RPI Day 4 - Small Group Reading Instruction

Today we had a great day diving deeper into Guided Reading and Comprehension:

• Need-based grouping for explicit processing and strategic reading support

• Discussions to extend and deepen understanding

• Clear, explicit teaching points to target instruction

• Independent response-to-text tasks to consolidate learning

Today’s content was a good reminder that small group reading is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is a VERY IMPORTANT piece. We also need to plan for reading to our learners, shared reading, and independent reading. Small groups are a great instructional opportunitiy for focused teaching (definitely not 'round robin' reading!), but not everything has to happen there.

I couldn’t agree more about not overloading a guided session. It made me reflect on how, early in my teaching career, I tried to 'accelerate' learning by planning and giving too much — most likely just confusing my learners :) It's more efficient and practical to focus on one or two key teaching points (but do them really well and in depth) and save the rest for another time, like shared reading. It’s also important to keep the joy of reading alive while helping learners grow.

The framework for a guided (small group) instructional session is a quick 20-minute session where we introduce the text, might listen to learners read, have a conversation about the text to begin with, but really focus on a couple of key teaching points max. Afterwards, students work independently on teacher-planned follow-up tasks, including vocab work, comprehension, any other form of “response to texts’ and learners reflection.

Digital Modelling book - great way to plan, deliver and monitor group reading (one of possible formats)

Guided reading cycle:

Introducing Text and Purposes:
Background knowledge - focus on relevant, and necessary information for comprehending the text.
Plan how will you develop this knowledge - vocabulary, video, some reading before the guided group session, explaining, integrated with other subjects 

I found the following activity very useful because analysing student-teacher interactions made me reflect on what I can do during small group sessions.

Recast (research term) is similar to revoicing in Talk Moves, where the teacher elevates vocabulary, reinforcing and feeding new words and ideas.

Observing students while they read is crucial for informing your teaching and guiding their next steps. I really like the idea of using fluency rubrics and was excited to listen to and analyse the students' reading.

Discussion

Discussion is now explicit in Te Mataiaho - Oral language Strand (Communicating ideas and information)

It’s useful to keep the PAT question types in mind — we need to include them in our programme so students can feel confident, but also challenge them to think more deeply about the text and the topic.

Literal (Retrieval) *concrete evidence (one sentence)

Vocabulary *Synonyms, antonyms & visualisation

Reorganisation (Complex Inference) *combine evidence (more than one place or order)

Inference (Local Inference) *deducing & interpret  implied meanings

Evaluation (Interpret & Integrate) *making judgements

Opinion (Critique & Evaluate) *perspective/conclusion based on the above

Letting students drive conversations, teacher is monitoring and there to prompt if really needed but let them talk - remember that some conversations won’t happen naturally, so it's important to scaffold, set ground rules for talk, and provide clear purposes and content. It all ties back to the teacher’s planning and delivery.

Teaching points need to be clear, based on the curriculum, and informed by what you know about your learners. Focus on making strong purposeful teaching points and designing a meaningful response to the text.

Final thoughts:
Today’s session really helped me step back and think more carefully about how I’ve been shaping my small group reading sessions. It reminded me how important it is to keep guided reading focused, to create space for real, student-driven conversations about texts, and to keep the joy of reading alive for every learner. I’m excited to take away some practical, deliberate steps that could make a real difference for my students over time.

The framework we explored today offered clear, practical ways to refine teacher practice - from planning and delivery through to student reflection and the non-negotiables for effective small group teaching and response to text. It reinforced the importance of planning and delivery with greater purpose, clarity and consistency. I'm confident teachers will appreciate the practical approach and shared resources that help design rich reading experiences truly focused on student growth. I honestly wish I'd had this PLD back when I had my own class!