Summary of "104 - Academic Interventions - Session 2 Lesson 2"

Purpose / Big picture

This segment explains how to plan and deliver Tier 2 (small-group) academic interventions so students accelerate back to grade level (Tier 1) as quickly as possible.

Primary emphases:

Purposeful, efficient use of limited small-group time.
Use data to plan instruction and build on students’ current skills.
Boost student confidence and teach strategies they can use independently.

Key principles

Begin each lesson by stating a clear objective / learning target so students know exactly what skill they will work on that session.
Use students’ existing knowledge as the starting point; scaffold from what they can already do.
Prioritize accelerating students to grade level — be deliberate about progression and avoid settling for slow progress.
Design lessons with a clear end point: identify what students should know and be able to do by the end of the session.
Celebrate small successes to build confidence and risk-taking.
Move students to the next target as soon as they reliably master the current one.
Teach explicit, portable strategies students can use independently when the teacher is not present.

Detailed, practical methodology / lesson structure

General workflow for each small-group session

State the objective / learning target clearly at the start.
Warm up / review what students already know (confidence-building).
Teach and practice the targeted skill with guided support.
Provide practice opportunities (within the small group).
Have students apply the skill independently or in pairs.
End by introducing or “tasting” a new text or task to check transfer and plan the next lesson.

Reading-specific sequence

Start with text students already know to build confidence.
Word work: sight words, phonics, decoding practice, fluency drills.
Writing/application: have students stop and apply the skill in writing.
Book tasting: briefly introduce a new book to see whether students transfer the day’s skill and to inform next steps.
Fluency strategies: use mirrors so students can observe mouth shapes and audio recordings so they can hear and self-correct.

Phonics / scaffolding

Begin at the level students can manage (letters, high-frequency sight words).
Gradually increase complexity (letters → words → sentences) only when mastery is consistent.

Math-specific sequence

Start with what students can already do (e.g., counting to 10, adding within 5).
Practice known strategies before introducing new concepts.
Teach concrete, independent-use strategies (e.g., fingers with ten-frames).
Use quick activities (e.g., “10 push-ups” with fingers) to represent numbers, then move toward independent work.
Teach and reinforce number lines and other visual supports so students can use them outside the small group.

Independent-strategy goal

Explicitly teach strategies students can use during independent work so learning continues outside teacher-led time.

Progression rule

If a student consistently demonstrates mastery of the current target, shift them to the next target promptly.

Classroom and group management pointers

Set up the table/space and expectations in advance; establish clear routines.
Use data to select which students receive interventions and to decide lesson focus.
Keep group activities short, specific, and tied to measurable targets.
Encourage peer support and celebrate small wins at the table to boost confidence.

Examples and tools mentioned

Mirrors for fluency practice (observe mouth movements).
Audio recordings of students reading (for self-evaluation).
Ten-frames and finger strategies for early math.
Number lines for counting and basic computation.
“Book tasting” to test transfer of reading skills.

Speakers / sources featured

Presenter / teacher (likely Mrs. Wiser) — primary speaker giving instruction and examples.
Students (unnamed) — participants and sources of sample interactions/quotes.
Background music (non-speaking).