
322: How to Support Struggling Readers Without Neglecting the Rest of Your Class
From Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers by Sara Marye, Literacy Teacher, Elementary Teacher
August 27, 2026 · 24 min
About this episode
Sara Marye discusses how to support struggling readers while ensuring the rest of the class receives meaningful literacy instruction.
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…
People in this episode
Host: Sara Marye
Topics covered
- supporting struggling readers
- literacy instruction
- phonics intervention
- Tier 1 instruction
- partner work
- small group instruction
Keywords
- struggling readers
- literacy
- phonics
- intervention
- Tier 1 instruction
- partner routines
- small groups
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- 321: Differentiation vs. Intervention: What's the Difference? · August 20, 2026 · 13 min
- 320: A Simple Framework for Your Tier 1 Literacy Instruction · August 17, 2026 · 11 min
- 319: MTSS Explained: What Every Upper Elementary Teacher Needs to Know · August 13, 2026 · 14 min
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