Reach All Students Through Individualized Instruction

This school year is flying by. Can you believe it is already March? At this point in the year, through ongoing informal and formal assessment of student skills, you likely have a firm grasp on which students need additional support and which students require a challenge. In this issue of The Superkids Bulletin, we explore program resources available to individualize your instruction and support students working at all skill levels.

Be sure to read to the end! We are bringing back TWO popular, annual Superkids events!

Support During Core Instruction

Superkids lessons are structured so teachers can provide more guidance and feedback to students who need it while others work more independently. In addition to the Teacher’s Guide differentiation tips offered with each lesson, here are some examples of how you can modify core instruction to accommodate different learners.

Differentiating Instruction During Word Work

After teaching a skill and modeling how to complete items on a student page with the whole class, work with your struggling students individually or in a small group to complete the page. Read words and sentences on the page aloud with children. Discuss answers before children write them. You may want to write words or parts of words for children to trace before they write. Use Ten-Minute Tuck-Ins at the end of each lesson to reteach and reinforce skills with individual children and small groups as needed.

For students working above level, allow children to complete the skill page independently if they understand the skill and the task. Above-level students may finish their work quickly. Make sure they always have meaningful work they can do when they finish, such as reading a book, writing in a journal, or doing independent activities suggested in the lessons.

Modifications During Reading Lessons

Below-level readers need mediation strategies to be able to access grade level text. For these students, read the lesson text aloud to children first. Select a section of the text, perhaps two or three pages, for the group to focus on. Before students read, review words from the section that you think children might have difficulty decoding. Newly decodable, long, or unfamiliar words may all be difficult for this group. Help children blend the sounds to decode each word.

Have children follow along as you slowly read aloud one or two sentences at a time from the section of the text. Read the same part aloud chorally with children and then call on a child to read it aloud to the group.

Ask above-level readers to read the text to themselves before meeting with you. During group time, have them take turns reading aloud a paragraph or a page. Focus on fluency, asking children to read the text smoothly with natural expression. Ask the comprehension questions in the lesson and have children cite evidence from the text to support their answers.

Writing Support

Struggling writers may have difficulty with handwriting, spelling, or basic mechanics. Talk with individual students about what they want to write and help them state their first few ideas orally. Assist children with sounding out and encoding words or help children structure their writing by providing sentence frames for them to complete.

Above-level writers will have a good handle on mechanics and be able to organize and express their ideas clearly. They should be able to complete most writing assignments without help. Many advanced students may write more than what’s expected. Encourage them to spend more of their time planning and revising their writing rather than writing too much.

Determining What to Teach

To differentiate instruction effectively, you need to know what children can and can’t do well and which skills need strengthening. You need to identify the skill gaps before planning your instruction. When pinpointing where to focus, it can be helpful to think about the predictable progression of reading skill development.

This Points of Instruction Diagnostic Chart, rooted in the progression of skills that lead to becoming a reader, can help identify which skills need to be reinforced with a student for them to progress as a reader. This video will walk you through the chart that will assist with determining the ideal point of instruction.

If you are interested in learning more about teaching diagnostically while using Superkids, contact us about professional development opportunities.

Reach All Students Through Individualized Instruction

The Superkids Reading Program includes a plethora of resources for planning individualized instruction and activities to reinforce skills with striving readers or to challenge high-achieving students. In addition to the differentiation tips found in the Teacher’s Guide, the following resources can be used when planning and implementing targeted, individual instruction. Grade levels are indicated in parentheses.

Superkids Schools Conference 2024

The annual Superkids Schools Conference will be held June 25, 2024! We hope you will join us for this virtual, live learning event for K–2 teachers and leaders. Superkids specialists and expert classroom teachers will lead sessions that focus on the most-requested topics—and we have two exciting keynote sessions! This one-day conference provides an opportunity for Superkids educators to share effective teaching practices and learn together.

Can’t attend the live event? No problem! You will receive a full year of extended access to all recorded sessions with a ticket purchase.

Visit our event registration page for details about conference content and register for this online learning event. Be sure to register before April 30, 2024, to receive a special early bird discount!

The Superkids Spring Tournament Is Back!

Beginning March 19, we will post a daily head-to-head match on our Facebook page placing the Superkids in scenarios featuring a favorite sport or activity. Teachers will ask their class to vote for who they predict would win the match and enter the class winner in the comments. You can use the bracket to keep track of who came out on top in the daily matches or you can run your own tournament with students.