The small group instructional component of the literacy block will be an important part of instruction this school year (please refer to the overview).  For small group instruction to be successful, a teacher must make sure that students know and practice the procedures that will be used at that time.  This will be a time when a teacher will meet with small groups, to differentiate the TEKS that were taught during whole group instruction. At the same time, other students will be expected to work independently on some other task.  The transition from whole group to small group instruction should be swift and seamless.  How will a teacher make this happen?
Next week, students will begin the HMH curriculum. So, during small group instructional time, a teacher should explicitly teach the students: 
how activities will be done and for how long (when working independently or collaboratively)
what to do when they need assistance
what the room should look and sound like
how to transition quietly and quickly
signals for transition (to name a few).
There should be a schedule for the rotation of students and activities during small group time. Students must have many opportunities to rehearse these actions and troubleshoot/discuss what to do when things go awry.  By the end of next week, students should have a good grasp of what will happen during that block of time.

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