Prepping Reading Small Group Activities and Materials

Prepping reading small group instruction hasn’t always been my favorite thing to do. If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know why. Once I learned what to do and how to do it, small group time became much more manageable. Prepping materials for small group lessons, especially reading instruction, used to take me so long! But over the years, I’ve learned to streamline the process and organize materials in a way that makes small-group literacy activities easier to manage throughout the school year.

Effective small-group instruction is all about getting ready and organized. Each day, small group time involves various components of reading—whether it’s letter sounds, phonics skills, or comprehension skills. You need to prepare letter cards, sight words, word work mats, and other essential tools for the lesson. Having these on hand is critical to meeting the individual needs of each student and focusing on specific skills.

IIn this 5-part blog series, I’ll give you an insider’s look at what my reading block looks like. My small group setup changes every year based on the students’ needs and their grade level, but the basics remain the same. Here’s what you can look forward to in this series:

Part 1: Introducing and Planning Reading Small Groups 

Part 2: Prepping Reading Small Group Activities and Materials (that’s this post)

Part 3: Assessing with Reading Small Groups

Part 4: Tips for Reading Small Groups

Part 5: Reading Block Rotations

Materials for Small Group

The summer or weekends are my favorite time to prep small group materials. It allows me to focus on the components of reading and get organized for the upcoming school year. Here’s what I recommend to make prepping easier and more efficient:

First – you’ll need a good laminator and sturdy cardstock. I love this one that I got from Mead. I use it because it fits up to 12″ sheets, and you can get laminating sheets in various sizes for those smaller activities. Printing on cardstock makes a significant impact on durability, especially with activities that are used frequently during small-group instruction. I usually print my small group activities on cardstock. I love the 3-pack cardstock that I get from Amazon. 

Having a good cutting tool is also a must. I got mine from Office Depot, but this is a similar one from Amazon. There are similar ones with laser lines to make straight cuts, saving a ton of time. Once your materials are laminated and cut, it’s easy to keep everything organized and ready for your small-group literacy lessons.

Activities for Small Group

Prepping a year’s worth of small-group instruction materials involves many pieces. I will share just a few ideas that are easy to incorporate into your small group time and will work across various grade levels.

The Plans
A solid plan is the first thing you need for successful small group lessons. I get mine from The Phonics Diner, but you can always create your own lesson plans based on the science of reading. We create very specific, detailed plans to focus on each student’s progress and specific skills. With a set plan in place, you won’t miss teaching essential phonics skills or comprehension skills. I like to color-code my plans by skill level and organize them into binders. This way, I can easily reference the appropriate plans for each small group.

Small Group Reference Lists

One thing I cannot live without in my literacy classroom is an easy-to-pull list of materials. I create reference sheets for all my phonics and reading skills, like letter sounds or high-frequency words. Whether I’m working with first grade, second grade, or a mixed group, having these lists handy allows me to address each student’s needs quickly. I laminate them for durability and store them in a binder, which sits right next to my teacher table.

For phonemic awareness activities or word work, I use reference lists to guide my instruction. This makes it simple to transition between groups and adjust the lesson to meet the individual needs of each student. I can pull out a list of words and continue with the lesson if I need to choose some words from the “word bank.” I place these in a binder and just pull as needed. It helps to save so much time if you don’t have a reference set of words already.

Quick Questioning Cards

When I need ideas for questions to ask during small reading groups, I rely on quick questioning cards. These cards help me guide students through comprehension questions that match their instructional level and the specific skills we’re focusing on. The time spent with small groups is limited—typically 15-20 minutes—so I use this strategy to make the most of every second.

I print the questions on index cards, punch a hole in the corner, and add them to a ring for easy flipping. This method works great, whether I’m working with first grade or second grade groups. Having a set of prepared questions on hand allows me to focus on comprehension skills and next steps, ensuring I’m helping students achieve a strong foundation in their reading journey.

Activities Storage Solutions

To keep all my materials easily accessible, I’ve found it helpful to use pencil pouches and gallon-sized ziplock bags. Smaller games and warm-up activities for small group time, like word work or phonics activities, fit perfectly into a pencil pouch. After printing and laminating these activities, I store them behind my small group table so they’re always within reach.

Some activities are too large for a pencil pouch, especially when working with larger groups. For those, I use gallon-sized ziplock bags. These bags are sturdy, easy to label, and can hold multiple sets of materials. I fold them over and store them in a drawer behind my teacher table, keeping everything organized for my reading groups.

This system allows me to quickly grab what I need during my instructional day, making transitions smoother and saving valuable time that can be better spent on student learning.

Decoding Word Posters 

One of the most important things I focus on in small-group instruction is helping my students become proficient readers by developing their decoding skills. We’ve moved away from the old 3-part cueing system, where students were encouraged to use picture clues to figure out words. Instead, I now focus on teaching them to decode words by sounding them out and breaking them down into parts they recognize.

That’s where my Decoding Word Posters come in. These posters guide students through strategies for reading words they may not know, helping them build confidence in their decoding abilities. The posters include simple, actionable reminders such as:

• Keep your eyes on the word and read left to right.
• Read each word.
• Break the word into syllables.
• Look for parts of the word that you know.
• Blend the sounds together.
• Cover part of the word if necessary.
• Read it again. Does it make sense?

This system helps students focus on decoding words, rather than relying on pictures to guess. It’s essential for building strong foundations in reading, and these posters make it easy for students to remember the steps as they practice. You can download these decoding posters for free below!

Prepping Reading Small Group

During the summer, I like to get ahead by prepping as many small-group materials as possible. For small group lessons, especially for struggling readers or those working on specific phonics skills, having decodable books ready to go is key. I print off six copies of each book, which allows me to keep groups between 4-5 students. This setup ensures each student gets their own copy, with one extra for myself.

Decodable texts are a great way to reinforce the phonics skills we’re working on in small group time. They allow students to practice reading with the focus on decoding, which leads to a significant impact on their reading progress. Having these materials prepped in advance saves so much time throughout the school year. If I have two groups that overlap, I simply make extra copies of the books for those students. I keep everything organized in crates, which makes it easy to grab the decodable books for any group, whether I’m teaching kindergarten, first grade, or second grade.

Preparing for a Successful Small Group Year

Prepping for small-group instruction can feel overwhelming, but with a plan in place and the right materials ready, it becomes much more manageable. Whether you’re teaching first grade, second grade, or multiple grades, the key is to focus on the individual needs of each student. Small group lessons should be tailored to their reading skills, helping them become proficient readers over time.

To help ensure student achievement, use tools like decodable texts, phonics skills practice, and weekly progress monitoring. As you plan your instructional day, keep in mind that small groups are one of the most effective ways to make a significant impact on your students’ progress. This is especially true when you’re using the best practices of reading instruction based on the science of reading.

Remember to assess students regularly using a universal screener to track their progress. Knowing where each student stands will help you plan the next steps in their reading journey, ensuring they build a strong foundation for the future.

If you have any questions about preparing materials for small groups or want tips for organizing your classroom, feel free to reach out!