Small group instruction can be one of the most powerful parts of your literacy block—but it can also be one of the hardest to figure out. In this episode, Sara and Emily are bringing back our Dear Stellar Teacher style episodes and sharing six small group mistakes they made in their own classrooms (and what they would do differently now!).

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why too much teacher talk can take away from the practice and feedback students really need.
• Why you don’t need to meet with every student in a small group every day (or even every week).
• How relying on one data point or fixed reading levels can keep you from identifying what students actually need.
• Why small group instruction should focus on the specific skills students need to become stronger readers, rather than simply reteaching your whole group lesson.

If small groups have ever left you wondering, Am I even doing this right?—this episode is for you. We’ve made the mistakes, learned a lot since then, and we’re sharing it all so you can feel more confident with your small group instruction.

Resources mentioned:

Small Group Success Checklist: stellarteacher.com/smallgroups

Reading Intervention Kit: stellarteacher.com/intervention

What does MTSS actually look like in your upper elementary literacy classroom? Understanding the tiers is one thing, but knowing what instruction should look like at Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 can feel much more complicated.

In this episode, Emily breaks down how to put MTSS into practice with practical examples you can use in your literacy block. You’ll learn what strong Tier 1 literacy instruction should include, how to identify the specific skills students need during Tier 2, and how Tier 3 increases the intensity of support without necessarily requiring an entirely different program.

We’ll also walk through a simple Tier 2 fluency routine and a five-day phonics and decoding intervention routine to help you see what targeted support can actually look like.

Resources Mentioned:

Free Fluency Resource: stellarteacher.com/fluency

Stellar Intervention Toolkit: stellarteacher.com/intervention

Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

[Listen Again] The one thing teachers wish they could have more of is time. Time to plan, time to teach, time to make copies, and time to have fun with their students. The day goes by so quickly that it’s hard to fit everything in, but one thing that helps with that is time management. In order to help you gain some time back in your classroom, I’m sharing 3 tips that are effective and help free up brain space.

Download my Free Mini-Lesson Plan and Sample Slides here!

Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information click here.

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series here!

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode152

If you have a handful of students who need intensive phonics intervention, a few who are reading well above grade level, and everyone else somewhere in the middle, you might be wondering: How am I supposed to meet all of these needs without burning myself out?

The good news is that meeting every student's needs doesn't mean giving every student the exact same support.

In this episode, Sara is breaking down how to support your struggling readers while still making sure the rest of your class is getting meaningful, appropriately challenging literacy instruction. She shares a helpful doctor analogy that reminds us that different students need different types of support—and that different doesn't mean unfair.

You'll also hear practical ways to strengthen your Tier 1 instruction, use partner work to support all learners, make the most of your intervention time, and plan meaningful work for the rest of your class while you're meeting with small groups.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why meeting every student's needs doesn't mean giving every student the exact same support
• Why not every student needs to meet with you in a small group
• How explicit Tier 1 instruction can better support struggling readers before intervention even begins
• How partner routines like RallyCoach can provide struggling readers with support while deepening learning for stronger readers
• A simple five-day intervention framework for making the most of your small group time
• How to plan meaningful literacy work for the rest of your class while you're providing intervention
• Why it's okay for your intervention students and the rest of your class to be working on completely different assignments

If you're feeling overwhelmed trying to fit every student into a small group or make sure everyone completes the same work, this episode will help you rethink what effective support can look like. Your job isn't to give every student the exact same thing—it's to figure out what each student needs and provide the instruction that will help them grow.

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Reading Intervention Kit: Stellarteacher.com/intervention

[Listen Again] We’re bringing back this episode because it’s just too good not to share again! As we continue talking about supporting struggling readers, this conversation feels just as relevant today. If you missed it the first time—or could use a refresher—we’re revisiting some of the biggest lessons we learned about phonics, intervention, and foundational reading skills in upper elementary.

Many upper elementary teachers know their struggling readers need support with foundational reading skills, but knowing exactly what to teach—and how to fit it into an already-packed school day—can feel overwhelming. In this Dear Stellar Teacher episode, we're sharing our biggest phonics confessions, including the mistakes we made in our own classrooms and what we wish we had known about supporting struggling readers.

In this episode, we're talking all things phonics, phonemic awareness, and reading intervention in upper elementary. We'll share why we didn't always prioritize systematic phonics instruction, why intervention can't simply become someone else's responsibility, and what we've learned about helping older students strengthen the foundational skills they need to become more confident readers.

• The biggest mistakes we made when supporting struggling readers in our own classrooms
• Why systematic phonics instruction still matters in upper elementary
• Why we wish we had incorporated more phonemic awareness into our literacy instruction
• How a lack of knowledge and confidence can make foundational skills instruction feel overwhelming
• Why classroom teachers still play an important role in supporting students who need intervention
• What we've learned about providing more effective decoding and foundational skills support

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/intervention

Episode 321: Differentiation vs. Intervention: What’s the Difference?

Raise your hand if you have a struggling reader in your classroom. Now, keep your hand raised if you've ever wondered: Am I actually giving this student the support they need?

Differentiation and intervention are two terms that get thrown around all the time, and they're often used interchangeably. But they serve two very different purposes. Understanding the difference can help you identify what your struggling readers actually need and make more intentional instructional decisions.

In this episode, we're talking all things differentiation, intervention, and how to determine which type of support your struggling readers actually need. You'll learn how differentiation helps students access grade-level learning, while intervention targets the underlying skill gaps that may be preventing students from becoming stronger, more successful readers.

