The Science of Reading: Small-Group Instruction Strategies That Work

In a small-group instruction setting, educators can work with two to six students on specific learning objectives. In these groups, teachers can offer more support and provide students with personalized feedback before learning gaps widen. The What Works Clearinghouse reports that programs that include small-group literacy instruction positively impact reading achievement.

More specifically, targeted, differentiated instruction helps teachers:

• Identify and address specific skill gaps in decoding, fluency, or comprehension

• Adapt instruction based on students’ evolving skill levels 

• Provide individualized feedback 

• Boost student confidence and motivation through active participation

• Encourage peer support and collaborative learning

• Monitor progress based on real-time data

Small-group instruction helps all learners, including Emergent Bilinguals and students with disabilities, acquire literacy skills faster by customizing support and instruction.

The Power of the Science of Reading in Small-Group Instruction

According to science of reading research, reading skills must be taught explicitly and systematically, particularly in the foundational areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The science of reading guides effective small-group literacy instruction by emphasizing evidence-based practices that align with how the human brain learns to read. In these settings, teachers can apply science of reading principles in a targeted, differentiated way.

How the Science of Reading Informs Small-Group Literacy Instruction

The science of reading emphasizes explicit, systematic, and evidence-based instruction in each of the foundational reading skills. Small-group instruction provides the ideal setting to apply these principles in a targeted, personalized way, also known as a Structured Literacy approach. Applying Structured Literacy principles in a small-group setting gives teachers a robust framework for accelerating literacy development.

Key Benefits of Using the Science of Reading in Small-Group Instruction

Some students may require additional practice in decoding words, while others may struggle to understand new vocabulary. In small groups, teachers can group students with similar needs and provide them with practice in the areas that challenge them most, without overemphasizing material they already know. 

Here are some other benefits of small-group instruction:

• Increased student participation. In small groups, students often feel more comfortable speaking, asking questions, and participating in reading activities. Science of reading-aligned instruction encourages oral language practice (sound manipulation, word reading), which builds student confidence in a low-risk, supportive setting. 

• Opportunities for immediate feedback and correction. The science of reading stresses the importance of correcting reading errors in real time to reinforce accurate decoding and word recognition. In this setting, teachers can provide timely guidance and prevent the use of incorrect strategies.

• Personalized learning paths for diverse learners. Research supports the use of frequent diagnostic assessments to guide and personalize literacy instruction. Small groups can be organized around specific learning needs based on data, allowing students to progress at their own pace. 

Reinforcement of prior learning. Students build reading skills throughout time. Small-group instruction provides them with opportunities to repeat and review what they’ve learned before moving on to more complex concepts, a core principle of the science of reading.

Essential Strategies for Science of Reading Small-Group Instruction

Teachers can close literacy opportunity gaps by using science of reading-aligned small-group instruction. However, effective small-group instruction requires more than just sitting struggling students together. Students need specific learning tools and practice tailored to their individual strengths, learning gaps, learning differences, or language backgrounds. Here are some strategies you can use to teach phonological awareness and phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in your small groups.

Phonological Awareness and Phonics Focus

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the larger parts of spoken language. This includes skills such as rhyming, combining small words to create compound words, breaking words into syllables, and separating words into beginning sounds (onsets) and the rest of the word (rimes). To develop phonological awareness, students must learn to recognize, blend, and segment syllables, which are essential for effective reading and spelling. They must also understand the relationship between phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters) to decode and encode words accurately. Here’s how each of these skills enables students to enhance their reading abilities.

According to the National Reading Panel, students who receive phonological awareness instruction in small groups showed significantly greater improvements in reading and spelling than those who do not receive it. Here's how to implement this approach:

Segmenting and Blending

These foundational phonemic awareness skills help students hear and combine individual sounds in spoken words (blending) and break them apart (segmenting). These are pre-reading skills and do not initially require the use of print. The National Reading Panel recommends this activity:

"Tap and Blend"

•  Materials: None or Elkonin sound boxes and counters.

