Pennington Publishing Blog

Few instructional practices would merit the “American as apple pie” tag more than reading groups. Having served as a reading specialist and publisher for many years, I’m often surprised at how

Sam and Friends Take-home Phonics Books

much of reading instruction relies on past practice and tradition. Perhaps a clear-eyed re-examination might be in order–hence, Reading Groups Revisited as my article title.

Firstly, let’s agree on two important matters: 1. Research is not conclusive about the value of reading group instruction, as compared to whole-class reading instruction. 2. Common sense (and Dr. Tim Shanahan) would agree that doing reading groups simply to vary the mode of reading instruction (or fulfill a school or district mandate) is counter-productive. As Shanahan points out, “Never do with a small group what you could do just as well with whole class teaching” (Shanahan on Literacy).

Given these two assumptions, teachers offer these informed opinions regarding rationales for reading groups:

1. Students participate, pay attention, and learn more in small group settings.
2. Students learn more when their reading levels and reading resources i.e., match.
3. Reading groups provide better student monitoring than whole-class instruction.
4. Reading groups provide more practice or re-teaching opportunities.
5. Reading groups can be homo or heterogeneous.
6. Reading groups can serve different purposes e.g., guided (directed) reading, assessment-based Tier 2 or 3 instruction, book clubs, literacy circles (stations).

Challenges to Using Reading Groups

1. Difficult to target specific needs or purposes within the group or groups.
2. What to do with the rest of the class?
3. Decreases amount of reading instruction dosage for all students.
4. Challenging to monitor progress.
5. Individual needs within reading groups not necessarily addressed by the group instruction.
6. Tracking can lead to lowered expectations and lowered self-esteem.

Solutions? Alternatives?

I welcome your responses.

Grammar/Mechanics directed reading, guided reading, reading groups, small groups

Sometimes reading deficits require comprehensive surgery. Other times a few band-aids are all that are needed. If your students are stumbling over reading some words, but not others, there’s a good possibility that they have gaps in their letter-sound (phonics) skills. But which ones? What can be done without sending these students to your special education teacher or suggesting tutoring to the parents? Are there any quick fixes?

What makes sense is to first find the root and extent of the phonics deficits. Rarely do the consonant sound-spellings present the problem. It’s those tricky vowels, especially in multi-syllabic words that give some students fits.

Before taking draconian measures, I suggest administering the 52 item Vowel Sounds Phonics Assessment. It’s free and includes these admin options: Print, Google Forms, Google Sheets and 10:42 Audio File

Correct and record the specific deficits you need to band-aid. Now if more than just a few, that surgery* will be needed, but at least you can pat yourself on the back for being a good teacher. However, if your students miss less than, say 10 sound-spellings, I recommend targeting these deficits with decodable stories phonics and fluency practice. I suggest purchasing THE SCIENCE OF READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM: Assessment-Based Instruction.

The program includes 52 short stories provides phonics and fluency practice for each of the 52 diagnostic assessment items. For example, if the student misses #32 and 33 on the assessment, stories #s 32 and 33 provide the practice the students need. Simply introduce the focus phonics pattern and help students practice the word list until they understand and can decode the pattern. Then turn them loose on the stories. Each story includes a comprehension re-tell to ensure that students aren’t just reading the words.

Will this gap-filling phonics deficits work for all your students? Unfortunately, no. If some of your students will require that phonics *surgery, not a few band-aids, no worries. Got you covered with my comprehensive, scripted, accelerated, age-appropriate reading intervention programs. Check the programs out to see which ones will best address your student needs.

Grammar/Mechanics phonics assessment, phonics programs, phonics tests, phonics worksheets, reading intervention

Perhaps no other educational practice cries out for mastery of executive function and study skills more so than independent work. How can we provide meaningful, independent practice for students without constant teacher supervision?

The 56 executive function and study skills in Targeted Independent Practice | Executive Function and Study Skills lessons will help your students learn what every student should know via independent practice. The easy-to-follow lesson format of 1. Personal Assessment 2. Study Skill Tips and 3. Reflection is ideal for self-guided learning. No prep. Minimal correction. Maximum assessment-based learning. Easy classroom management. Perfect for independent work during small groups, ideal for sub plans, a quick go-to for rainy days, nothing better for early finishers.

