Today’s post is the latest in a multiyear series in which educators share short and simple “teacher moves” that can have big impacts in the classroom.

‘Intentional Practice’

Lindsay Kemeny is an elementary school teacher, speaker, and co-host of the Literacy Talks podcast with a passion for literacy and applying research to practice. She is the author of 7 Mighty Moves (Scholastic, 2023) and Rock Your Literacy Block (Scholastic, 2025).

It was an honor to recently host Louisa Moats, a renowned literacy expert, in my classroom. As she observed my literacy instruction in action, one of her key takeaways resonated deeply with me: She was impressed by the sheer volume of practice my 1st graders were getting. This observation highlights a critical aspect of instruction that’s often overlooked in our classrooms. And it reminds me that a key question we teachers should be asking is: How much purposeful practice are students getting in my classroom? Is it enough?

When I speak of practice, I’m not advocating an endless stream of worksheets. Instead, I’m referring to intentional, targeted practice directly aligned with what is being taught, coupled with immediate opportunities for feedback.

As you plan your lessons, consider how to maximize the minutes students are actively engaged in intentional practice. Instead of one student spelling a word on the board, imagine every student recording their answer on mini-whiteboards. Why have just one student read a sentence from the smartboard when the entire class can engage in a choral reading? Rather than a single student reading a page aloud, transition to partner reading, multiplying the practice for everyone. As your students are immersed in reading or writing, circulate throughout the room, providing targeted feedback and scaffolds exactly when needed.

Finally, recognize that students require varying amounts of practice to achieve mastery. While ample opportunities should be built into your whole-class instruction, be prepared to follow up with targeted, additional practice in a small-group setting for those who need it most.

Providing this purposeful practice is a small, yet powerful move you can make in your classroom. You will witness student gains in both learning and engagement. Sounds like a win-win to me!

‘Bursts of Instruction’

Tammy Mulligan currently teaches 4th graders on Hanscom Air Force Base. She is the author of the new book, The Power of Quick and Frequent Practice: Joyful Small Moves with Big Impacts on Elementary Literacy:

One small teaching move that is not as common as it should be is teaching students individually or in small groups in one- to four-minute bursts of instruction. There is so much that kids can learn with quick and frequent instruction, because often, we get better at something by chipping away at it little by little. In classrooms, we have students sitting in front of us who need extra practice—extra practice with a mathematical concept, extra instruction in phonics or phonemic awareness, or extra practice reading fluently—and mini bursts of instruction make a difference.

Each week, I create a chart of priority skills that students need to learn or practice and then I review my notes to determine which ones I can teach in quick and frequent bursts.

In my 4th grade classroom, students might practice a few multiplication facts, try to read a series of multisyllabic words that follow a specific phonetic skill they are learning, spell some tricky high-frequency words, or even read a few pages of a text to practice their fluency. The good news is that with a few word lists in hand, the children’s book box at the ready, and a small whiteboard or a pack of sticky notes, I can teach what students need. With these materials in hand, I sidle up next to kids during breakfast (students eat in the classroom), right before an independent work time ends, or at the beginning of a small group and ask, “Can we take a moment and practice ________ together?”

When children know that this work will only take a minute, they quickly engage in the task, and over time, they ask to complete this practice because they can see the results. A significant benefit of this practice is that it frees up time during instructional blocks for students to explore more complex literary and mathematical concepts and ideas. This practice also helps children understand that whenever they want to learn something new, they can practice in small bursts and accomplish their goals.

‘Preloading the Language’

Angel Martinez Sanchez is a teacher at the Norwich public schools in Connecticut:

One small but powerful teaching move I’ve embraced is “preloading the language” before academic tasks—especially for multilingual learners. This might mean introducing one to two key sentence frames orally before a discussion or writing a few high-impact words on the board before a read-aloud or content lesson. It takes under a minute, but the results are often transformational: engagement spikes, participation deepens, and students feel empowered to express complex ideas with scaffolding rather than silence. It’s not about simplifying content—it’s about amplifying access. And when done consistently, students begin to internalize both the structure and confidence to participate.

To extend this even further, I’ve found that preloading language not only benefits multilingual learners—it actually enhances clarity and access for all students. When learners know how to enter a task linguistically, they focus more on meaning and less on formulation. Over time, this builds their academic confidence and fosters classroom equity.

It’s such a small adjustment, but it redefines participation as something within reach for everyone, not just those already comfortable with academic discourse. The long-term benefit is even greater: Students begin to use this language independently, transferring sentence stems and key vocabulary to other content areas. This small move creates ripple effects—it models how language can be used intentionally, flexibly, and confidently across academic settings. It empowers students not just to respond but to initiate, synthesize, and contribute.

Thanks to Lindsay, Tammy, and Angel for contributing their thoughts.

Today’s post answered this question:

What is a “small teaching move” that you think is not as common as it should be? A “small teaching move” in this context is an action that would require very little prep, can easily be made into a routine or habit, and is likely to result in increased student engagement and learning.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X at @Larryferlazzo or on Bluesky at @larryferlazzo.bsky.social

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