When forming LLI groups, children do not always fall neatly into just the right number of groups. After all, they are individuals who cannot be defined by “reading level.” You will probably have to do some problem-solving when you begin to group children. Your goal is to group the children so that the level of instruction will be appropriate for all of them. Our recommendation is to start the group at a text level that allows every child to begin with success. Here are some suggestions:
- Make some “one level” compromises. Three children whose instructional levels are B, B, and C, for example, may be able to read together and benefit from the intervention lessons starting at level B.
- If you are working alongside a teacher in a classroom, make arrangements for a child from the neighboring classroom to join the group you are teaching.
- Take children at the same level from different classrooms (but be sure that it doesn’t take too much time to assemble them in the space you are teaching).
- Your priority should be to group children efficiently and effectively so that you can teach them at the appropriate level.
From LLI Orange System Guide by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Copyright (c) 2017 by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Published by Heinemann.