Table of Contents

Motivation

1. How to Get Motivated
   2. How to Prevent Procrastination
   3. How to Set Goals
   4. How to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

Organization and Time Management 

5. How to Create a Home Study Environment
   6. How to Get Organized for Homework
   7. How to Complete a Daily Review
   8. How to Manage Time for Homework

Reading Strategies and Skills

9. How to Choose Books for Independent Reading
   10. How to Develop Good Reading Habits
   11. How to Improve Oral Reading Fluency
   12. How to Improve Silent Reading Fluency
   13. How to Read Interactively
   14. How to Improve Reading Comprehension
   15. How to Make Inferences
   16. How to Use Marginal Annotations
   17. How to Read Non–Fiction Textbooks
   18. How to Identify the Main Idea
   19. How to Complete a Close Reading for Narrative Text
   20. How to Complete a Close Reading for Expository Text
   21. How to Use Context Clues

Research 

22. How to Quote and Cite Textual Evidence
    23. How to Identify Bias and Errors in Reasoning
    24. How to Research Safely and Evaluate Internet Sources

Memorization Strategies

25. How to Memorize with the Grouping Strategy
    26. How to Memorize with the Association Strategy
    27. How to Memorize with the Linking Strategy
    28. How to Memorize with the Catch Words Strategy
    29. How to Memorize with the Catch Sentence Strategy
    30. How to Memorize with the Location Strategy

Essay Writing 

31. How to Dissect a Writing Prompt
    32. How to Write a Thesis Statement
    33. How to Avoid Errors in Writing Style
    34. How to Follow Essay Writing Rules
    35. How to Write an Essay Introduction
    36. How to Write Essay Body Paragraphs
    37. How to Write an Essay Conclusion
    38. How to Write in Complex Sentences

Listening and Note–taking 

39. How to Practice Active Listening
    40. How to Take Notes
    41. How to Organize Cornell Notes
    42. How to Organize Formal Outline Notes

Grammar, Spelling, and Mechanics Study Skills

43. How to Identify and Use the Parts of Speech
    44. How to Use Grammatical Sentence Openers for Sentence Variety
    45. How to Use Precise Verb Tenses
    46. How to Eliminate the “to be” Verbs
    47. How to Spell by the Rules
    48. How to Apply the Syllable Rules
    49. How to Punctuate Properly
    50. How to Capitalize Correctly
    51. How to Avoid Non-Standard Usage

Test Preparation and Test–taking

52. How to Prepare for Tests
    53. How to Use Objective Test–taking Strategies
    54. How to Use Matching Test–taking Strategies
    55. How to Use Fill–in–the–Blank Test–taking Strategies
    56. How to Use Multiple Choice Test–taking Strategies

Diagnostic Self-Assessment and Mastery Matrix

Executive Function and Study Skills are particularly well-suited to diagnostic differentiation and independent practice. Not all students need practice on collective nouns or capitalization of titles. Some do; but some don’t. Targeted worksheets with formative assessments make sense. Why not take a look at the full affordable program to see if this is what you need to get max results in your classes. Grades 4 on up.

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics executive function skills, organizational skills, study skills, test preparation, time management

Should teachers use phonics worksheets in reading intervention for targeted practice?

As a teacher and parent, I have always heard that worksheets are super frowned upon and the mark of a lazy teacher passing out busy work.”

“NO WORKSHEETS!” has been drilled into me in teacher prep, workshops, etc.  However, recently I had a chance to visit some upper elementary and middle schools to visit successful teachers. The direct instruction was excellent as expected, but what was not expected was what happened afterwards in the schools I visited. After teaching the lesson, out  came the worksheets! And unlike what I’ve always been told, these worksheets were excellent–short, focused practice on what the teacher just taught.

In some classes, students worked quietly on their own; in others, students worked on the worksheets in pairs. In a few classes, teachers interrupted students working on the worksheets when some of the students had finished “early” and reviewed answers with the class. In some, students who finished started on another worksheet.

