else is just word-calling.
- Include vocabulary instruction in the routine. This is a great opportunity to explicitly teach a couple of new words each week, in addition to whole group explicit vocabulary instruction.
- Kids should have pencils in their hand–a lot. Have students write, and write often. Not only does this reinforce every skill you’re asking them to practice, it’s prime opportunity to reinforce proper handwriting. Writing can–and should–come in all parts of a lesson, too.
The things this teacher was already doing in her small group lessons was spot-on. She would be wise to bring a more critical eye to text selection, include more writing and handwriting, and work to teach succinct, to-the-point lessons, if that wasn’t already in place. The unwise thing to do would be to throw all of this important literacy goodness out to focus only on one narrow aspect–an aspect that this particular student already had going strong.
Could you use a thinking partner to help you plan intentional, science-aligned small group lessons? I’m here to help! Simply email me at michelle@coachfromthecouch.com or reach out for a coaching call.
Who is Coach from the Couch?? I’m Michelle Ruhe, 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!
And, be sure to join my Facebook community–a safe, supportive environment where you can safely ask questions, gain ideas, and share your thoughts among other literacy-loving educators!
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