Even after being out of the classroom for more than a decade, I still love the beginning of the school year. I enjoy seeing all the first day of school pictures on social media and miss the excitement of greeting a room full of new kids. To paraphrase a favorite quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, it’s so nice to start a new year with no mistakes in it yet.

Someone wise once said that you should start as you plan to go on, and there are few places that’s truer than in the classroom. The foundation for a successful school year is built in the first few weeks. It is imperative that educators plan intentionally to teach and practice routines so that students know what is expected of them.

This is especially true for establishing effective small group instructional procedures. Small group instruction is more than a strategy. It’s a structure that supports responsive, student-centered teaching across content areas and grade levels from elementary through secondary.

Recently, we began work with a middle school in North Carolina looking to improve outcomes for students and build a more cohesive approach to instruction schoolwide. As a former elementary principal, their new leader decided that small group instruction would offer the best structure for supporting students across content areas. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how we’ve started helping the staff at this middle school shift to small group instruction and why.

Spotlight on William R. Davie Middle STEM Academy

Throughout the 2025–26 school year I’ll be partnering with Dr. Tevis Harris and the team at William R. Davie Middle STEM Academy in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, to support small group literacy instruction. Our work includes:

• Monthly on-site professional development and coaching
• Integration of literacy into STEM and problem-based learning
• Use of the Education Northwest Literacy Leadership Framework to guide implementation

I had the privilege of being on site with them on Friday, August 22, to facilitate professional development for the entire staff on setting up small group routines and procedures during the first week of school. I was so energized by their commitment to their students and their craft. From the principal to the school social worker to the band teacher, every staff member engaged actively in the professional learning session. I know that their students are going to reap the rewards of their dedication. See a slide show of the training.

Together, we’re building a shared vision for instruction, strengthening content knowledge, and creating collaborative structures that support teachers in using evidence-based practices. The goal is not only to improve literacy outcomes but also to create a cohesive instructional approach that supports student engagement across disciplines. I’ll revisit this work in a future blog post to share more about the implementation successes and challenges we work through along the way!

Why Small Group Instruction Matters

There are many reasons to use small group instruction, but the most important is that it prioritizes students, allowing for differentiated instruction and deeper relationship building. Small groups allow teachers to provide differentiated support to meet the needs of all students, including multilingual learners. Educators who regularly see students in small group settings have more opportunities for targeted feedback, explicit instruction, and relationship building. You can’t teach them well if you don’t know them well, according to the vast body of research indicating there is a strong connection between student achievement and positive relationships.

This connection is even more prevalent in the higher grades. Additionally, effectively engaging students has a direct impact on said relationships. Small groups provide a structure for active student engagement, with students being 66 percent more likely to participate during small group than whole group instructional time.

You can’t teach them well if you don’t know them well.

And while this is a literacy-focused blog, I want to be clear that small group instruction is not just for reading. It’s a cross-curricular tool with powerful impacts, including improving students’ ability to generalize prior knowledge and retain new ideas. So, while incorporating small group instruction requires a great deal of planning and practice, the benefits make the extra effort more than worthwhile.

Best Practices for Small Group Instruction

Before diving into content, it’s essential to teach the routines that make small group instruction work. That means communicating expectations clearly, building student independence with visible goals and lots of modeling, and using the gradual release of responsibility to scaffold success.

For small group instruction to thrive, students need to understand what it looks and sounds like. This includes the timeframe for instruction, expected behavior and noise levels, how and when to move or interrupt, and what the rest of the class should be doing. Visual guides, anchor charts, and role-playing can help reinforce expectations. Without this foundational movement from modeling to gradual release, small group time can quickly become chaotic, thus losing its benefits.

We often talk about the “implementation gap”—the disconnect between what we know works and what actually happens in classrooms. Establishing strong routines helps bridge that gap and ensures that small group instruction becomes a sustainable part of daily practice. Much like adults in the workplace, many students struggle with the ebbs and flows of instruction throughout the school day. Routines help students and educators make necessary shifts and then quickly settle in and refocus on instruction.

While strong routines are essential, the real art of small group instruction lies in content and delivery. And that art is built on five key practices.

Leading for sustainability

Leadership plays a critical role in sustaining small group instruction. That’s why we use tools like the EDNW Literacy Implementation Continuum to help schools assess readiness, monitor progress, and refine practices over time. When leaders commit to supporting teachers with clear structures, ongoing feedback, and aligned resources, small group instruction becomes more than a strategy. It becomes part of the school’s culture.

