Structuring Reading Groups with the Science of Reading

Are you looking to learn how to structure reading groups with the science of reading? I’m here to help! SoR is a phenomenal approach to teaching students to read and helping them develop strong word attack skills.  However, just because it’s a new approach, does that mean we need to throw out some really strong skills we’ve been using for years with reading groups? Absolutely not. In this post, I’m going to show you how to take those great skills you already have and easily align them with some amazing Science of Reading research. We can learn to restructure our reading groups to lay an important foundation AND still use a lot strategies from programs like Daily 5 or Jan Richardson. So let’s get started! 

A Quick Tip for Reading Groups with the Science of Reading

My first recommendation is to grab The Six Shifts by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates. It’s a quick, insightful read on balancing literacy with the Science of Reading. Lately, I’ve heard a lot about guided reading and reading groups as many of us, myself included, dive deeper into the Science of Reading. Some say whole group instruction should take priority and centers waste time, but I beg to differ—we’ll cover that later. Many teachers also feel frustrated about structuring reading groups, especially with decodables instead of grouping by level. I believe it’s crucial to take the research and our best practices to do what’s best for students. So, if you, like me, believe reading groups and centers are still effective, let’s explore how to structure them.

Guided Reading VS. Small Group Instruction

Guided reading seems to be getting a BAD rep…. But I must say, I think it’s for good reason. There seems to be significant research showing that the approach has been creating unintentional gaps, as well as providing a lack of support for students. There is also a disconnect of understanding between guided reading and small group instruction. Check out this table of differences between the two. 

Now that we know the differences, let’s talk about the impacts. Some believe that the whole group instruction is more effective and will render more academic gains. However, the time spent conducting whole group instruction with students should depend on their age. Did you know 5-6 year olds should receive no more than 10 minutes of it? There is significant research that finds the longer the students are on the carpet, the less they are learning. So, how do we support students? I’ll tell you – small group reading instruction.

When it comes to reading, students need that one-on-one support with letter sounds, CVC words, or other phonics skills they’re learning. While you have your small groups, students CAN complete centers independently and THRIVE. This can ALL be aligned with the Science of Reading and be impactful. Management is key, and you can learn all about center management HERE! Once you’ve decided to go forth with small group instruction, you must make a plan. So how do we begin?

Small Group Literacy Kit

Where Do We Start Reading Groups with the Science of Reading?

In the past, we’ve used various assessments like DRA, TRC, and DIBELS to group students into reading groups based on their reading levels. With the Science of Reading, we’re still using assessments, but now we’ll focus on word attack skills, letter-sound knowledge, and phonemic/phonological awareness instead of reading levels. Two excellent screeners for this are the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) and the Core Phonics Survey. The Core Phonics Survey, a diagnostic tool, helps pinpoint specific student needs and can be used to form initial groups by skill. I highly recommend starting with these assessments—remember, assessment drives instruction, so this step is crucial. Once you’ve gathered your data, you’re ready to group your students!

Grouping Students

While most of us may be used to simply assessing and using their reading level as a basis for grouping, the science of reading instead tells us to look at students’ shared skill deficits. Since the Science of Reading focuses heavily on skills, it only makes sense to use this as the basis for creating your student’s groups. Of course, your groups will change based on constant monitoring and assessing your students, but when you change groups, you know that you are placing your students exactly where they need to be.  I love using sticky notes while grouping students so that I can easily shift and change groups as students progress through skills! Take a look at an example below. 

Small Group Literacy Tools

Small Group Instruction

Once we’ve got our groups, it’s time to teach! You’ve got all these students and all this data, but what do we do with them? Well, we want to provide students with targeted instruction and support. So what does that look like? Here’s a typical scope and sequence of skills:

Letters (Recognition, Sounds and Formation) 

Rhyming 

Syllables 

CVC Words/Short Vowels 

Digraphs

Beginning Blends

CVCE Words

Ending Blends

R-Controlled Vowels

Vowel Teams 

Dipthongs 

With these skills to focus on, here’s a typical lesson plan and some activities we complete. As far as how your groups will move through this time, there are a variety of different grouping rotations. You can do timed rotations, open rotations, or pull groups as needed. There’s no one right way, you have to do what works for you and your students. You might even have a few different ways you complete your group rotations. Maybe 3 days a week, you have timed rotations, and 2 days a week, you have choice boards. Perhaps you conduct open centers so you can pull and work with students as needed. Whatever works for you and your students will always be what’s best. Learn more about different options HERE. 

