UFLI Small Groups: What to Do During UFLI Intervention (Step-by-Step Routine)

Mar 17, 2024
4 min read

Wondering what to do during UFLI Foundations small group intervention time? Here's the exact routine I use for Tier 2 and Tier 3 groups.

This is by far one of the most common questions teachers ask when using UFLI Foundations is: What should I do during small group intervention time? And it's completely understandable! Planning for phonics intervention groups that meet the needs of your individual students is VERY TIME CONSUMING! And let's be real, teachers don't have extra time.

—------------ Want no-prep, ready-to-teach small group lessons and activities for every UFLI skill? Download a FREE 12 page lesson plan to try with your students.

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The wonderful thing about UFLI is that all of the instructional guidance you need is included in the manual. However, it can be overwhelming to know exactly what to do with that information, to know how to scaffold the skills appropriately with your intervention groups, and how to fit it all into a 15-30 minute block.

So here are some tips to cut planning time and make your UFLI small group time more intentional and impactful.

(And if you want it all done for you, I have 12+ pages of Small Group Lesson Plans aligned to EVERY UFLI lesson! Just click here.)

1. Have all your materials ready to go!

Being ready doesn't mean that you must spend hours prepping. It just means you have some instructional stuff at your small group table that is ready to go. Check out the materials list below.

Your UFLI manual for word lists
Letters for word manipulation
Whiteboards and dry-erase markers (I skip the whiteboards and let kids write directly on the table.)
Games in sheet protectors (prep once and use all year!)
A gameplan: who needs help with what?

2. Deliver Targeted instruction with high quality materials

There are so many components to reading instruction: phonemic awareness, letter recognition, letter-sound correspondence, word-level reading, reading/spelling hear words, sentence fluency, rate and porosity with longer passages, spelling, sentence dictation, vocabulary, comprehension, etc., etc.! Planning and implementing ufli small groups and targeted phonics intervention is not easy! And if you are monitoring 20+ kids in a classroom, and I will say it again… it's not easy.

Here are some tips: Use the weekly progress monitoring results and a tool like project read ai if your district provides it. Use high quality materials that are created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence. Here are the core tasks of my UFLI Small Group Intervention Lessons:

I start with simple tasks before moving to more tasks. Each task builds on the next, progressing in difficulty! As your students start to struggle, stop and spend time on those activities.

1: The HOOK! Use picture cards to start a discussion about the target grapheme in various words.

2: Work on phonemic awareness. Can the child...

identify if a word does or does not have the target sound?
blend sounds together to make a word?
be given a word with the target sound and segmented into phonemes?
notice a pattern about the placement of the sound in a word? Does it occur at the beginning of a word, the middle of a word, and or the end of a word?

3: Practice reading words and isolation. If the students struggle, scaffold the skill by underlining or highlighting the specific grapheme you're practicing.
4: Build and manipulate words using the word chains in the UFLI manual.
5: Practice Heart Words (irregular, high-frequency words) by orthographic mapping and multisensory practice.
6: Spell words.
7: Practice, practice, practice through games at the small group table.

If planning these steps for every UFLI lesson feels overwhelming, I created done-for-you small group intervention plans aligned to every UFLI lesson.

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Download a free lesson then check out on tpt

3. Play games that require practice, practice, and more practice!

Here is your recipe for success:

Every kid reads every turn + feedback provided immediately = Purposeful Practice

Classroom games are meant to practice skills while having fun. Teachers can choose the game type depending on factors like time, number of students, level of difficulty, etc.

It is imperative that teachers provide feedback during gameplay during skill intervention. Correcting misread words will prevent students from reinforcing decoding errors. Students are at your small group table because they don't yet have the skills to read these words successfully on their own.

For a low-prep option, slide your printed games in dry-erase pockets or page protectors to be used with different colored dry-erase markers! Check out my blog about UFLI partner games HERE. You can also find hundreds of small group phonics games HERE.

UFLI Roll-and-Read games are available online HERE.

PS: Small group intervention only works if the teacher can give their full attention.

The other students need to be engaged in intentional practice as well. We all know that independent centers require lots of time teaching and practicing routines and procedures. What do the other students do while you are at your small group table? Skip the coloring sheets and use engaging practice games and quality online apps for the other students. I know, easier said than done! I'll add some helpful ideas below.

Interactive Notebooks aligned to UFLI for Kinder, 1st, and 2nd
Practice with aligned decodable readers (partner read, highlight phonics pattern, read and illustrate, etc.) Read my blog that outlines 5 activities students can do with 1 decodable text by clicking here!

Crack the Code: Hidden Message Game

Sentence Scrambles

Dots & Boxes

Try a FREE 12 page lesson plan and activities that are aligned to UFLI Foundations by clicking below! All 7 steps outlined in this blog are included!

Happy Teaching!

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FAQ: UFLI Small Group Intervention

What do you do during UFLI small groups? During UFLI small group intervention, teachers focus on targeted phonics instruction aligned with the UFLI Foundations lesson. This can include phonemic awareness activities, reading words in isolation, word chains, heart word instruction, spelling practice, and phonics games to reinforce the target skill.

How long should UFLI small group intervention be? Most UFLI small group intervention sessions last between 15–30 minutes. The exact length depends on student needs and the available instructional block. Short, focused lessons allow teachers to provide immediate feedback and scaffold decoding skills effectively.

What materials do you need for UFLI small groups? Common materials include the UFLI manual, magnetic letters for word building, whiteboards or dry-erase surfaces, decodable word lists, and phonics games that align with the UFLI scope and sequence.