Leadership is about setting a direction … and enabling people to do so with energy and speed.
—John Kotter

Keep instruction short and focused

Small group time should not be a repeat of whole group instruction. Instruction that is just as effective when administered to the whole group—such as delivering core curriculum or content that benefits all students (e.g. vocabulary and comprehension), introducing new content, and teacher-guided whole class discussion—should take place during whole group time. Small group time, which requires more instructional time and planning overall, shouldn’t be used when whole group instruction is equally effective.

Instead, focus on one specific skill (e.g. phonics or fluency), strategy, or concept; differentiated materials and tasks; and opportunities for students to discuss their thinking. This focused approach allows for deeper learning and more meaningful feedback. It also helps students build confidence and competence in manageable steps. For example, a 2024 study supports the evidence that students feel more comfortable interacting with peers in a small group rather than a whole group setting, while also showing that the kind of instructor and peer encouragement students get in small group settings makes them more willing to engage in math problem-solving.

Use flexible grouping strategies (by skill, interest, or ability)

Small groups should be dynamic, not static. Use formative assessments, observations, and student work to guide group formation. Grouping strategies can vary. Some teachers group by reading level, others by shared skill needs or content interest. The goal is to create responsive instruction that meets students where they are. In mathematics and other STEM subject areas, avoid grouping solely by which problem students missed. Instead, try to dig deeper to understand why. Tools like If-Then charts can help identify the root cause of misunderstandings and create more targeted grouping.

Effective small group instruction is responsive. Use quick assessments like exit tickets, observational checklists, and student self-assessments to help you monitor progress, adjust instruction, and determine when students are ready to move on. Keeping anecdotal notes during small group sessions also supports future planning.

Make independent activities manageable and engaging

Independent and peer-led activities are an important element of small group instruction. In fact, research shows that working with peers or independently leads to greater growth than only practicing with adult support. And another recent study indicated that high school students scored higher in math when their teachers devoted more class time to individual practice and scored higher in English when given more time for discussion and work with classmates.

To minimize off-task behavior among students, be explicit about your expectations for independent work. Post clear goals and instructions, show examples and non-examples of expected work, offer choices to increase engagement, and use centers or rotations tied to previously learned skills to keep students on task and engaged. Students should know exactly what to do when they’re not with you. This clarity will allow you to focus on the small group without constant interruption. When expectations are clearly shared, stated, and modeled, students will have a higher incidence of maintaining task focus.

Will students sometimes be off task no matter what you do? Probably. Let’s be honest. Most adults don’t stay laser-focused for eight straight hours either. A little off-task chatting, if it’s respectful and doesn’t interfere with productivity, can be healthy. It builds connection, trust, and a sense of belonging. So instead of policing every moment, let’s recognize that these small interactions are part of a thriving, collaborative environment. Call it what it is: community building in action.

Offer choice and extend learning

Small group instruction isn’t just for remediation—it’s also a space for enrichment. Get creative! Consider offering mini-lessons students can opt into, providing challenges for advanced learners, or using peer-led instruction to leverage student expertise. This approach helps destigmatize small groups, establishes them as a safe space for all learners to grow, and fosters student agency and ownership of learning.

Call to Action: Start Small, Stay Consistent

Small group instruction has the potential to transform teaching and learning, but it starts with intentional planning. As you begin the school year, ask yourself:

• What routines will I teach in the first two weeks?
• How will I know they’re working?
• What support do I need to sustain this work?

Let’s build the kind of classrooms where every student is seen, heard, and supported, one small group at a time. The resources below might be useful as you plan.

Instructional Grouping

Placing students into small groups can be a powerful approach to stimulate learning. This resource is for educators looking to improve classroom instruction through small group student learning.

Strategies for Improving Small Group Instruction

Tips for giving direct instruction to small groups, whether students are in the classroom or learning at home.

What Are the Best Strategies for Small Group Instruction?

In this insightful post from Larry Ferlazzo’s Classroom Q&A blog for Education Week, four experienced educators—Valentina Gonzalez, Olivia Montero Petraglia, Jenny Vo, and Jennifer Mitchell—share practical strategies for setting up and organizing small group instruction. From teaching routines and fostering independence to flexible grouping and student leadership, the contributors offer actionable advice to help teachers create effective, inclusive, and engaging small group learning environments across subjects and grade levels.

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Dr. Mikkaka Overstreet is a principal consultant at Education Northwest specializing in literacy and serves on the Oregon Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council. She is passionate about helping make quality, equitable education a reality for all kids— especially those who have been historically marginalized based on their identities.

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