How to group kids for reading and where to start.
Teach kids to read they said… It will be fun they said… walking into a Grade 1/2 classroom as a new teacher I remember truly believing that they would all be close to grade level. I had my shiny new lesson plans; my room was in perfect order. Hours had been spent thinking about how I would set up my room (I still do this every August lol).
Enter students.
I was floored. How could this be? From my most struggling to my most gifted I was almost in tears. Okay, there were tears (alone, later). How could I do this? Most importantly how could I do this as the only teacher in the room!?
Breathe and Observe
The first thing I look for is: does a child know their alphabet and the sounds those letters make? The ones that don’t yet are my intervention group or groups. No more than four kids per group. Three is better for intervention. The children at Benchmark can be grouped together, they have it, they just need daily practice. The ones reading above grade level LOVE nice little chapter books and fuzzy rugs to read them on. Let them choose which book they want. Choice is essential for inspiring independence.
Over time, I learned to meet my students at their current level and plan from there. Not where the curriculum tells me they should be. You will not figure this out in one day. Don’t try to. Focus on one child and one assessment at a time and only a few a day. The rest of the day have fun, laugh and read really good stories, build those relationships they are everything. Keep your planning time for, brace yourself, planning. Take. Your. Breaks. (I actually leave the building at lunch, reset and return a better version of me).
Find your groove between whole and small group times.
The key to getting everyone moving forward is to use the right amount of whole group time (no more time should be spent sitting on the carpet then the child is old). Coupled with intentional small group/ independent time. Once you know their needs you can do this much faster and effectively. Sing the Alphabet A LOT. Better Alphabet Song by Sarah Gardner and Jack Hartmann on YouTube is the best. Short, catchy and serves both purposes. All kids enjoy it (even the ones that know how to read). Choose a Phonics program. I recommend UFLI and Heggerty. I use both. UFLI is more in depth great for intervention, Heggerty is 5-7 mins and perfect for whole group. Sound walls instead of word walls are key, more about that soon.
