Four Simple Ideas to Manage Small Reading Groups in the Primary Grades

Managing reading groups in the primary grades is challenging because what on earth are you having the other little people do while you are busy with their classmates? You can’t just let a bunch of Kindergarteners run amok while you teach letter sounds to their friends. I wrote some about managing small groups in this post. Here are a few ideas to help you manage small reading groups in the primary grades while you differentiate. I’ve also included some affiliate links in this post. If you purchase products through my links, you won’t pay any more for the products, but I may make a small commission.

Letter Formation Practice Centers

Grab some cheap plastic pencil boxes and some playground sand. Cover the bottom of the box with sand. Leave a stack of letter cards. Have students pick random letter cards. They should then use their fingers or the eraser end of a pencil to write the letters in the sand. This can also be used to help little people practice writing their names. As they begin to decode words, you can add CVC word cards to the stack.

Glitter Gel Gallon Bag Writing

This one is a fun potential disaster. My reading specialist partner and I got big tubs of clear hair gel from Dollar Tree, mixed in food coloring and glitter, and placed the mixture in gallon zip top freezer bags. Kids could then write their letters in the glitter on the bags. Full disclosure: Within minutes, a tiny fingernail went through the bag, despite the fact that we told the kids to use just the pads of their fingers.

My solution was to tape up the glitter filled bag. I then put it into another bag and taped it into place with packing tape. We hot-glued cotton balls to the eraser end of pencils. Kids could use the cotton to write without ripping the bags. Add these and the sand sensory box to your writing center to help you manage small reading groups in the primary grades.

Listening Center

We now have tablets for all our students. We can plug headphones into them and assign read-aloud videos or books on sites like Epic for kids to listen to.

Use Technology to Help You Manage Small Reading Groups in the Primary Grades

If you have one-to-one devices, you can let your students practice skills through learning applications.  Apps change hands and prices often, so make sure you check these before allowing your students to play them.

Khan Academy Kids: This free app allows children to practice skills they need in fun game format. While not as advanced as its predecessor, Khan Academy, this app has great skill practice opportunities for our youngest learners.

PBS Kids: This free app has games related to favorite PBS learning shows.

Letter School: My fellow reading specialist and I have used this app in the past with Kindergarten and first graders. Our student loved it—it was a super engaging way to guide students through correct letter formation. This app has a cost attached. In 2022, it costs $6.99 to unlock the full block alphabet. This app is a fun way to guide students through correct letter formation.

Writing or Drawing Center

Simply have students write a draw in response to a story they’ve heard that day. You could post daily questions or simply instruct them to draw a picture of their favorite scene from the story. The kids could also draw a picture of the characters in action.

Hopefully, these ideas will help you plan independent work for your students while you teach small groups. Differentiated instruction is so important for our little friends. Learners who struggle need support and kids who are ready to move need enrichment. Establishing solid independent centers that are easy to plan will help you manage small reading groups in the primary grades.