I asked why this worksheet was unrelated to the focus of the initial practice worksheet, and teachers told me that each student has been diagnostically assessed and assigned corresponding worksheets to master their individual deficits. Wow! So if the lesson were on r-controlled vowels, when the students finished, they might be working on individualized spelling or grammar worksheets until all students had finished the first practice worksheet.

In one class, students kept going up to teacher’s desk during “worksheet time.” I thought they were asking questions (and some were), but as I listened in on a few, the teacher was reading the students’ answers on a short formative assessment at the bottom of the worksheets. In these short, 30-second conferences, students were either assigned an “A” on the worksheet and told to mark it off on their progress monitoring matrix or they received a check √ for completion and a quick re-teaching. Such great feedback for students!

So this makes me wonder why so many teachers and administrators view worksheets as a “no-no,” I guess it depends on the quality of the worksheet, its purpose, and what the teacher does with the completed worksheet.

I love what Dr. Tim Shanahan, Professor Emeritus University of Chicago and Research Lead on the National Reading Panel, recently had to say about worksheets:

 Like most professors, I have long looked askance at worksheets and their role in reading instruction (though I had relied upon them as a teacher)… Good teachers often use a mix of direct instruction along with some practice sheets (Shanahan on Literacy).

Of course we all believe that direct, explicit, whole-class instruction should be our priority, but some small group and individualized work is necessary to differentiate instruction, and it certainly makes sense that the independent worksheets and/or activities we use in our classrooms can help maximize learning and differentiate tiered instruction..

I’ve found that independent practice, targeted to specific, diagnostically assessed literacy deficits, gets the best results. And worksheet practice should conclude with formative assessment to determine mastery of the practiced concept or skill.

Check out Targeted Independent Practice | Phonics for phonics worksheets to extend independent practice of an explicit lesson AND differentiate instruction. BONUS! The program includes a fantastic diagnostic phonics assessment to pinpoint individual needs. See the whole program!

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics differentiate phonics, how to teach phonics, phonics practice, phonics skills, phonics workbook, phonics worksheets, Tier 2 phonics, Tier 3 phonics, word recognition worksheets

Can teachers combine reading fluency and comprehension practice? I often read negative comments about reading fluency practice and how we teachers should be focusing on comprehension. Here are a few, garnered from Facebook posts:

What is the preoccupation with reading speed? I want students to slow down and focus on the meaning of the text.

Repeated reading practice seems such a waste of time. Wouldn’t students be better off reading new texts, rather than repeating old ones. Chapter books come to mind?

I’m sick and tired of reading fluency passages with students reading over and over the same. Yes, their word recognition is improving, but the purpose of reading is comprehension, right? Shouldn’t we be helping students apply reading strategies to understand what they read?

The dumbest thing is to have separate fluency passage and vocabulary-based passages, and comprehension-based passages.

Fluency practice only reinforces the notion that reading is all about saying the words.

Certainly some valid points here. However, we know that the research is quite clear establishing a statistically significant relationship between fluency and comprehension. High effects sizes.

Doesn’t it make sense to enhance this relationship by combining reading fluency and comprehension practice? Here’s a great option: Targeted Independent Practice | Reading Fluency and Comprehension provides 43 expository animal fluency articles and 43 corresponding animal comprehension worksheets, along with corresponding YouTube videos, each recorded at 3 different speeds for modeled reading practice. Word counts and timing sheets included.

If you are teaching grades 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, you will love this resource. You can combine reading fluency and comprehension practice and differentiate instruction at the same time!

How does the program work?

1. Students take and record a cold (unpracticed) timing on one of 43 expository articles.
2. Students practice reading, along with the modeled reading at the level (A, B, or C) you assign, based upon the free fluency assessment, and then complete repeated readings on their own.
3. Students take and record a hot (practiced) timing.
4. Students complete the comprehension questions on the same article.

Each of the 43 articles is composed in a leveled format–the first two paragraphs are at third-year/level/grade reading level; the next two are at the fifth; and the last two are at the seventh. Slower readers get practice on controlled vocabulary and are pushed to read at the higher reading levels once the contextual content has been established. Faster readers are challenged by the increasingly difficult multi-syllabic vocabulary. This format is perfect for differentiated fluency instruction.