•   How to do it:

  • Say the word “mat.”

  •  Students tap one counter for each sound: /m/, /a/, and /t/. 

  • Then, they slide their finger across the boxes or sweep the counters to blend “mat.” 

•  After a few repetitions, say sounds (e.g., /s/ /a/ /t/) and ask: “What’s the word?”¹

Word Building With Letter Tiles

Students manipulate letter tiles to construct and deconstruct words, linking phonemes to graphemes. This connection between phonemic awareness and phonics is critical in early reading instruction. Here’s an example activity suggested by literacy expert Louisa Moats:

   “Make It, Change It”

•   Materials: Letter tiles (plastic or magnetic), white board or mat. 

•    How to do it:

  • Say the word “cat.” Students identify and place tiles for /c/, /a/, /t/

  • Change cat to cap—what do we change?” (replace “t” with “p”). 

  • Continue with word chains: cap → map → man → mat → hat.

• Focus on consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) patterns to start.
  
  

Phoneme Manipulation Games

These games involve adding, deleting, or substituting individual phonemes in words to create new ones.

 “Sound Switch”

• How to do it:

• Say: “Say bug. Now change the /b/ to /r/. What’s the new word?” → rug

• Now change /g/ to /n/. → run

• Now add /s/ to the beginning. → sun

• Continue, letting students manipulate one sound at a time.

Game Extension: Use cards with picture prompts or make it a race (students move forward one step with each correct change).²

Targeted Decoding Practices With Decodable Texts

Decodable texts use controlled vocabulary words aligned with students’ current phonics instruction to reinforce grapheme-phoneme correspondences, which helps build reading fluency.

“Read and Highlight”

• Materials: Decodable texts that align with taught phonics patterns (e.g., short CVC words).

• How to do it:

  • Before reading, review target sounds (e.g., short “a,” /a/). Read aloud together, then have students read independently.

  • Ask students to highlight or underline words that follow the phonics pattern.

  • Follow with a quick dictation: “Write three new words with short a.³

Building Fluency and Vocabulary in Small Groups

Reading fluency refers to the ability to read a text accurately, at an appropriate rate (speed), and with expression (prosody). Fluent reading frees up a student’s cognitive resources to focus on the meaning of a text, rather than the text itself, resulting in stronger reading comprehension. Here are some activities you can try with your students to build each of these fluency subskills.

Repeated Reading

Students read the same passage multiple times to build automaticity and accuracy. Targets accuracy, rate, and prosody.

• Choose a short, level-appropriate passage (50–150 words).

• Model expressive reading first.

• Have students read the passage aloud multiple times with guidance.

• Track words correct per minute (WCPM) and chart progress.⁴

Choral Reading

The teacher and students read a text aloud together to model pacing and prosody. 

• Select a predictable or rhythmic passage (e.g., poetry, decodable text).

• Read in unison several times to build confidence.

• Emphasize expression, pauses, and natural phrasing.⁵

Partner Reading

Students take turns reading aloud with a partner, offering support and feedback. Targets accuracy and builds confidence. 

• Pair students by ability (one slightly stronger reader per pair).

• Give each student a role: reader and coach.

• The reader reads aloud while the coach follows along and helps correct errors.⁶

Timed Fluency Drills With Feedback

Students read a passage for one minute; teachers track and correct errors immediately. Targets accuracy and rate.

• Use fluency passages matched to their reading level.

• Record WCPM and track progress weekly.

• Discuss mistakes and reread for improvement.⁷

You can also focus on vocabulary development and word consciousness in small groups with similar activities. For example, you can provide examples and pictures of a word in context. You can then ask students to use that word in a written sentence. Other activities could include:

• Explicitly teach word meaning through modeling and context, focusing on Tier 2 vocabulary words.

• Use specific words in writing prompts or oral language practice during small-group time.

