Simply Small Groups: Differentiating Literacy Learning

Simply Small Groups: Differentiating Literacy Learning in Any Setting
Debbie Diller


Small groups accelerate student reading growth

Elementary students need personal attention from a teacher and a connection with their peers to progress as readers. Small groups offer both! When you work with just a few kids at a time on skills specific to their assets and goals, you provide a safe, trusting environment that encourages students to challenge themselves.

Organized by developmental reading stages—emergent readers, early readers, transitional readers, and fluent readers—this timely handbook shows how to engage students where they are, regardless of grade level, and help them progress to the next stage. You’ll learn how to assess student skills and needs, flexibly organize groups, plan and teach lessons, select appropriate texts, and differentiate instruction to give every reader a pathway to success. Features include:

· Phonics and phonological awareness, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies and tools for each reading stage

· At-a-glance charts for assessing current skill level and identifying next instructional steps

· 70 downloadable teacher and student resources for planning and instructional use

· Dozens of easy adaptations for use in online learning

· Over 100 full-color photographs so you can see small groups in action

· Reflection prompts and guiding questions for personal and PLC use

Whatever your instructional setting, you and your students need the relationships that are best forged in small groups. With this book, you’ll be able to differentiate instruction in a way that’s manageable and sustainable – and build those relationships that help young readers achieve success.