Today was a really rich and thought-provoking day focused on small group reading instruction.There were so many parts that resonated with me, and a few clear challenges that I can see myself needing to work through in my own practice.
One of the big takeaways for me was how strongly the new curriculum emphasises the need for explicit guided reading instruction. We aren’t just giving children texts and hoping they figure it out — we need to teach deliberately and with intention. A comprehensive English programme means including explicit teaching, structured literacy approaches, inclusive practices, and developing positive identities as readers, writers, and communicators.
Another key learning was around background knowledge and prior knowledge.
To support comprehension, we need to intentionally build concepts, information, and text structures that are relevant and necessary for understanding the text. It’s important to stay focused — children don't need all the extra, unrelated information that can send us off into tangents we simply don't have time for. Staying deliberate here will help make our teaching sharper and more purposeful.
Observing the Reader was another area that really stood out for me.
We need to hear our students read regularly — this is still the best way to understand how they’re progressing. I was reminded how important it is to be deliberate in what we notice and how helpful it would be to have a system for recording observations. It’s not enough to just ‘have a sense’ of how they’re going and we need concrete examples and notes to guide our teaching moves.This is a change I need to make to my own practice.
In terms of fluency, I was reminded how fragile it is, especially when the text is too hard.
We aren’t just listening for accuracy, we're looking for expression, intonation, and use of punctuation to support meaning. Fluency is so much more than speed.
I found it really helpful to use the fluency rubric today.
It gave me a clear structure for assessing where students are at, and I can see it being valuable not just for my own planning, but also for reporting to parents. I'm thinking it would be powerful to use the rubric with students too, building their capacity to self-assess and reflect on their own reading.
One fun idea I really liked was the "boredometre"! By playing recordings of readers with different levels of fluency, we can have children rate how engaging the reading sounds. I can see this being a fun and effective way to make students more aware of how fluency impacts meaning and enjoyment.
We also spent time thinking about the role of discussion in small group reading sessions.
It’s so important that after the introduction and observation phases, we move into genuine discussion about the text. Some big reminders for me were:
All students need the chance to engage, it's not a test but a conversation.
Strategic prompting and questioning can help deepen understanding.
This fits beautifully into the oral language strand of the new curriculum, listening, responding, building on each other's ideas.
Using roles (e.g., questioner, prompter) can help guide participation and link strongly with curriculum goals around moving conversations forward.
And of course, our questions need to be open-ended, giving students real room to think and explore ideas.
Final Thoughts
There was a lot to take in today, but overall, I feel excited and positive.
I can see clear ways I can sharpen my practice, particularly around being more deliberate with observation, using rubrics and tools to support student self-assessment, and structuring discussions to be authentic and inclusive.
There's definitely a balancing act ahead, managing explicit instruction without overwhelming the students, and weaving in fluency, comprehension, and enjoyment all at once. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will all come together in my classroom.
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