• The key difference between differentiation and intervention
• Practical differentiation strategies
• How to recognize when differentiation alone isn't enough
• How intervention targets specific foundational skill gaps
• How differentiation and intervention can work together to support struggling readers

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Intervention Toolkit: https://learn.stellarteacher.com/intervention

Episode 320: A Simple Framework for Your Tier 1 Literacy Instruction

When students are struggling with reading, it's easy to immediately start thinking about intervention and small groups. But before we add more intervention, it's important to take a closer look at the instruction every student receives every day: Tier 1.

How can you strengthen your Tier 1 literacy instruction without adding more to your already-full literacy block?

In this episode, Tami is kicking off our Supporting Every Reader series by sharing a simple framework that can help you make your whole group literacy instruction more connected, intentional, and effective. She introduces the 3-2-1 Framework for Deeper Comprehension—a practical approach that helps students build the knowledge and skills they need before, during, and after reading.

You'll learn why strong Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of literacy learning and how the 3-2-1 Framework can help you maximize the time you already have. Tammy walks you through three things to do before reading, two areas to focus on during reading, and one simple practice to use after reading—all centered around the same text.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why strengthening Tier 1 instruction should come before adding more intervention
• Why small groups can't carry the full weight of your literacy instruction
• How to use the 3-2-1 Framework for Deeper Comprehension to strengthen whole group instruction
• Three things to focus on before reading: background knowledge, vocabulary, and text structure
• Two areas to prioritize during reading: applying the reading standard and supporting students with syntax
• Why syntax instruction can help students make sense of complex sentences
• How writing about reading makes student thinking visible and deepens comprehension
• Why stronger Tier 1 instruction isn't about doing more—it's about making the instruction you're already providing more powerful and connected

If you're looking for a practical way to strengthen your Tier 1 literacy instruction, this episode will give you a simple framework you can start using right away. The goal isn't to squeeze more into your literacy block, but to make the time you already have work harder for every student.

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

Episode 319: MTSS 101: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

MTSS is one of those education acronyms that can quickly start to feel overwhelming. What does it all actually mean, and how does it fit together?

What exactly is MTSS—and what does it mean for you as a classroom teacher?

In this episode, Emily is breaking down the basics of MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) to help you understand what it is, why it matters, and how your everyday instruction fits into the framework. She also clears up one of the biggest misconceptions about MTSS: it's not a separate program just for struggling students. It's a framework designed to make sure every student gets the right level of support at the right time.

You'll learn how Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 work together, why strong Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of an effective MTSS framework, and how data and progress monitoring can help you make better instructional decisions for your students.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What MTSS actually is and how it supports all students
• Why strong Tier 1 instruction is the foundation of an effective MTSS framework
• The key differences between Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 support
• Why tiers should describe levels of support rather than label students
• How data and progress monitoring help determine when students need additional support
• What it might mean if more than 20% of your students need intervention
• Why early intervention is so important for preventing learning gaps from continuing to grow

If MTSS has ever felt confusing or overwhelming, this episode will help you see the framework in a much simpler way. You'll walk away with a clearer understanding of how the tiers work together and how MTSS can help you provide students with the support they need to be successful.

And be sure to tune in next week as we continue our MTSS series and talk about how to put MTSS into practice in your literacy classroom.

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

Episode 318: What Kind of Teacher Do You Want to Be This Year?

As a new school year begins, it's natural to think about goals. But instead of creating a long list of everything you want to accomplish this year, we want to challenge you to start with one simple question: What kind of teacher do you want to be?

What kind of teacher do you want to be this year?

In this episode, Emily is joined by Stellar Teacher teammate and fifth-grade teacher Megan to have an honest conversation about setting meaningful goals that actually stick. Rather than trying to improve everything at once, they discuss how choosing one area of growth, creating small daily habits, and giving yourself grace can help you become the teacher you want to be.

Whether your goal is building stronger relationships with students, improving your literacy instruction, or creating a healthier work-life balance, this episode will help you create a realistic plan for growth throughout the school year.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why focusing on who you want to become is more powerful than creating a long list of goals
• How to choose one meaningful area of growth instead of trying to improve everything at once
• Practical ways to turn your goals into daily and weekly habits
• Simple ideas for building stronger relationships with students and families from the very beginning of the year
• Why giving yourself grace is an essential part of personal and professional growth
• How an accountability partner can help you stay committed to your goals all year long

If you're looking for encouragement and a practical mindset shift before the school year begins, this episode will help you start with purpose—and remind you that meaningful growth happens one small step at a time.

Resources Mentioned:

⭐ The Stellar Literacy Collective: stellarteacher.com/join

In this replay episode of The Stellar Teacher Podcast, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at one of our most exciting new resources—the Stellar Teacher Reading Intervention Kit! I’m joined by my teammate Emily, one of our amazing curriculum writers and the mastermind behind this new intervention resource designed specifically for upper elementary students who struggle with decoding. If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to approach reading intervention or wondered how to fit it into your already packed schedule, this episode is for you.

Emily and I talk candidly about the biggest challenges teachers face when it comes to reading intervention—limited time, lack of confidence, and keeping older students engaged—and how each of those challenges shaped the design of this kit. You’ll hear about our goals, the research that guided us, the beta testing process, and the thoughtful routines we built to make intervention practical, effective, and doable in just 15 minutes a day.

Whether you’re looking for tools to support struggling readers, or you just want to feel more confident about teaching phonics in the upper grades, I hope this episode gives you inspiration and clarity. I truly believe this resource is going to make a huge difference in classrooms—and I can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself.

Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join!

Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!

Sign up for my FREE Revision Made Easy email series here!

Follow me on Instagram @thestellarteachercompany.

To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode261.