• Give students pairs of antonyms and synonyms and ask them to sort and explain which words go together and why.

Comprehension Strategies for Deeper Understanding

Helping students apply reading comprehension strategies during small-group time can help them gain a deeper understanding of the texts. In small groups, you can model, scaffold, and personalize instruction as students develop into thoughtful readers.

Reading comprehension requires students to actively engage with what they’re reading. They begin to predict outcomes, question characters’ choices, and make connections between what they know and what they read in a text. At this point, they should not just passively read words. They must also develop metacognitive awareness, which is the ability to reflect on their thinking. This includes applying science of reading strategies to clarify the meaning of a text.

Teachers can encourage rich discussions by using open-ended, text-based questions and routines such as Think-Pair-Share⁸, text annotation, and evidence-based debates. These interactions help students connect their thinking to the text. 

• For example, during Think-Pair-Share, you can ask students to reflect on the text, discuss it with a partner, and then share their ideas with the group. 

• You can have students highlight or annotate specific parts of a story and explain their thoughts about it. 

• Finally, you can challenge students to answer a question that could have more than one answer, and then ask them to cite evidence to support their view of a character or outcome. 

When students can understand and gain insights from a text, they build their reading confidence. 

Sustaining the Science of Reading in Small Groups

Ongoing assessment helps determine whether your literacy instruction is meeting students’ evolving needs. By regularly analyzing formative data, including student reading behaviors, oral responses, written work, and progress monitoring, you can make timely decisions about group composition, instructional focus, and pacing. Assessment can help drive a continuous feedback loop that targets specific skill gaps and accelerates literacy growth.

Your instructional approaches also play a critical role. Ongoing professional learning can help teachers build confidence and expertise in delivering science of reading-aligned small group instruction. Professional learning can help you:

• Interpret reading assessment data more effectively

• Implement Structured Literacy strategies with fidelity

• Differentiate instruction in real time

• Deepen student engagement

To support educators on this journey, Lexia® offers ongoing professional learning solutions grounded in the science of reading for teachers of preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students.

• Lexia® LETRS® Professional Learning equips preschool and elementary school teachers with a deep understanding of how students learn to read and strategies to apply that knowledge through evidence-based instruction. The course teaches the how, what, and why of literacy acquisition to improve instructional practice and achieve long-term systemic change in literacy instruction. LETRS aligns with the International Dyslexia Association’s (IDA) Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (KPS). These standards clearly outline evidence-based competencies teachers need to be effective reading instructors. Earning IDA accreditation demonstrates that LETRS prepares educators to teach reading explicitly and systematically, particularly to students with dyslexia. 

• Lexia Aspire® Professional Learning supports upper-elementary to high school educators in sustaining and extending the science of reading implementation across content areas, with flexible, role-specific learning paths for teachers and instructional leaders. Aspire, also an IDA-accredited program, trains educators to integrate literacy skills and strategies into their instruction, enabling all students to develop comprehension, writing, and reasoning skills and articulate their ideas across complex texts and subjects.

Ongoing professional learning can help you refine your small-group instruction practices to ensure every student receives the targeted support needed to become a successful reader. Discover how Lexia solutions can help you make the most of small-group science of reading instruction.

1. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/smallbook
2. Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties. Wiley.
3. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp
4. National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp
5. Rasinski, T. V. (2012). Why Reading Fluency Should Be Hot! The Reading Teacher, 65(8), 516–522.https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.01077
6. Kuhn, M. R., & Stahl, S. A. (2003). Fluency: A Review of Developmental and Remedial Practices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 3–21.
7. Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal, G. (2006). Oral Reading Fluency Norms: A Valuable Assessment Tool for Reading Teachers. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 636–644.
8. Lyman, F. T. (1981). The responsive classroom discussion: The inclusion of all students. In A. S. Anderson (Ed.), Mainstreaming Digest (pp. 109–113). College Park, MD: University of Maryland, College of Education.