Support all students using the Phonics Toolkit! Grab it FREE by subscribing below!

The one thing I want to make clear here is that it is equally important to work with your high achieving students as much as your students who need more support. Don’t neglect the students who are doing well just because they are performing above grade level. Every single student in your room deserves the same time and support. You want to make sure everyone is getting the attention they deserve and are pushed to their full potential. 

Below are some more helpful tools to support students during small group time.

 

Small Group Literacy Kit

Flexible Reading Groups with the Science of Reading

Another critical piece of small group instruction is having flexible groups. Raise your hand if you’re guilty of keeping students grouped by level and only switching students if they graduated their level… I know I’m guilty!  Instead of grouping students and only moving when they “graduate” from a level, students will move through different groups depending on their specific needs. It also means that maybe you have to create a whole new group because a need has resurfaced.

Similarly, if a member of your group is ready to move on after a few lessons, move them! Your groups should be fluid so that you are ensuring everyone is progressing at their own pace. We want to support students so that as they grow, they have NO DEFICITS. This is the beauty of small group instruction. Whole group instruction does not allow for that much differentiation, and that’s just a fact. 

What Are Other Students Doing?

While you’re working with students, the remaining students should spend time honing those same skills. For example, if you have a group of students working on CVC words, they should practice reading and writing CVC words when not with you. To help students grow, thrive, and have fun, I’ve designed the Science of Reading aligned no prep centers. This system is simple and seamless! Change the skill students are working on, not the activity. Because all K-2 phonics skills are included, students can progress through the different skills while still having fun. 

You only have to teach the activity once and simply switch out the skill. That means fewer interruptions for you, but students are getting the great practice they need while still continuing to grow and thrive independently. Some of our favorites are:

Skill Based Board Games 

Board games are a classic way to insert in some fun and a little bit of a competitive edge. These simple board games can be differentiated for all kinds of skills and students forget they’re even learning! As a result, this is a great way to keep kiddos engaged and get in some good skill practice.

Editable Phonics Board Games

I Spy 

Playing I Spy is a timeless game so we love using it as one of our literacy centers. Students will find and color words that match the skill they are working on. It’s a low prep, relaxing yet fun activity to practice all kinds of skills!

I Spy Phonics

Puzzles

Who doesn’t like putting together puzzles? These puzzles are perfect for practicing all kinds of skills, such as beginning sounds, digraphs, r-controlled vowels, and more! Students will have endless fun practicing and putting together each one.

Phonics Mystery Puzzles

Roll and Read 

This activity is another variation on the roll-and-cover game your students will know and love. Instead of coloring or covering what they’ve rolled, they will read the phrase that matches their number. This will help students gain fluency in a fun and hands-on way!

Roll and Read Activity 

Reading Groups with the Science of Reading Made Easy

If you’re like me and your wheels are spinning, I’ve made Science of Reading easy and done for you! Check out the Science of Reading Mega Growing Bundle that is complete with all the tools you need to help all your students become master readers! This growing bundle is full of all the great tools mentioned like the small group reading kit and no prep centers as well as tons of other resources to help your kiddos practice crucial skills while freeing YOU from stress!

You’ll get a complete sound wall, with an editable version to make it fit every students needs, decodable readers, and countless literacy activities that will bring FUN and knowledge. And since it’s a growing bundle, you’re locked in for any and all the resources that will be added later for FREE. Just go back and redownload all your new goodies to enjoy! So what are you waiting for? Grab it HERE!

Science of Reading Growing Bundle

I hope you enjoyed learning all about how easy it is to structure reading groups using the Science of Reading! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Phonics Toolkit FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how-to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me  @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.

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