This toolkit also includes 43 corresponding animal comprehension worksheets with content-specific comprehension questions embedded in the margins next to the relevant text. These low-higher order thinking questions ask readers to summarize, connect, re-think, interpret, and predict (the SCRIP comprehension strategy cues) to promote reader dialog(ue) with the text. Students practice self-monitoring their own reading comprehension as they read. This “talking to the text” transfers to better independent reading comprehension and retention. Answers provided, of course.

The animal fluency and comprehension articles each describe the physical characteristics of the animal, paragraphs detailing each animal’s habitat, what the animal eats, the animal’s family, interesting facts, and the status of the species (endangered or not). The writing is engaging and students will enjoy learning about both common and uncommon animals.

Check out this affordable program. It’s truly a 2 for 1… reading fluency and comprehension! Targeted Independent Practice | Reading Fluency and Comprehension

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics combine reading fluency and comprehension, fluency passages, reading comprehension, reading fluency, reading strategies, repeated reading

Do spelling worksheets work? It depends.

First, it depends upon a teacher’s thoughts about independent worksheets. Most of us have grown up with the notions that only bad or lazy teachers use worksheets, that they involve “drill and kill” practice, and that students hate them or find them “boring.”

To disabuse us of these notions, I turn to Dr. Tim Shanahan, Professor Emeritus University of Chicago and Research Lead on the National Reading Panel to get his take on using independent seatwork, such as worksheets.

Like most professors, I have long looked askance at worksheets and their role in reading instruction (though I had relied upon them as a teacher). These newer studies (e.g., Amendum, et al., 2024), suggest that they are not as bad as we have been led to believe (Taylor, et al., 2005). Good teachers often use a mix of direct instruction along with some practice sheets. (Shanahan’s Comments).

Of course we all believe that direct, explicit, whole-class instruction should be our priority, but some small group and individualized work is necessary to differentiate instruction, and it certainly makes sense that the independent worksheets and/or activities we use in our classrooms can help maximize learning.

Second, it depends upon the spelling worksheet. I’ve found that independent worksheets practice, targeted to specific, diagnostically-assessed spelling pattern deficits, coupled with a rigorous grade-level spelling program can be a game-changer. And spelling pattern worksheet practice should conclude with formative assessment to determine mastery.

Spelling is especially well-suited to diagnostic differentiation and independent practice. My affordable program includes a comprehensive diagnostic, and worksheets with concise definitions, clear examples, spelling sorts, and and writing practice. Not all of your students need to practice the i before e spelling pattern, but some do. Targeted Independent Practice | Spelling will help you pinpoint and teach to assessed spelling needs. Each spelling pattern worksheet includes a formative assessment. Grades 3 on up.

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics spelling diagnostic, spelling patterns, spelling sorts, spelling workbook, spelling worksheets

Should teachers use worksheets to teach and practice literacy knowledge? Yes! If you’re familiar with the science of reading and Dr. Scarborough’s famous reading rope, you might recall that literacy knowledge is listed as a key component of the upper language comprehension strand of the rope (the lower strand is word recognition). Literacy knowledge refers to a reader and writer’s knowledge of genre, such as a mystery novel or argumentative essay. Literacy knowledge also refers to literary elements featured in those genre, such as metaphors or personification. Finally, literary knowledge refers to text features, literary and poetic devices and structures, such as theme or expository paragraph organization.

But doesn’t literacy knowledge best lend itself to direct, explicit, whole-class instruction? I would agree, but students best understand retain what they are learning through targeted practice. Often a teacher will use novels, short stories, or articles to teach genre, literary elements, text features and structures. A conscientious teacher may have time to teach a dozen genre in a given year; however, to build literacy knowledge many more are necessary to explore. Targeted independent worksheets provide the best means of providing comprehensive instruction and practice on the breadth of literacy knowledge.

