If you’ve been teaching English for a while, you’ve seen the shift: more students reading below level, more gaps in foundational skills, more behavior challenges, and more pressure to differentiate — all at the same time.

There’s one tool that helps with ALL of that, but too many secondary teachers overlook it:

⭐ Small Groups.

Small-group instruction isn’t just for elementary classrooms anymore.
In today’s ELA environment, small groups are where the magic happens.
This is where we close gaps, build confidence, strengthen reading skills, reteach concepts, and move students toward mastery — without burning ourselves out.

Let’s break down why small groups are essential, and how you can make the most of them in middle and high school ELA.

---

❗ Why Small Groups Matter in Secondary ELA

1. Students Don’t Learn at the Same Pace Anymore

Post-pandemic classrooms are academically diverse.
You likely have:

• Readers at a 2nd-grade level
• Readers at grade level
• Students who can analyze Shakespeare
• Students still learning figurative language

Whole-group instruction can’t meet all those needs.
Small groups CAN — and do it without lowering expectations.

---

2. Small Groups Allow REAL Differentiation

Differentiation often feels impossible when 30+ students stare back at you.

But in small groups?
You can give:

• Targeted vocabulary support
• Close reading practice
• Scaffolded annotation
• Assisted writing conferences
• Sentence-frame guidance
• High-level enrichment for advanced learners

And everyone gets exactly what THEY need.

---

3. Students Feel Safer Taking Risks

Not all students want to volunteer in whole-class discussions.
But in a small group, where the “audience” is four people instead of thirty, students naturally:

• talk more
• ask more questions
• try harder tasks
• offer deeper answers
• participate with less fear

Small groups build confidence — especially for your quiet, struggling, ELL, or anxious learners.

---

4. Behavior Improves Dramatically

Here’s a secret:
A student who feels SEEN is a student who behaves better.

When you sit beside students, lean into their process, and speak with them one-on-one, you reduce:

• task avoidance
• shutdowns
• side conversations
• defiance
• “I don’t get it, so I’m not doing it”

Small groups make students feel supported, not judged.

---

5. Small Groups Help with FAST, MAP, and Standardized Prep

If you’re in Florida (hello, FAST test 👀), or any other state with leveled progress monitoring, small groups give you:

• data-driven instruction
• targeted skill practice
• focused intervention time
• reteaching opportunities
• immediate growth tracking

You can quickly cover:

• inference
• vocabulary in context
• summarizing
• theme
• text evidence
• structure & craft

Because small groups allow you to teach precisely what they missed.

Stay tuned for the second part of the series coming soon!

Remember:

You got this.
Your students need this.
And I’m here to help you every step of the way.

— The Angry Teacher