And, despite what we’ve been told to believe, there’s nothing bad about a good worksheet! Check out what Dr. Tim Shanahan, Professor Emeritus University of Chicago and Research Lead on the National Reading Panel, has to say…

Like most professors, I have long looked askance at worksheets and their role in reading instruction (though I had relied upon them as a teacher). These newer studies (e.g., Amendum, et al., 2024), suggest that they are not as bad as we have been led to believe (Taylor, et al., 2005). Good teachers often use a mix of direct instruction along with some practice sheets.

The study Dr. Shanahan refers to (Amendum, et al., 2024) “…was a correlational study, which identified how time was spent in classrooms and its relationship to learning to read. It found that the most effective teachers were using a combination of authentic texts and worksheets, etc. Unlike in some past studies, there was no particular benefit to using one type of material over another — in other words, they did see some learning gains due to use of seatwork (worksheet) activities” (Shanahan’s Comments).

Of course we all believe that direct, explicit, whole-class instruction should be our priority, but some small group and individualized work is necessary to differentiate instruction, and it certainly makes sense that the independent worksheets and/or activities we use in our classrooms can help maximize learning.

I’ve found that independent practice, targeted to specific, diagnostically assessed literacy deficits, gets the best results. And worksheet practice should conclude with formative assessment to determine mastery of the practiced concept or skill.

Literacy Knowledge is particularly well-suited to diagnostic differentiation and independent practice. My affordable program includes a short diagnostic, concise definitions, clear examples, and connected reading and writing practice. You don’t need to teach an entire novel to teach the science fiction genre. Here are 20 literary genre with all the grade-level standards dealing with text features, literary and poetic devices and structures. I invite you to check out the entire affordable program. Grades 4 on up.

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics genre, literary devices, poetic devices, structures, text features, text structure

Should teachers use grammar worksheets for targeted practice? Is there any research on this? Check out what Dr. Tim Shanahan, Professor Emeritus University of Chicago and Research Lead on the National Reading Panel, has to say…

Recently, I noticed a couple of research studies published in 2024 about seatwork and it reminded me of this blog. Like most professors, I have long looked askance at worksheets and their role in reading instruction (though I had relied upon them as a teacher). These newer studies (e.g., Amendum, et al., 2024), suggest that they are not as bad as we have been led to believe (Taylor, et al., 2005). Good teachers often use a mix of direct instruction along with some practice sheets.

The study Dr. Shanahan refers to (Amendum, et al., 2024) “…was a correlational study, which identified how time was spent in classrooms and its relationship to learning to read. It found that the most effective teachers were using a combination of authentic texts and worksheets, etc. Unlike in some past studies, there was no particular benefit to using one type of material over another — in other words, they did see some learning gains due to use of seatwork (worksheet) activities” (Shanahan’s Comments).

Of course we all believe that direct, explicit, whole-class instruction should be our priority, but some small group and individualized work is necessary to differentiate instruction, and it certainly makes sense that the independent worksheets and/or activities we use in our classrooms can help maximize learning.

I’ve found that independent practice, targeted to specific, diagnostically assessed literacy deficits, gets the best results. And worksheet practice should conclude with formative assessment to determine mastery of the practiced concept or skill.

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics are particularly well-suited to diagnostic differentiation and independent practice. Not all students need practice on collective nouns or capitalization of titles. Some do; but some don’t. Targeted worksheets with formative assessments make sense. Why not take a look at the full affordable program to see if this is what you need to get max results in your classes. Grades 4 on up.

Targeted Independent Practice

My Targeted Independent Practice series supports teachers with quality assessment-based independent learning. Each program includes 1. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment to determine student needs 2. Targeted worksheets corresponding to the specific diagnostic test components 3. Formative assessments to determine mastery. View each program in its entirety.

*** Reading Fluency and Comprehension

*** Spelling

*** Phonics

*** Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

*** Literacy Knowledge

*** Executive Function and Study Skills

Not sure if your students need interventions? Download the free Targeted Independent Practice Diagnostic Assessments and let the data inform your instructional decision-making.

Grammar/Mechanics grammar practice, grammar workbooks, grammar worksheets, mechanics worksheets, punctuation worksheets